“You’ve worked me out… I’m just looking at an object and being sarcastic about it,” says Stewart Lee, breaking down his set to a finely tuned analytical degree, having just looked at and been sarcastic about both Franklyn Ajaye’s 1974 album I’m A Comedian, Seriously and Chris Moyles’ autobiography The Tough Second Book. “And I’ve made a decent twenty-year career out of doing that.”
Of course, Lee has done much more than take cheap shots at minor celebrities. Much more. This is the man who gave the world Jerry Springer: The Opera and incurred the wrath of the God-squad; the man whose set 90s Comedian is heralded as an all-time classic; and the man who can stretch a single joke out across an hour and keep a room full of people doubled over in laughter. In short, Stewart Lee is one of the finest comedians that Britain has ever produced.
This year’s set is another exemplary hour of wonderful stand-up-cum-social-commentary. Lee is an immaculate performer: self-aware, varied, intelligent and relevant. His material combines an analysis of the mundane while fitting it expertly into a wider social context. His apparently disparate set is finally tied together under the grander theme of railing against a society that is culturally and intellectually in rapid decline. And the reason that he is so important is that his target is a valid one – in our market-economy, where the consumer is king, Lee does not lazily blame politicians. He knows who is really at fault. Us.
Lee’s genius, though, is in never being preachy, condescending or even particularly overt. The stories he tells early on plant the seed of an idea and it’s not until the set’s climax that you understand the full picture that he is trying to show – that you see each set-piece in its relation to the whole. This is a stunningly affecting, memorable performance from one of the few comic greats in Edinburgh this year.
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Meninblack, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Idrie, Youtube
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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98rosjon, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Stuart, Chortle
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube