Quote: Leevil @ July 20 2011, 6:05 PM BSThe often comes across like a bit of a pretentious twat.
This is much better than being just a twat, and is perhaps what makes Stewart Lee entertaining.
*pauses*
Michael McIntyre is just a twat.
*rolls eyes*
Okay an irritating twat.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ July 21 2011, 9:35 AM BSTI think underneath there is a nice well rounded man trying to get out.
Please save me from 'nice' performers.
Quote: Nogget @ July 21 2011, 9:37 AM BSTPlease save me from 'nice' performers.
Well I couldn't let myself post it anyway, truth is I admire his passion and his loyalty to his art, whatever his material or even his personality is like. I quite like him, it's a shame I don't like what he does more. And yes you're right, I'd probably moan much more if every comedian was nice.
Stew's 2008 show from The Stand is on R4Extra on Saturday night: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012wzzg
Dan
Any reason why they removed the jolly opening titles for Series Two of 'Comedy Vehicle'? I always found them quite amusing, because they were so at odds with Lee's persona.
By the way, anyone seen this on The Daily Telegraph's website? (posted earlier this evening)
To quote my own reply from underneath the article...
I love Top Gear, yet Stewart Lee is one of my favourite stand-up comedians on the circuit. Go figure.
Maybe I'm one of those rare people who are capable of appreciating Stewart Lee's comedy, but who also doesn't take it so seriously that they feel the need to attack his routines based purely on incongruous conclusions. For the record, I laugh at Lee's comedy because I think it's hilarious, innovative and ridiculously well executed. He's not a dictator, he's just a very forward-thinking and honest comedian. He isn't forcing anyone to attack observational comedy (such as the kind practiced by Michael McIntyre) and at the same time he isn't challenging people's perceptions about comedy either. To me, there just seems to be a complete failure of understanding on the part of Lee's critics, a failure to grasp what Lee is trying to convey.
Truth be told, the only 'snob' in this case is Guy Stagg himself.
As soon as I saw Guy Stagg's picture I thought 'Tory boy', then read he was a researcher for them. And of course, he saves the best 'til last, the stuff Lee did about Cameron.
Someone made the point about this being what Guy writes about after the riots and I wouldn't be surprised if this was all connected, Cameron wanting to tackle 'broken Britain', so he unleashes his flying monkey.
Went for a writing meeting in London this afternoon. Meeting over, I slowly escaped the city through the early rush-hour traffic, on my way back to Bristol. Desperate for a wee, as soon as I hit the M4 I pulled in to Heston Services. Having relieved my bladder, I bought a coffee and a Private Eye and took them back to my car.
As I sat there, another car parked alongside mine. Its occupants appeared to be Stewart Lee and his wife and kids.
Surreptitiously checking that I hadn't been mistaken, I kept trying to sneak glimpses without being seen to stare. Yes - it was definitely Stew! I sat there trying to not look awestruck or to gawp rudely, especially as he and his wife were attending to their kids and probably had just endured a somewhat hellish escape from London themselves.
However, I couldn't help myself, my eyes kept being drawn to look at one of my comedy heroes - right there a few feet away from me, performing mundane domestic duties on a hot, sticky afternoon in a motorway services car park!
Eventually, Stew noticed me looking and his eyes met mine... I wound down my window and greeted him with the words, "My my, kd lang, you've let yourself go!". He didn't even crack a smile! Sensing potential embarrassment on his part, I put him at his ease by continuing, "That McIntyre's a right c**t, isn't he?!". Stew's face betrayed nothing, but he very slowly walked over to my car, leant down to the open window and very calmly whispered in my ear "Michael's a good guy trying to do a very difficult job in a fearful economic and political climate, where the ordinary man- and woman-in-the-street are craving any laughs they can get. And, besides that, he's a close personal friend of mine, so please don't be cruel... Oh - and I'd be grateful if you didn't use that kind of vulgar language in front of my young, impressionable children."
Then he walked away from me. Calling after him, I said "Well, I didn't think you'd be actually a friend of McIntyre's in real life!". Stew turned and, as he got in the passenger seat of his car murmured back, "Yeah? And what makes you think this is real life?"... He and his wife then drove away, heading towards the petrol station to fill-up.
And I thought - well, can you believe anything any comedian - no matter how fearless, truthful and dedicated to their art they seem to be - tells you?
Now... the second half of that story about Stewart Lee is untrue... But I think what it tells us about Stewart Lee.....
(In reality, after Mr Lee embarrassingly caught me staring at him, I kept myself to myself. Wish I'd at least said hello and offered some appreciative comments to one of my comedy heroes. But he was with his wife and kids and, under those circumstances, it seemed wrong to bother him.)
Ha!
What sort of car has Stew chosen to drive?
A VW estate. (Suck on that exclusive, '3am' girls!)
Hehe, send it in to the Heat Spotted page.
I sense this is a very ellaborated but strangely subtle joke. 'Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle.' >_< Although I would have changed the car to a Fiat 500. A truly funny car.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ July 20 2011, 6:29 PM BSTNope!
People seem to be missing that Lee is also poking fun at himself in these apparently anti-McIntyre bits.
There you go! A man who really gets it is Matthew. (except sometimes in DW, but then he probably does too 
)
Similarly, whenever I say something apparently stupid, I'm actually poking fun at stupid people.
Stew is releasing an 'EP book'; basically a continuation of How I Escaped My Certain Fate for the next show If You Prefer A Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One with annotations etc.
Dan
Oh, I saw that but didn't look properly, I thought he'd for some reason just released a short bit of that show on C.D, like a music E.P.!
