“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.
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Brighton Argus
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Wharto15, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Idrie, Youtube
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Etienne, Chortle.com
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Jackmumf, Twitter
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle