New Stewart Lee Tour Dates Announced
Friday, 3. July 2009, 08:39:25
If you prefer a milder comedian please ask for one
or in my case..
A possible cure for Agoraphobia
Work in progress, towards a new touring show, from this popular comedian and content provider, currently fashionable amongst broadsheet newspaper critics due to his BBC2 series Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.
Stew says, "In this show, an account of something that happened to me in a coffee shop will be used as a convenient framing device for disparate material possibly concerning English Heritage, Top Gear, The Olympics, emigration, prawns, Bella Pasta, The National Trust, farmers, DH Lawrence, piglets, cathedrals, bees, Iggy Pop, cider adverts, riots etc etc."
As usual, expect …
1) Some punchy stuff near the top
2) inexplicable hostility towards relatively innocuous figures
3) silences
4) repetition
5) sudden and/or gradual shifts in tone, velocity and volume
6) long routines experimenting with form rather than content
7) the possibility of failure
8) a quasi-serious bit at the end.
2009 is the 22nd fringe appearance by this obtuse man.
‘Lee destroys his topics with the precision, relentlessness and brutality of a medieval torturer; repeatedly and meticulously attacking the same small point until it becomes weakened to the point of collapse. Shorter jokes would be funnier, but nowhere near as transfixing, as the audience are compelled to see just how far he dare push it, and left to marvel at the man’s sheer audacity. There’s some tension as to whether it will work or not, and occasionally it doesn’t.’ Steve Bennett, Chortle
‘Apparently ill at ease with both speech and movement, Lee’s presence creates a kind of negative energy, a black hole of vacancy, pregnant with lack of meaning.’ Tim Out, Time Out London
‘His whole tone is one of complete, smug condescension’ Roz Laws, Birmingham Sunday Mercury
‘I thought, ‘I'm funnier than Stewart Lee. If he can do it, I can’.’ Al Murray, The Times
‘Even my Agoraphobia won't stop me booking to see Stewart Lee.’ Gary Walsh, domesticempire.co.uk
I hope one doesn't have to wait too long to hear confirmation of series two for Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. Television for grown ups, I call it. And there's precious little of that about presently. The DVD of the first series is due out on September 7th, 90 minutes of additional content.
Tour dates and venues:
http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/latestnews.htm
Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/extra/video/p002xrr9
Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle mini review at johnpeel.net:
http://johnpeeldotnet.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/stewart-lees-comedy-vehicle-jp-dl/
Lot's more Stewart Lee on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stewart+lee&search=Search
Superlative DVD "Stewart Lee 90s Comedian" here:
http://www.gofasterstripe.com/
or in my case..
A possible cure for Agoraphobia
Work in progress, towards a new touring show, from this popular comedian and content provider, currently fashionable amongst broadsheet newspaper critics due to his BBC2 series Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.
Stew says, "In this show, an account of something that happened to me in a coffee shop will be used as a convenient framing device for disparate material possibly concerning English Heritage, Top Gear, The Olympics, emigration, prawns, Bella Pasta, The National Trust, farmers, DH Lawrence, piglets, cathedrals, bees, Iggy Pop, cider adverts, riots etc etc."
As usual, expect …
1) Some punchy stuff near the top
2) inexplicable hostility towards relatively innocuous figures
3) silences
4) repetition
5) sudden and/or gradual shifts in tone, velocity and volume
6) long routines experimenting with form rather than content
7) the possibility of failure
8) a quasi-serious bit at the end.
2009 is the 22nd fringe appearance by this obtuse man.
‘Lee destroys his topics with the precision, relentlessness and brutality of a medieval torturer; repeatedly and meticulously attacking the same small point until it becomes weakened to the point of collapse. Shorter jokes would be funnier, but nowhere near as transfixing, as the audience are compelled to see just how far he dare push it, and left to marvel at the man’s sheer audacity. There’s some tension as to whether it will work or not, and occasionally it doesn’t.’ Steve Bennett, Chortle
‘Apparently ill at ease with both speech and movement, Lee’s presence creates a kind of negative energy, a black hole of vacancy, pregnant with lack of meaning.’ Tim Out, Time Out London
‘His whole tone is one of complete, smug condescension’ Roz Laws, Birmingham Sunday Mercury
‘I thought, ‘I'm funnier than Stewart Lee. If he can do it, I can’.’ Al Murray, The Times
‘Even my Agoraphobia won't stop me booking to see Stewart Lee.’ Gary Walsh, domesticempire.co.uk
I hope one doesn't have to wait too long to hear confirmation of series two for Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. Television for grown ups, I call it. And there's precious little of that about presently. The DVD of the first series is due out on September 7th, 90 minutes of additional content.
Tour dates and venues:
http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/latestnews.htm
Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/extra/video/p002xrr9
Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle mini review at johnpeel.net:
http://johnpeeldotnet.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/stewart-lees-comedy-vehicle-jp-dl/
Lot's more Stewart Lee on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stewart+lee&search=Search
Superlative DVD "Stewart Lee 90s Comedian" here:
http://www.gofasterstripe.com/
WIDGETIZE