Despite his BBC show being re-commissioned for a further two series until 2015, a clutch of recent awards and tonight’s performance, his biggest audience in a quarter-century of solo gigs, Stewart Lee, stand-up’s éminence grise maintains a desire to retreat back into cult obscurity. Or at least to the humbler Citizens Theatre across the Clyde.
He bemoans his belated fame, first for the Jimmy Carr crowd and friends of fans it’s attracted, later for the online vitriol and Twitter surveillance culture it’s brought him. He maintains he has nothing to say, a middle-aged man whose time is taken up watching endless Scooby Doo cartoons with his young son and travelling to gigs, desperately hoping random retail outlet names will provoke material. This is a patchwork show, a weave of carpet remnants, with themes Lee has covered before in terms of the famous lookalikes he’s confused with, abuse directed at him and from him towards his fellow comics, and his ongoing meta-commentary and routine deconstruction as the show develops.
But it’s also a sublime validation of stand-up as art, pushing the limits of what it aspires to, playing with the expectations of a comedy literate crowd and ultimately drawing the disparate strands together. Trying on different stand-up styles for size – Thatcherism-bashing through Scooby satire; mocking sad, confessional comedy then drawing it into his narrative – he has the skill to toy with pace and mood, withholding easy laughs for greater pay-offs later. Sadly for him, he seems set to attract more fans yet.
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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World Without End, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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John Robins, Comedian
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Brighton Argus
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Mearecate, Youtube
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Keilloh, Twitter