Stewart Lee breaks all the rules. Not the rules you’re supposed to break. The other rules are the ones Stew breaks. The proper rules. You wouldn’t expect anyone to break these rules but Stew breaks them. He breaks the rules that are proper.
That’s what industry practitioners call the ‘in’. Illustrating the process behind the process of illustration. You probably feel confused and disorientated.
Confused and disorientated because I’ve torn the unspoken bond between writer and artist. A bond you lot hold sacred. Like a sandwich of mushy hedonism between two slices of lie. Opening out the sandwich would be like breaking a rule nobody should break.
But Stew does open the sandwich. Because of the equivalence of the sandwich and the rule.
The equivalence I just drew.
I shouldn’t be telling you this. But at the same time I’m not saying enough. You’d expect a journalist to include as many facts as possible. The last thing you expect from an arts practitioner is to hinge his material on filler.
Repeated filler.
You can’t hinge material on repeated filler.
But the thing about ‘can’t’ is it’s a word. ‘Can’t’ is a word, just like ‘you’ is a word. You can’t hinge material on repeated filler. But you can’t break the rules.
Stew can.
‘Can’ is also a word. Many comedians would make a joke about the word ‘can’ and its circumstantial proximity to the word ‘Stew’. Many comedians would do that. Many comedians would foster great hanging gardens of hilarious wordplay involving words like ‘can’.
And… ‘stew’.
Because stew comes in cans. It’s funny because of canned stew, the method of canning stew and the kind of stew that can be canned. There was even an extra ‘can’ in there. Many comedians would call this uncanny, which too would be amusing.
But no comedian would ever devote himself to the disassembly of comedy gold. No comedian would ever reveal the wiring under the board of such timeless gems as the use of a single phoneme as multiple signifiers. No comedian would ever unmask magic like that.
No comedian would sneer stoically at an audience through the oxymoron of smug apathy, unapologetically judge their laughter as lacklustre and push all their buttons in the process. No comedian can make a crowd laugh in fine bursts for several minutes just by satirically tuning a guitar. You can’t be quiet, slow, static and cynical and still get an uproarious reception; it’s against every comedic law in the book.
But if that book were a sandwich… Stew would break it open and spill the contents on your inner thigh. As though that sandwich were a rule.
That book is a sandwich. That sandwich is a rule. Because you see… what Stew does with rules is he breaks them.
(When sarcasm evolves, each new step necessarily splits the crowd. A lot of people are left completely in the dark. But us lucky remaining few are so transfixed that we are powerless but to embrace it. A good comedian is one you can’t help imitating. A great comedian is one who makes such imitation look a lot easier than it is.
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter