Thanks muchly to the latest pledgers. Here’s a post on one of my favourite comedians and why he’s analogous to my favourite literary form.
Last March I navigated Devon’s gloaming, bucolic lanes to watch comedy’s version of the short story: Stewart Lee. Why the facetious analogy? Perhaps because both enjoy a cult, minority status, one where irony, intellect and a playful contempt predominate. In short: they are both a bit difficult. Not for everyone. Too clever for their own good. They are slippery, alienating creatures, but ones with which you have a heightened, almost religious relationship. Certainly in both cases the audience/reader must do a fair share of the work themselves: there is no free ride, no light entertainment here. Lee, as the short story is to badly-written genre fiction, is the antidote to the legions of vapid, mainstream onanists, who spoon-feed you their inane one-liners, a boys’ (for it almost always is) club of panel-show self-congratulists.
As if to further align himself with literature’s most demanding form, Lee played that night in a village hall to around 150 people (presumably he owed a favour to a friend on the parish council, having already toured all the iconic gig venues in the UK). The intimacy might have overwhelmed a more egoistic sleb; for Lee it was the chance to amplify his faux-mocking style: ‘Come on, Lustleigh – raise your game,’ he scorned, as we responded with nervous laughter to subjects no doubt chosen to elicit our discomfort. As with the short story, much of Lee’s act is found in its silences and spaces, in the repeating motifs and subtexts, which embed themselves subliminally, stirring you a few nights or weeks later.
Perhaps Lee’s politics – or at least those adorning his ‘act’ (think Jez not Dave) – seduce me, muddying my judgement of his comedic aesthetic. Certainly the two are inextricably bound, though never in a crass (and as it turned out, specious) Ben Elton-esque way. Lee’s skill, as with the short story, is in turning the mirror on his audience, luring them into a sense of comfort, only to gloriously betray this trust, playing mischievously with the line between character and self, between author and reader. A truly unreliable narrator.
There’s a routine (easily found via all good search engines) in which Lee is flippant (and worse) about Top Gear’s Richard Hammond and his near-fatal car crash. It is both brutal and shocking, until you realise Lee is pastiching the programme’s own cynical insensitivity and bigotry to parody it, at which point it becomes hilarious. His routine on political correctness is also gloriously original.
Lee is often touted the comedians’ comedian, as it is often said only writers of short stories read them. A well-kept secret. But with both, it’s becoming a secret harder to keep. Lee would be high on my list of best-dinner-party-guests-if-you-could-have-anyone, right up to the point he turned the mirror on me.
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Idrie, Youtube
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Stuart, Chortle
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Jackmumf, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Hiewy, Youtube
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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World Without End, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk