Stuart Lee's Comedy Vehemence

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Stuart Lee's Comedy Vehemence

17/03/09

An opinion I've been developing for some while now is that Stuart Lee needs to take a deep breath and calm down.
Over the years he seems to have reached a point where he despises anything and anyone that doesn't go along with his rigid and rather narrow view, and the result, in my opinion, is a very twisted, bitter and judgemental man who is only able to consider his own opinion as the correct one.

I really like Stuart Lee and I think he's a really excellent comedian with amazing comic timing and a lot of valuable points to make, but I think that when you listening to the political and social views of someone you admire, there is a small risk of being easily and unquestioningly led by their views. I think Lee deliberately harnesses the power of his comedy platform to try to educate people and I don't see his methods as being much different to those of Michael Moore, who generally presents a very one sided case that is fun and enjoyable to watch in order to get his point across. The result can be that you end up with a fairly biased view, which may be necessary if you really need people to believe you and take action, but nevertheless essentially amounts to propaganda.

I've been to see Mr Lee live twice, and have always been a fan of his light hearted work with Richard Herring. I've also listened to recordings and watched videos of his stand up work, and enjoyed it all a great deal. The first time I saw him was around 2000, and none of the raw anger that fills his current live work was present then. However subsequently his stand up has become more and more full of rage, to the point where the anger is sometimes quite uncomfortable for the audience, who want to laugh but aren't always sure they're supposed to.

I imagine that Mr Lee enjoys creating discomfort for his audience, but in my view this assumes a superiority over even the like minded people who have come to listen to what he has to say.

Intellectual superiority is a common theme in Lee's stand up. A lot of people despise others for being less intelligent, less educated or less well-read than themselves. 'The masses' are all morons, particularly when you put them together, and this is a view I have expressed myself on many occasions. However it's an extremely intolerant view, and one I would be ashamed to make a living from. I am remorseful for feeling that way, and more so for expressing it on occasion.

Stuart Lee's intellectual superiority and, frankly, snobbery, was very apparent in the first installment of his new TV show 'Stuart Lee's Comedy Vehicle' which I enjoyed watching last night. I agree wholeheartedly that it's a sad fact that celebrity books are so popular and so widespread, but it's not the end of the world - at least people are actually reading the written word and increasing their chances of speaking and writing half decent English. So what if people enjoy light recreational reading on a subject matter they find interesting, even if you don't?

I wouldn't be saying that if he hadn't started on Harry Potter though - I'd have let it pass without comment. But it really bothered me when he complained that people were always asking him 'have you read the new Harry Potter book yet'. He said 'no, but I have read the complete works of William Blake'. I think what he fails to appreciate is that the two do not have to be mutually exclusive. I have read and enjoyed a good amount of Blake's work, partly for my English degree, partly for pleasure.

I have also read loads of trashy novels, including romances and thrillers which are generally very badly written, but often have great plots.

In addition, I read a lot of children's books, or at least books that I enjoyed when I was a child. I wish Harry Potter had been written when I was a kid because I'd have loved it, especially the fact that all my friends would have read it too, so we could all have enjoyed it together. As it was, no one was ever reading what I was reading when I grew up because most kids didn't read at all.

I really like the Harry Potter books - as well as being fantastic stories which have got millions of children around the world who might otherwise never have picked up a book interested in reading, they contain a couple of things that I think are hugely important in a child's literary upbringing. Firstly they're extremely well written, and will help a child (or an adult) develop a good sense of correctly written English, and secondly, like all my favourite stories aimed at children, they contain gentle social morals all the way through about how people ought to behave to one another. Not rammed down your throat of course, but present nevertheless. Most of my moral grounding came from reading books for young people written between 50 and 100 years ago, and the basic rules of being decent to other people have been notably missing from most of what's been written or aired ever since.

Anyway, back to Stuart Lee, I was quite irritated by his intellectual snobbery on this point. Someone who reads 'inferior' literature or no literature at all does not, necessarily, have less to offer the world than someone who, let's say for example, has an Oxbridge education (a privilege not available to everyone). I believe Lee has put himself on a pedestal and is disgusted by the rest of human kind. I, like many others have often felt this way, but have enough humility to occasionally pull myself out of it and berate myself for this false sense of superiority.

I would strongly recommend Stuart Lee's stand up work and his new TV show to anyone, but with the same caution that I would recommend any of Michael Moore's work: always question your sources and the motives of the person speaking to you.

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Comments about This Article

'WIBBLE'; now that's comedy ! Comment By: John Alderton, 20 Mar 2009, Rating: 5/5

Why would I watch Stewart Lee? I have seen Tommy Cooper. Comment By: Satire, 19 Mar 2009, Rating: 5/5

Of couse I don't mean to brag but I have read the complete Mr. Men works including lesser known titles such as 'Mr. Bump takes it up the wrong un' and 'When Mr. Tickle met the Golden Girls'. Comment By: Heinrick Von Spuds (your intelectual inferior), 19 Mar 2009, Rating: 5/5

For taunt and bully, replace with tie-up and bum. Comment By: Rainaldo, 19 Mar 2009, Rating: 5/5

You're right, some people are easily swayed by the opinions of others. However, if someone who enjoys the fine writings of Chris Moyles becomes embarrassed when their taste is mocked by another then they should take a jolly good look at themselves by crikey! I think that's why I respect my friend Mark so much. He will always stand by his love for the books of Jeremy Clarkson - no matter how much we all taunt and bully him. Comment By: The Toaster, 19 Mar 2009, Rating: 5/5

He certainly was, though I think he was slightly mocking his own attitude when he said 'I only like bands you've never heard of'. In answer to your question, 'Toaster' I do think to some extent it's a persona, or an exaggeration of how he really feels. If it is a persona the danger remains that the snobbery he purveys will be adopted by his adoring crowds. It doesn't really matter of course, the whole thing was prompted by the slightly uncomfortable feeling I always get when I listen to him talk! Comment By: Nicola, 18 Mar 2009, Rating: 2/5

If memory serves, he was like that with music during the L&H days. Comment By: Rainatronic, 18 Mar 2009, Rating: 5/5

Do you think Lee's really like that though, or is it just a character that he puts on for stand up? Comment By: The Totster, 18 Mar 2009, Rating: 5/5

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