John Zorn – John Zorn’s A Dreamers Christmas - December 2011 December 17th, 2011

The saxophonist and strategist John Zorn sits in with other New York art loft eggheads on a Christmas album that avoids the obvious jazz noise trashing of the classics to find new flavours of festive fun inside some rather stale seasonal chestnuts. Winter Wonderland’s breezy solos float on a distinctly downtown guitar chug from Marc…

Stewart Lee – Carpet Remnant World - December 2011 Time Out - December 16th, 2011

A Stewart Lee show is always guaranteed to be one of the best of the year, and the ‘Comedy Vehicle’ star certainly didn’t disappoint with his latest offering. Carpet Remnant World claims to be a show about nothing, with no structure or narrative. In reality, Lee satirises and deconstructs comedy itself. He sarcastically takes pops…

I don’t want to go back to the 80s - December 2011 LabourList - By Paul Richards - December 15th, 2011

The comedy of Stewart Lee, who I went to see last night, works for me on several levels. One is that the comedy comes with a running commentary from the comedian. Each joke is assessed, explained, and dissected, which appeals to the little Derrida in all of us. Another level is that Lee is the…

The Importance of Stewart Lee - December 2011 Eclectic Picnic - December 10th, 2011

Many of Stewart Lee’s long time admirers have never had any doubts about his comedic credentials, his trademark razor sharp brand of intellectual wit, and the astonishingly clever structure to all his routines. However, ‘cult’ status would be a more fitting term to bestow upon the popularity that Lee maintains to have. He did after…

Comedy Review: Stewart Lee, Carpet Remnant World - December 2011 Kingston Courier - By Raymond Doherty - December 7th, 2011

In his twenty five year career Stewart Lee has held that most feted title of being a ‘comedian’s comedian’. He has purposefully avoided the exposure that the majority of his profession crave, for fear of attracting what he describes as “Jimmy Carr fans.” His arrogance and intellectual snobbery are unabashed. As expected, the crowd that…

Stewart Lee: Carpet Remnant World – review - December 2011 Socialist Worker - By Patrick Ward - December 6th, 2011

Stewart Lee has become one of the few alternative comics from the early 1990s to keep his clout. Today the likes of Jimmy Carr can make jokes about rape and Ricky Gervais can take cheap shots at people with disabilities. So the fact that Lee has stuck to his guns is refreshing. His recent BBC…