Quote: zooo @ April 21 2011, 5:30 PM BST

You should try to watch some of his '90s stuff with Richard Herring. I'd say most of his fans were introduced to him through that (possibly?) and maybe it's a bit more approachable.

I know I'm always surprised when people seem to think of him as all political and cynical and serious. When I still think of him as the likeable and charming one with the silly hair from Fist of Fun.

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He does seem familiar somehow, they both do, maybe I did see them in Fist of Fun...

Just ordered 'Stand Up Comedian'. It'd better be good - or I'll be back.

I have to admit, I love the story of crushing the 7 year old heckler, is that on Stand Up Comedian?

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a8066bc2-6b9e-11e0-93f8-00144feab49a.html#axzz1KLFbkZQu

Quote: Stewart Lee

'There's a quote in one of Cage's Indeterminacy stories: "If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then 16. Then 32. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all." After the first series of Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle I found myself, against my better judgment, looking online, not at the many favourable reviews, but at the fury of members of the public who hated me for my slow delivery, lengthy routines, and dull voice. "A boring, droning-on 'comedian' who's (sic) set's (sic) just happen to be the most unlively (sic) sets in the comedy world", says Spursfan, on YouTube, whilst P Mishkin on Amazon offers: "He takes about five or so good concepts and plays them all out over far too long a time so by the end of each segment you don't really care whether there is a point to the piece. The delivery is too deadpan to make it interesting. Avoid at all costs, please don't encourage the man." Sadpunk, at Drownedinsound.com, shares his frustrations thus: "So I tried to watch this last night. After about five minutes I couldn't bear any more. Tell a joke, you twat." Tim J, at Liberalconspiracy.org is similarly bored: "Stewart Lee's jokes consist of taking a moderately funny idea and then spending 25 minutes slowly and repetitively beating it to death with a shovel."

Bearing in mind the public's reactions, the second series of Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle will be slower, more dense, quieter and even more thorough in its treatment of an even more limited range of ideas than the first series. I feel perhaps the problem is that I didn't go far enough. It is what it is. It isn't anything else and it isn't supposed to be. It's me doing my stand-up on television my way. You can't tweet it, or trail it, or chop it up into content. There's three hours of it in total and if, at the end of three hours, it still seems boring, then it probably is.'

My relationship with Lee has got to the point now where I'm beginning to think he's deliberately trying to come off like a pompous twat. Provoking laughter is no longer his primary goal. He wants to make people uncomfortable.

If he dies soon enough, perhaps Jim Carrey will be able to play him in a biopic.

I wish he'd never met those Indians.

One of the main reasons that Stewart Lee attracts so much illiterate dissent (see Lee's website/Tony Cowards for bad reviews of his work) is that many quite understandably react with paranoia, confusion and subsequently anger when confronted with something they simply aren't able to understand. So your average Michael McIntyre/Paddy "No lighty no likey!" McGuiness fan - sitting in their semi-detached, cavity-insulated Barratt misery box, stuffing Tesco's Finest Chunky Chips into their sweaty, ugly, engorged faces - when presented with Stewart Lee on their television, mocking their idols, their gods (e.g. Chris Moyles or 19th Century fictional character Russell Brand) - react in the same way that a feral dog will react when chancing across a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare lying on the ground in the middle of a deserted prefab. It will not be able to understand it, nor appreciate its contents as having had a major influence in shaping Western art and civilisation. No, it will sniff it for a bit then, deciding it has no value as food, become enraged and savage it - tearing this alien object to shreds. It will quite possibly then proceed to urinate/defaecate all over it, before wandering off to lick its own balls.

So one should not mock or deride those who, through no fault of their own, haven't acquired the intellectual resources to appreciate Stewart Lee, rather one should try to understand and pity them.

Sorry Tim, but you're talking bollocks now.

For the record, I can't abide McGuiness or Moyles either.

I won't rise to Mr Walker's bait (as being a non-Stewart Lee fan I obviously can't understand all the long words ), but I've nothing against Stewart Lee, only that I don't find him particularly funny and that is how I tend to judge stand-ups.

Contrary to what everyone may think, I do enjoy comedians who are not just joke, joke, joke, I listened to the excellent Rob Newman's "Apocalypto" the other day and enjoyed it immensely and I'm a big fan of Mark Thomas.

Right, I'm off to watch re-runs of "Take Me Out" whilst stuffing my face with chicken McNuggets...

Quote: Tony Cowards @ April 23 2011, 1:52 PM BST

Right, I'm off to watch re-runs of "Take Me Out" whilst stuffing my face with chicken McNuggets...

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*tosses Tony a dog-eared copy of The Difficult Second Book to enjoy with the above*

Just collected my DVD of 'If You Prefer A Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One' from the local Royal Mail delivery office. Had to collect 2 days later than I hoped because of the Bank Holiday and the fact that on Thursday the postie put a card through the door at 12.30pm saying they'd tried to deliver it, but I wasn't in, so I should collect it from the delivery office later... despite the fact the delivery office closes at 12.30, so there was no actual possibility of me ever being able to collect it anyway until the weekend anyway... Never mind the fact that the f**king DVD would have quite easily fitted through the letterbox and didn't require any kind of recorded delivery... Surely it would be easier for everyone if the Royal Mail just gave-up the pretence that they're actually interested in delivery anything, claiming that "Mail" is just a quaint, historical, irrelevant part of their strong brand name - in the same way that 'Fisherman's Friend' isn't really targetted specifically at fishermen anymore...?

Now your average McIntyre could turn-in an audience-pleasing ten minutes on the above "annoyances of everyday life" anecdote. I look forward to Mr Lee making no such kind of effort in this show. If I'm really honest, I'm sort of hoping that Mr Lee will not make any reference to anything remotely amusing that has ever happened or occurred to him, but will instead stare at the audience with a shared, pitying contempt for about an hour, before walking off stage to the sound of the embarrassed silence that he so obviously craves.

Anyway, the show beckons, so I may be some time...

I saw him do that show live, was very good!

Quote: Tim Walker @ April 30 2011, 11:57 AM BST

Just collected my DVD of 'If You Prefer A Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One' from the local Royal Mail delivery office. Had to collect 2 days later than I hoped because of the Bank Holiday and the fact that on Thursday the postie put a card through the door at 12.30pm saying they'd tried to deliver it, but I wasn't in, so I should collect it from the delivery office later... despite the fact the delivery office closes at 12.30, so there was no actual possibility of me ever being able to collect it anyway until the weekend anyway... Never mind the fact that the f**king DVD would have quite easily fitted through the letterbox and didn't require any kind of recorded delivery... Surely it would be easier for everyone if the Royal Mail just gave-up the pretence that they're actually interested in delivery anything, claiming that "Mail" is just a quaint, historical, irrelevant part of their strong brand name - in the same way that 'Fisherman's Friend' isn't really targetted specifically at fishermen anymore...?

Now your average McIntyre could turn-in an audience-pleasing ten minutes on the above "annoyances of everyday life" anecdote. I look forward to Mr Lee making no such kind of effort in this show. If I'm really honest, I'm sort of hoping that Mr Lee will not make any reference to anything remotely amusing that has ever happened or occurred to him, but will instead stare at the audience with a shared, pitying contempt for about an hour, before walking off stage to the sound of the embarrassed silence that he so obviously craves.

Anyway, the show beckons, so I may be some time...

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How was it then? And I hope he does that hour of nothing on DVD, just for you!

Quote: Vader @ May 1 2011, 5:08 PM BST

How was it then?

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I really enjoyed it, thanks.

A masterly show of what stand-up can (but rarely does) do. Stewart Lee brings such a wealth of experience and technique to navigating his way through a 100+ minute set. It's also very funny along the way. He continues to explore just what stand-up has the potential to be at its best - an art form. Lots of fun deconstruction of the form along the way. Really whetted my appetite for the new TV series. Also made me realise that I've not seen Stew live in years - must correct that as soon as possible.

Despite really enjoying the show when I saw it live, I found the DVD a little tiring towards the end. Maybe I was having an off night from my role as an avid fan.

Quote: Ben @ May 1 2011, 8:30 PM BST

Despite really enjoying the show when I saw it live, I found the DVD a little tiring towards the end. Maybe I was having an off night from my role as an avid fan.

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It does get a bit stretched towards the end, I agree. It could have been edited down a bit, I suppose, but that rather defies the point of watching a Stewart Lee set. I think in general the time was used quite efficiently.

Quote: Tim Walker @ May 1 2011, 8:40 PM BST

It does get a bit stretched towards the end, I agree. It could have been edited down a bit, I suppose, but that rather defies the point of watching a Stewart Lee set. I think in general the time was used quite efficiently.

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Does the DVD set still end with him singing a song?