I still want an iPhone 4S though…

Vlingo [app store]

Dragon Go! [app store] – unfortunately this is not available on the UK store, I got it from the US app store. It’s easy enough to sign up for a second account though, and it works fine, even with local results.

To be honest, I should have walked away the moment Ronnie Corbett walked on screen.

DVD Cover Burke & Hare

Part of the trouble with this is that it was billed as dark comedy and the set guys did a great job on creating an atmospheric setting. It looked like dark comedy, It was billed as a dark comedy. When Simon Pegg interviewed about it, he called it a dark comedy. It was not a dark comedy. Pegg and Serkis play the lead roles as blundering idiots. There is nothing sinister or clever about them to make this work as a dark comedy. Their motives are mere opportunism and need of money. For this to work they need to be likeable, which they are not. Pegg’s character does it for a girl. Trying to insert a romantic comedy plot into this diverted a lot away from the actual story, and meant that Burke and Hare did very little actual body finding/acquiring. I think Simon Pegg just fancied Isla Fisher.

If it was a dark comedy, why did one of the militia feel the need to fall over in every scene in a comedy manner? The one that wasn’t Corbett or Reece Shearsmith. In a grave, fainting at any given opportunity, just generally throwing himself on the floor when he had nothing to say. Everytime he was on screen. From what I can tell, the Hammer Horror version was less cheesy. The best think you can do with this film is play a drinking game with “spot the cameo”. Bill Bailey, Christopher Lee, Stephen Merchant, Reece Shearsmith, Paul Whitehouse and Michael Winner to name a few.

As with all of Simon Pegg’s recent movies, I go into them with hope, but end up simply bored. I really hope “Paul” is better, but I may end up giving it a miss to preserve the memory of Spaced and Shaun of the Dead.

1 Stolen Cadaver out of 5.

The worst part of the show was that the theatre has the most uncomfortable chairs in existence. Really truly awful. The seat part is flimsy, but the back of the chair as actively trying to hurt you, angled in such a way as to ensure it will dig into your spine. It would be forgivable if this was a makeshift area, but this is a full time theatre space. The last thing a comedian needs while performing is an audience so uncomfortable they want the half to end so they can stand up. Still worth it though.

Richard has suffered a few christian protests outside the gig venues, which I think are unfair. Does he blaspheme throughout? Well, yes. But does he attack religion. Not really. Should it put you off? If you go to something, determined to get angry, then you will. If you go for a comedy night, you’ll get comedy.

The biggest cheer of the night, possibly unfairly, was not for a joke, but for Richard memorising long list. In several different ways. And reciting them. Several times. I’ll leave it for you to see on the DVD, which should be out later this year at gofasterstripe.com.

Also available is Andrew Collings’Secret Dancing, which, as promised on the podcast, Richard wrote “Shit” on for me.

In the meantime, go and see him, it’s a really good show. He’s nearing the end of the tour, so there are only a few dates left. Tour dates are here.

RichardHerring.com

If you’ve got nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear, is the saying so many politicians wheel out whenever they want to bring in some new draconian surveillance or database or police power. It’s so maddening to hear because the people who say it tend to believe steadfastly in the incorruptability of the people who enforce these powers.
The main problem with it, despite being flawed, is that it’s dangerously wrong. Innocent people hide things. Innocent people have things they don’t want others snooping through. It’s not a crime to have secrets, or privacy, and it’s not unreasonable to expect to be able to have and keep them.
Of course you can’t just make a law that states no one has any privacy anymore. But you can say it’s illegal not to comply with an official who needs information “for national security”. Of course, because it’s a national secret, you are not allowed to know why the information is needed, what it’s going to be used for and how it’s going to be kept. It’s a secret. Trust us, just like we don’t trust you.

Cory Doctorow is one of the internet’s big privacy advocates, a champion of free and open. He’s an editor of the endlessly fascinating blog BoingBoing (seriously, if you don’t have this in your RSS reader, you’re not using RSS properly, it has something for absolutely everyone in it) and an author. He also gives away his books. For free, under the condition that you are allowed to share it as far and wide as you like, as long as you don’t profit from it. He also has major publishing deals and sells the books that he also gives away. It sounds backwards, it sounds like it shouldn’t work. Yet it does. He seems to believe, like many people are starting to realise, that an artists biggest problem isn’t piracy, it’s obscurity.

So, how does this relate to security, privacy and your rights? I’ve just finished reading one of his books, Little Brother. It’s an extraordinary book, in that it’s both a fast paced, gripping and relentless story, but also acts an introduction to hacking and security (personal and computer).

The story starts in a very near future. It’s about a 17 year olds personal fight for his freedom, for his liberty, for his friends against the system.The technology is no different to what we have now, but the surveillance laws are (slightly) more draconian. It’s important to the impact of the book, that it could very easily happen, right now. There is nothing in it that doesn’t either exist, or couldn’t exist with already existing technology. It’s not sci fi, more modern thriller.
The title “Little Brother” sets the books position as a counter point to George Orwell’s Big Brother from the book “1984″, but instead of a story about trying to survive, fighting back, taking on the big faceless government system. Marcus and a small group of friends are caught up in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack on their home city. In the confusion that follows they are arrested by the Department of Homeland Security and held in guantanamo bay like conditions. Upon his release Marcus swears vengance for his unjust treatment.

The book does a great job of addressing the “if you’ve got nothing to hide” BS. What do you have to lose? More than a guilty person. A guilty person has given up freedom, knows the consequences of his actions, and effectively surrenders them, they’ve made a choice, a trade, their actions for the consequences. An innocent has made no such choice, and therefore loses control and choice, and certainty. If someone is detaining you arbitarily, you have no way of knowing for how long, what rule they will come out with next, or how many times they will deny you your rights.

Over the last few years I’ve been turned off open source software and the open rights groups. I often find the attutude of a few people in that crowd so infuriating and petty that I got sick of the whole thing. It’s apparently very easy to come across as preachy, self righeous and snobbish on this subject, and it’s given me a bad attitude towards the whole subject, while losing sight of the actual important issues. This book has brought it all back to my attention with a bang. By the end of reading this book you will be wanting to rip the network cables from your computer until you get all your emails and web use encrypted. It even (just for a little bit mind) made me think I though trade in my iPhone for an Android and put Linux on my MacBook…

It’s fast paced, action packed, thoughtful, educational, just plain good read. The next time I recommend someone read 1984, I’ll be saying, “and also, definitely read Little Brother”

Links:
Download Cory Doctorow’s books.
Little Brother specifically and a download link, virtually every format going, kindle, sony, iBooks, plain text, html, the list goes on and an Amazon link if you want the dead tree version.
BoingBoing
OpenRightsGroup

Here’s a video of Cory delivering a talk on the issue of online privacy, social networks and the information we so freely give out for little to no return, with no guarantee of confidentiality at TED

A bit of a last minute gig, I bought the ticket about a week before hand, but he almost filled the Hen and Chicken, my local alternative comedy venue, which gets much bigger names than Jongleurs ever gets. Good.

Andrew Lawrence is probably on the verge of big things. He recently had a short Radio 4 show (“What to do if you’re not like everyone else”), and was the only act worth seeing on the recent Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. He has a fast pace and a vicious edge, despite that there’s a like ability about him that comes from his more self deprecating material.

At the moment I think the only thing holding him back might be a lack of new material. Despite only having seen him do brief 5 minute sets before, I felt like I already knew most of the routine’s. He’s gigging heavily at the moment, I’m sure when he gets a break, he’ll come back with new fresh material.

He said he was recording the show I was at, and that he would make it available as a free download on his website. I have no idea of a timeframe for this, as the gig was last week. If it does indeed see the light of day, it’ll be available at andrewlawrencecomedy.co.uk.

Here’s a 5 minute comedy store set, enjoy.

“Stuart ‘man of the people’Lee is nothing but a fringe alternative comedy act who wouldn’t stand a chance at a real comedy club like Jongleurs.” Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com. (more reviews here)

When reviewing a gig it’s always a good idea to go to the last show of the tour. So that’s what I did. This review is therefore useless to anyone planing on going to see the gig, as you can’t. It’s your own fault. I’ve gone on about how great Stewart Lee is before. See? I’m not lying!
I had tickets for the gig 5 months ago, so it’s not my fault. The gig was postponed for personal reasons. Stewart Lee’s, not mine.

Vegetable Stew

Click here to read my wife’s review of the audience. Short version, they were sub par, long version, CLICK.

StewartLee.co.uk

P.s. St Davids Hall lighting people
Some audience members were distracting, but not as much as the lighting that made it look like Stew had green eyeshadow
It made him look a little like Ming the Merciless on casual clothes friday.

Before I go further, I’ve read around this, and thought about posting it a lot. From what I’ve read, Pete Cain’s performance that night was in no way representative of his usual act. I think it was a very bad night for him. But I think it stands out as a perfect “when not to do it” example, and a reminder that you can’t “just wing it” and that if people have bothered to go out to a show, you should do your best to make their evening the best you can.

I was not aware that there was going to be a support act until Pete Cain walked out on stage. There was no mention on the ticket, on the booking, or in anything I’d seen about it. But, out he walked, and I’m getting two shows for one.
He came out and opened with “You know those days when you really can’t be bothered going to work, well this is one of those days for me, so we’re all going to have to get through this together. How long was that? 2 minutes? No? Just one? Shit.”

The crowd reaction was one where no one was sure where he was going. Is this his bit? Is he going somewhere with this? Or is he, as he says, hung over and can’t be bothered.
Turns out, he’s hung over and can’t be bothered. After explaining this, he says he’s going to try and get through the next 28 minutes without doing any jokes. After a couple more minutes he asks for another time check.
For another next twenty two minutes, he constantly asks the crowd how long he’s got left to go, tells us he’s still not going to do any jokes, and at one point, gets his iPhone out, reads out some half formed ideas from the notepad app, and then phones his friend to tell him how badly it’s going. Some of the crowd is laughing. It’s that nervous tense, “is this really happening” type of laugh.

In the last five minutes he does a half hearted attempt at a routine. It’s got potential, but in no way can it make up for the previous twenty five minutes.

We’re all there to see Jim Jefferies. We’re there to see comedy. This act was neither. It was insulting, irritating, and a waste of everybody’s time. I suspect the only reason he was on stage was so he got paid. As a performer you have an obligation to your audience to deliver a performance. You have a set, probably memorised. Even a half hearted attempt at delivering it is better than a refusal to bother. It was no surprise to him that he was due on stage. And three hundred people haven’t paid to see you do this.

Again, for a sense of fairness, he’s supporting Jim Jerreries, who is known for performing at his best while drunk. With Jim, often the drunker the funnier. And if you’re out drinking with someone like that, it’s probably hard not to get carried away. But you know this, and it’s mid tour.

One of two things is happening. Either this IS his act, in which case, it’s going horribly, and is certainly not a 30 minute piece. OR it’s not his act, in which case, WTF is he playing at?

The lesson, it would seem, is sometimes it’s better to not bother, rather than annoy the crowd. Especially if they’re not even expecting you in the first place. We would never have known any difference is Jim had come out on stage and he’d stayed backstage with a sore head.

As I said, I don’t think that night was representative of him. Here’s a much better set at the Comedy Store. I hope to get a chance to see him again, to see the difference between an off day and an on day.

CD’s

Myq Kaplan – Vegan Mindmeld.
Almost winner of some TV standup comedy talent show in America, Myq like words, and puns. This should irritate me, but he’s very clever with it, and instead of being annoying, he gets me everytime. When I say puns, don’t think Tim Vine or relentless one liners, like Jimmy Carr, but a well crafter set that inserts word play whenever possible. Check out his album on iTunes. or go to his website myqkaplan.com/

John F O Donnell – Live from outer space part 3.
John is a standup working in New York. He’s got a manic fast paced style, and his craziness always gets a laugh. He’s currently putting out this album for free. All you have to do is email him (details on his website intothewildcomedy.com/ ) and he’ll email you the mp3. Send him some cash and he’ll send you part 1 and 2. He’s definitely one to watch out for and for free, you can’t really go wrong.

Keith Malley – Can you imagine
One half of the excellent podcast, Keith and the Girl (katg.com) every year Keith put out a CD/DVD of new standup material. Performed once, recorded on the first performance, never repeated. As a result, the performance can be a little rough, bits that would change over time as comedians judge the crowds reaction and change things from show to show are there. But the result, is great. Each of the seven albums is loosely based around a theme and are full of thought provoking rants. Keith’s world view can be jarring, it’s hard to argue with his logic though. A great example is his “Don’t Vote” track.
Much as I like Keith’s standup, I’m not entirely sure it would hold its own if it wasn’t for “knowing” him through his podcast. Maybe he gets away with things that others couldn’t and makes assumptions about his audiences knowledge of him and his style. Maybe. Check out a free 15 minute sample here http://vimeo.com/8169551

Now, onto the more mainstream DVD releases

DVD’s

Simon Amstell – Do Nothing live
Simon’s first outing into standup comedy, and a successful one, as he turns his legendary attacking wit inwards on himself. If you like him in Buzzcocks this should be a no brainer. For some reason it was quickly discounted, and can be had for around £6.

Ricky Gervais – Science
Ricky Gervais at his, well, not his finest. I think he liked the idea of a science based theme, but didn’t have the material for it. And as someone who has followed his various podcasts, lifting a piece, verbatim, from Karl Pilkington and passing it as his own, is unforgivable. For me this ruined the set, which I don’t believe was as strong as his previous three DVD’s. Still good by most people’s standards, but the lack of focus on a clearly defined theme and lifting bits from Karl (even if Karl gave him permission, it’s so obvious so his podcast listeners that it doesn’t matter from an audience point of view if it’s done with permission) makes this not his best work.

Dave Gorman – Live
Dave Gorman is the king of powerpoint. This DVD is only available through his website, davegormanstore.com. Dave is a great story teller, and makes maths interesting and funny, all harnessing the incredible power of powerpoint. It has a similar feel to his googlewhack adventure DVD, and I think is better than it.

Richard Herring – Hitler Moustache
Richard Herring is a really hard worker. He just wants to be on the telly! I can’t think of a comedian who puts himself out there and gives away more free stuff than Richard Herring. But despite his Fist Of Fun days almost 15 years ago, has never really made it really big. It’s a shame, as his sets are always well thought out, full of good jokes, have a strong theme, a good concept and ambition. I think his delivery lets him down. I find that he’s not confident enough about his material to really own it, instead he’s asking the audience to join him, rather than telling them and assuming the authority. I think if he was a bit more assured with his delivery the audience would be right there with him. As it is, he’s a prolific comedian who just doesn’t have the extra edge.
Despite this, I really like his stuff and will be seeing him for the third time in as many years in March. As well as listening to his 6music show with Andrew Collins and the pairs independent podcast.
This years DVD offering is his Hitler Moustache project. He grew a toothbrush moustache to see if he could reclaim it for comedy and Charlie Chaplin from Hitler. The show explores the difficulties of living with this facial hair and explains through logic how the BNP are less racist than liberal Guardian reading types!

Stewart Lee – if you prefer a milder comedian please ask for one.
Stewart Lee if my all time favourite comedian. He absolutely gets how an audience works, comic timing, what is funny as well as why. Every show he does he makes deliberately hard for himself, and then delivers on it. In this DVD he explains his battle with Care Nero, how he would have liked Richard the Hamster (not a real hamster) Hammond to have been decapitated in that crash, and the importance of context within comedy. My personal DVD of the year.

Sean Lock – Lockepedia
Sean Lock is a happy curmudgeon. An odd combination. The DVD is funny, but nothing that will stay with you.

Dara O Briain – This is the Show (TITS)
I like Dara’s combination of crowd work and his set pieces are always clever and funny. His review of the film 2012 is definitely worth seeing. If you like him on mock the week, you’ll like this.

Kevin Bridges – The Story so far
I’m afraid Kevin Bridges is one of a group of comedians who are very forgettable, content wise. I know I’ve watched it, I know I laughed. Can’t remember any of what he said though.

American – The Bill Hicks Story
Not a standup DVD, but a biographical documentary. Superbly done, with the little footage and pictures they had, mixed with interviews with friends and families, this documentary will bring you closer to one of the greatest comics of all time than ever before.

Frankie Boyle – If I could reach out through the tv and strangle you I would
If you’ve read about or seen the fuss over Tramadol Nights, you will be very familiar with this. The standup parts are identical, and just as lacking in context, focus, or actual comedy. This is horrible. A real case of punching down. Frankie always used to complain that the BBC censored him, and didn’t allow him to do the hard hitting political stuff. Where is that hard hitting political stuff now? Is it hiding behind the Susan Boyle is ugly jokes? Or is it next to the jokes about Katie Price’s disabled child? Fuck you Frankie, you’ve put me on Katie Price’s side of an argument.

Bill Bailey – Dandelion Mind
Bill has lost it. What he had before was really memorable songs and stand out musical ditties. In theory it’s all still there, but it doesn’t have the edge of Bewilderness.

Lee Mack – Going out live
Lee Mack has a very solid set, and he gets a lot of jokes out. It’s a lot of wordplay, not quite puns, but not story telling jokes. Somewhere in-between. I’ve also been watching quite a bit of Not Going Out this year, which is very similar, as it should be as he wrote it!

Jim Jefferies – Alcoholocaust
The man is a drunken genius. But the DVD wasn’t as good as he was in person live. Maybe it’s because his set wasn’t the same, and he repeated a major routine as part of it. I think possibly he was told he couldn’t do the set as is for commercial DVD release so substituted one of his most famous bits in. Either way, one of my comedians of the year.

Gigs

Marc Maron
Marc is an American comic who most of the British readers wont have heard of. This is a shame as he’s one of the most intimate, open and honest comics I’ve seen in a long time. He manages to connect with the audience with tales of his life, insecurities, and thoughts. He’s an experienced comic and it shows in his ability to casually own the stage. He has a podcast (free) which is one of the best going. Each episode he interviews a different comic and as on stage, it gets way beyond most interviews, and you really feel like you’ve had a heart to heart with the interviewee. In the past he’s interviewed some of my favourites, Stewart Lee, Doug Stanhope, Jim Jefferies, some big names, like Robin Williams, some controversial, like Carlos Mencia, and a lot you may not have heard of, but will want to look up after his interview.

Stewart Lee.
I was If you want a milder comedian this year and it’s very close to being my favourite gig of the year. I think he possibly ties with Jim Jeffereies. The delivery was as flawless as his DVD’s, he doesn’t let up just because it’s a smaller venue. What really stood out was how grateful he seemed afterwards while signing DVD’s. His on stage arrogance was replaced by someone who is genuinely pleased that you’ve come and enjoyed his act. This is why he’s the best.
I had tickets to see his Vegetable Stew gig in Cardiff, but this was postponed to later this year for personal reasons. I”m really looking forward to it. He’s still touring the show, you should definitely see if you can get a ticket.

Richard Herring (Hitler moustache)
Again, not much different from the DVD, which shows a consistency in the material and delivery, this is a comic you should not miss live if you get the chance, and, as a good comic does, he is touring again. This time rebooting his Christ on a Bike tour.

Jim Jefferies
As I said above, this was a fantastic gig. Jim was on top form and the crowd really let him lead the way. He’s a very forthright comic. He doesn’t hold back at all, and his stories about the two girls at the Canadian comedy festival and the one about his porn star ex were face achingly funny. Also until you’ve seen a man attempt to sell a “Cunt” mug to an audience, well, you just haven’t lived

Tim Minchin
 I think I”m the only person in the world who doesn’t find Tim Minchin funny. Certainly the only person on twitter. Don’t get me wrong, he comes across as a really nice person, I just don’t get his act. I usually find that musical comedy is trying to mask the fact that the set is devoid of any actual jokes, and the audience is tricked into thinking its clever because it rhymes. It works for some people. I did like the Ginger song, and the pope song.
Anyway, I saw Tim Minchin at Camp Betival. I really tried to go with an open mind, and to be honest, he didn’t manage to change my mind. He got to the last song, the Ginger song, and he lost it, the words just went from his head, and his crowd work at this point was the first bit to raise a laugh from me, not because he was failing at the song, but because he was being funny.
Doodling along on the piano he tried to remember how the song went, and was obviously not going to get anywhere, when out of no where, a man in the audience starts playing along on his trumpet(!) that he just happened to have with him. Trumpet man played a phrase of the song, Tim Minchin played a phrase back. After a minute it became obvious the trumpet player could play, and Tim beckoned him on stage. What followed was about 5-10 minutes of improved piano vs trumpet battle. It was one of the most memorable and astonishing moments I’ve seen at a comedy gig, and that is why you should go to live gigs.  

Books

Keith Malley – The Great American novel
Keith writes how he talks. This is both a good and bad thing. A good thing, because when you hear him talk, there’s a tone to it that tells you where he’s coming from, and a bad thing, because it may mean you need to have heard his podcast or standup to get the book. However as the book is only available through Keith’s website at katg.com/store, it’s not likely you’ll read it without knowing who Keith is.

Sarah Silverman – The Bedwetter: stories of courage, redemption and pee
A brave an frank book. Bedwetting is one of the least embarrassing of the stories Sarah tells in this book, with one or two genuinely fist in mouth moments.

Dara O’Briain – Tickling the english
A tour diary, Dara’s banter comes across well in the book. You wont get more out of it than watching one of his DVD’s, but it’s a pleasant read.

Stewart Lee – How I avoided my certain fate
I’ve previously reviewed this here In short, read it, read it now, any comedy fans who haven’t read this are wasting their time.

Richard Herring – How not to grow up
Richard tells the story of his 40th year. This is where it becomes apparent that his comedy lacks delivery, because the hesitance doesn’t come across in the book, and it’s an entertaining read. I believe it’s loosely based on his “Oh fuck I’m 40″ tour, which I haven’t yet seen.

Coming up in 2011

Stewart Lee Comedy Vehicle and Vegetable Stew.
Stewart got a second series of his brilliant “Comedy Vehicle” which is due to start recording this month.Watch out for it on TV. A DVD of his latest tour is likely to follow shortly afterwards.

Marc Maron has just recorded a new CD, I don’t know when it’ll be out, hopefully this year. For now, “Final Engagement” and his podcasts are excellent listens. marcmaron.com

Jesse Joyce is another New York based comedian. His debut CD, Joyce to the world was a brilliant CD and I’m looking forward to his second. It’s due out on the 18th of Janurary and you can pre-order here.

Marcus Brigstocke – Godcollar book (gig review). The tour happened in 2009, and Marcus says there wont be a DVD, however he’s working on a book based on the act. The gig was amazing, and I have high expectations for the book. Macus’s twitter indicates he’s currently working on the book, so it may be 2012 before it’s released, depending on what stage he’s at!

So, that was my comedy 2010. How was yours? Any recomendations?
 

I rented the two series from LoveFilm after searching Amazon for Dylan Moran. It’s written by Simon Nye (writer, Men Behaving Badly) and stars Dylan Moran (Black Books), I’ll give it a go.
The description I got, from reading the synopsis was “a man from the city moves to the country for his wife Lisa (Charlotte Coleman), and struggles to adapt to the rural lifestyle, while starting a new photography business, failing to win the approval of his in-laws, with hilarious consequences. What I got was much, much darker. Take the League of Gentlemen, mix it with The Wicker Man, and chuck in awkward silences, and you are left with the disturbing story of a man who gives up his lifestyle for the woman he loves, to find himself bullied, humiliated, attacked and beaten down to alcoholism and reckless abandon. He tries constantly to fit in and be liked, but no one finds him funny and they are all pre-disposed to hate him.

Look at the box, what clues are there here to the darkness within, even the font says “gentle mid 90’s whimsical comedy”.

The shots are all English country side, it’s always overcast, the scenery, while it should be picturesque, adds a layer of bleakness to the situation, while the incidental harmonica music, always the same, is eerie and foreboding. The writers aren’t afraid to end an episode on a downer, in one, the camera pans away from Ian’s sister in law Helen, standing by her burnt out shop, financially ruined by the business decisions and carelessness of Ian.
Without giving too much away, Ian gets bribed to divorce his wife by Astley (his father in law), is locked in a turkey shed with thousands of angry turkeys, has naked photos of himself and his wife stolen and passed around the town, burns down his sister in laws shop, shoots his father in law, turns to alcohol, has his car put in a tree, gets hazed, almost murdered, and generally humiliated. One of the biggest thorns in his side is the imposing Peter Serafinowicz who plays Ian’s brother in law, Dean. He almost seems to like Ian, but at the same time, he’ll back his father completely and is loyal to his sister. This leads Dean to in private, beat, blackmail and threaten Ian, and uses this to force Ian to join in with him and his mates at the pub, or on the football pitch. It’s a Cable Guy like character, minus the wackiness.

So, did I like it? Well, despite what you may think from what I said above, yes. Yes I did like it. Dylan Moran plays a character that he seemingly based Bernard Black on. Bumbling, prone to drunkenness while being slightly abrasive and dismissive of other people. The script is good and the characters compelling. Despite everything, you can believe that Ian will put up with this for Lisa. The series ended, due to the passing of Charlotte Coleman, but honestly, I don’t think it could have continued anyway. Like the office, the story had run its course. I think the biggest failing of this series is the marketing. It’s sold wrong. Don’t think of it as a sitcom, think comedy drama. I also think it suffered from being ahead of its time. If it had been made 5 years ago instead of 12, it wouldn’t have been much different, but would have done a lot better.

You can buy it here. At the moment it’s under a fiver. Bargain.

Part of what makes Stewart Lee such a good comedian is his ability to take a point and thread it through 90 minutes of material, a lot of it needs to be viewed in context of the whole piece. This makes it hard to show clips of him and is possibly the reason that he is not more successful, in our current culture of talking heads, panelists and “duck house” jokes. This is partially solved by his BBC show, Comedy Vehicle, 6 half hour sets, which is not only the smartest comedy the BBC has commissioned in a long time, but has also been commissioned for a second series.

Amazon.co.uk – Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle

A quick look at what’s available could lead you to think that Stewart has only been around for 10 years or so. Even looking at his home page you see his DVD’s from 2001 onwards. The truth is he has been around for about 25 years, doing Edinburgh shows, small tours, and most famously, working with Richard Herring (also excellent, and also touring/putting out DVD’s) on TV shows including Fist of Fun and This Morning with Richard not Judy. Stewart helpfully provides download for these otherwise unavailable shows on his site here.

To the book:

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I pre-ordered this book. I guessed it was an autobiography from the title, and I was half right. What I got was not what I expected, but as is so often the case, infinitely better than what I was expecting. What Stewart has done is take the story of his life while he was being sued for blasphemy after “Jerry Springer: The Opera”, and how this bought him back to comedy and how he came to perform the three (to date) DVD’s he has and dissect them, until they are laid bare before you. These bits sit between full transcripts of the three DVD’s.

Now, Stewart Lee is known for not being afraid to throw a joke and then laboriously dissect what was wrong with the joke and why it isn’t funny. This is where he gets his laughs and it is brilliant to see.
When I started the book and realised what he was doing, the thought of someone dissecting and explaining his dissection and explanation of jokes was a bit off putting. I needn’t have worried. What we have here, is not only a story of how a failing career re-started itself and came to what it is today, but a deep insight to the thought processes and reasons for what he has done. The transcripts of the DVD’s (as well as the narrative parts of the book) are heavily annotated (I think there are more footnotes than actual transcript) and this is where the real insight is. He will tell you where he gets an idea from, why he’s phrased something very precisely, when and why he has lied or exaggerated, and loads of backstories and anecdotes.

For someone like me, the book is like a handbook, how to do comedy. From what I have seen on twitter and elsewhere on the internet, it would seem that most comedians in the country are poring over this book and loving it. It’s also very funny, adding another layer of funny over three already brilliantly funny DVD’s. It’s a bit like a directors commentary on the DVD, but as it’s written there is space to really deeply get into the subject.

You can buy the book here.

Stewart is currently touring, info and dates here.

Pre-order Stewart’s new DVD – find out the real story about the Richard Hammond controversy

StewartLee.co.uk

Listen to an interview with Stewart, by one of my favourite American comedians, Marc Maron

GoFasterStripe.com – buy Stewart Lee’s and Richard Herring’s (and others) DVD’s

A Perfect Fool Stewart Lee’s first novel, if you liked American Gods by Neil Gaiman, you’ll probably like this.