Remember Stewart Lee’s last show, Carpet Remnant World? There were dazzling lights, recalls Lee, countless individually-illuminated rolls of luxurious pile, sound queues, and a cohesive underlying narrative.
By Lee’s own admission – in fact he discusses it at length – this show isn’t anything like that.
Much A-Stew About Nothing (or Much Ado About Stew, as it was billed by the box office) is a work-in-progress show, an opportunity for Lee to nail down several 30 minutes sets for the upcoming third series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.
And Newcastle are in for a treat tonight; we’re being given an as-yet-unseen extra set. It’s an extended riff about dog excrement, granted, but still.
There’s a sense of value about Lee’s stand-up; not only is the material itself often brilliant, but its deconstruction offers more still to enjoy. Lee is a rare master of substance and style, with a unique ability to turn the latter into the former.
Stewart Lee’s shows have often been touted as master-classes in stand-up. A claim not only reflective of their quality, but of their very nature.
Breaking down gags, and laying out their tiniest mechanisms, is a technique that allows him to infinitely stretch out a joke, getting laughs even when a punch-line falters.
Recounting a stretch of signs on the A1, on which the name Shilbottle had been dutifully amended to Shitbottle, Lee notes that where the initial novelty wears off quickly, if you repeat something enough the absurdity of it all will render it hilarious again.
Lee’s new set-pieces take aim at celebrity endorsements of political parties, UKIP policy and other right-wing idiocy, cleverly whittling statements down to their base-level lunacy via riffs on dog-owners and Britain’s long history of invasions.
However, pressed to come up with three hours of new material for the BBC show, naturally not all of it is top flight.
Wearied by fatherhood, a casual attitude to alcoholism, and middle-age, Lee resorts to chatting up cabbies for ideas, and falls on kids and a flagging marriage for material.
It’s exactly the sort of thing he berates his contemporaries for, but in picking it apart and framing it with desperate, jaded candor of a man who can’t keep up with the world, he gets away with it in a way only Stewart Lee can.
While not the tightly-spun conceptual show that Lee’s audiences have come to expect, this work-in-progress outing is still a cut above his contemporaries, and casts a long shadow over the new wave of “young men in t-shirts, remembering things.”
Date of live review: Thursday 10 October 2013
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.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
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian