Stewart Lee breaks all the rules. Not the rules you’re supposed to break. The other rules are the ones Stew breaks. The proper rules. You wouldn’t expect anyone to break these rules but Stew breaks them. He breaks the rules that are proper.
That’s what industry practitioners call the ‘in’. Illustrating the process behind the process of illustration. You probably feel confused and disorientated.
Confused and disorientated because I’ve torn the unspoken bond between writer and artist. A bond you lot hold sacred. Like a sandwich of mushy hedonism between two slices of lie. Opening out the sandwich would be like breaking a rule nobody should break.
But Stew does open the sandwich. Because of the equivalence of the sandwich and the rule.
The equivalence I just drew.
I shouldn’t be telling you this. But at the same time I’m not saying enough. You’d expect a journalist to include as many facts as possible. The last thing you expect from an arts practitioner is to hinge his material on filler.
Repeated filler.
You can’t hinge material on repeated filler.
But the thing about ‘can’t’ is it’s a word. ‘Can’t’ is a word, just like ‘you’ is a word. You can’t hinge material on repeated filler. But you can’t break the rules.
Stew can.
‘Can’ is also a word. Many comedians would make a joke about the word ‘can’ and its circumstantial proximity to the word ‘Stew’. Many comedians would do that. Many comedians would foster great hanging gardens of hilarious wordplay involving words like ‘can’.
And… ‘stew’.
Because stew comes in cans. It’s funny because of canned stew, the method of canning stew and the kind of stew that can be canned. There was even an extra ‘can’ in there. Many comedians would call this uncanny, which too would be amusing.
But no comedian would ever devote himself to the disassembly of comedy gold. No comedian would ever reveal the wiring under the board of such timeless gems as the use of a single phoneme as multiple signifiers. No comedian would ever unmask magic like that.
No comedian would sneer stoically at an audience through the oxymoron of smug apathy, unapologetically judge their laughter as lacklustre and push all their buttons in the process. No comedian can make a crowd laugh in fine bursts for several minutes just by satirically tuning a guitar. You can’t be quiet, slow, static and cynical and still get an uproarious reception; it’s against every comedic law in the book.
But if that book were a sandwich… Stew would break it open and spill the contents on your inner thigh. As though that sandwich were a rule.
That book is a sandwich. That sandwich is a rule. Because you see… what Stew does with rules is he breaks them.
(When sarcasm evolves, each new step necessarily splits the crowd. A lot of people are left completely in the dark. But us lucky remaining few are so transfixed that we are powerless but to embrace it. A good comedian is one you can’t help imitating. A great comedian is one who makes such imitation look a lot easier than it is.
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, 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
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube