“You’ve worked me out… I’m just looking at an object and being sarcastic about it,” says Stewart Lee, breaking down his set to a finely tuned analytical degree, having just looked at and been sarcastic about both Franklyn Ajaye’s 1974 album I’m A Comedian, Seriously and Chris Moyles’ autobiography The Tough Second Book. “And I’ve made a decent twenty-year career out of doing that.”
Of course, Lee has done much more than take cheap shots at minor celebrities. Much more. This is the man who gave the world Jerry Springer: The Opera and incurred the wrath of the God-squad; the man whose set 90s Comedian is heralded as an all-time classic; and the man who can stretch a single joke out across an hour and keep a room full of people doubled over in laughter. In short, Stewart Lee is one of the finest comedians that Britain has ever produced.
This year’s set is another exemplary hour of wonderful stand-up-cum-social-commentary. Lee is an immaculate performer: self-aware, varied, intelligent and relevant. His material combines an analysis of the mundane while fitting it expertly into a wider social context. His apparently disparate set is finally tied together under the grander theme of railing against a society that is culturally and intellectually in rapid decline. And the reason that he is so important is that his target is a valid one – in our market-economy, where the consumer is king, Lee does not lazily blame politicians. He knows who is really at fault. Us.
Lee’s genius, though, is in never being preachy, condescending or even particularly overt. The stories he tells early on plant the seed of an idea and it’s not until the set’s climax that you understand the full picture that he is trying to show – that you see each set-piece in its relation to the whole. This is a stunningly affecting, memorable performance from one of the few comic greats in Edinburgh this year.
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Bosco239, youtube
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Brighton Argus
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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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Hiewy, Youtube
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Guest1001, Youtube
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Stuart, Chortle
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Idrie, Youtube
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Borathigh5, Youtube