Yes, this show – If You Prefer a Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One – is the one that got the Daily Mail in a tizz over the summer. But after watching the full performance, the most shocking thing is coming away with evidence of just how papers willfully twist reality to shape their own ends. Stewart Lee, cruel and insensitive? Stewart Lee, boorish and ugly? What a deliberate and crass misinterpretation of what the man’s about.
Because Stewart Lee, should you be young or unfortunate enough not to have encountered him in his younger, more televisually exposed days with Richard Herring, is an exquisite satirist. His laid-back, sarcastic manner suggests someone who doesn’t care, but if you listen to the actual words (the words, Daily Mail) it’s clear that he’s pained by the facile and knee-jerk elements of our society – which he then adopts and rips apart from the inside. The effect is subtle but the method is confrontational; he faces down the audience and takes us to task for laughing at unusual moments, stopping to explain the structure of one particular joke, breaking it down into its constituent parts. Meta-comedy, if you like.
We’ve also got to take a moment to mention his style. That repetitious style that’s so very literary. We’ve got literate comedians, who might chuck in a reference to Dryden or Joyce, but Lee has a rhythm to his routines that’s almost poetic in its meter. And it’s a measure of his talent that, even with the careful and lengthy build-up, the punchline still catches you off guard. Yes, he’s clever, but not – as so often accused – clever-clever.
But what you really want to know is: is he funny? Of course he is. Would we have rambled on for several paragraphs of gushing praise if we’d sat there stony-faced, silently appreciating form and phrase? It’s not a book reading. Laughs are first and foremost, provoked by a man in complete control of his craft. This really is a show you cannot miss.
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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World Without End, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.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
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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John Robins, Comedian
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Rudeness, Youtube
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Idrie, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Cyberbloke, Twitter