You have to have a thick skin to be a columnist. I went off the idea of blogging regularly when I published a think-piece about an offhand remark Josie Long made onstage and Jason Manford responded by saying that I didn’t have to turn every thought into a column. Stewart Lee must have the hide of an elephant as he has managed to turn out enough Observer, Shortlist & New Statesman columns (plus a press release for the band Wolf People who I assume really exist) in five years to fill this book.
Then again, he is probably a better writer than me and someone who has the ability to make pertinent points and get a laugh on subjects as diverse as Spotify playlists, duck pate, UKIP, Bill Hicks, the insect community and Grant ‘who he?’ Shapps. Grayson Perry, no less, has called him “a true artist of comedy” while Al Murray calls him “the Grand Poobah of Stand-Up.” One for either Flintstones fans or Gilbert and Sullivan fans there.
Despite the book title making it sound like the barrel-scrapings of a desperate man trying to earn a crust by stitching together old work, the candid, opinion-packed, self-mocking-yet-haughty prose is consistently excellent and although I’m already an Observer reader I’m more than happy to re-read him. Lee has nurtured the happy knack of sounding like a fully paid up member of the liberal intelligentsia while constantly skewering the liberal intelligentsia. A subtitle could have been Now That’s What I Call Having Your Cake And Eating It. It is a similar technique to the way he balances positive quotes from fans with hateful quotes from enemies on his promotional posters.
Lee set the benchmark for comedy-related books with the densely brilliant, brilliantly dense career-critique How I Escaped My Certain Fate. This newish work does not boast that book’s exemplary copious footnotes. Instead the pages are peppered with online comments responding to Lee’s scribbles at the time of publication. “Who is this fathead and why does he have the weirdest byline photo in the Guardian?” asked James Roberts when Lee wrote about crisps in January 2013. I expect that’s a line he could use on his next tour poster.
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Meninblack, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Idrie, Youtube
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk