And just for the sense of closure...
Some more facts about Stewart Lee:
1. In order to render self more appealing to a TV audience, Stu has smartened up, but only in appearance. His material remains as sharp as ever (though there were times when some tongue-lashings seemed to be flailing for a solid target); vitriolic, warm, barbed, playful. Biting the hands that feeds - Lord Reith an improvisatory "jazz racist" - as well as the ones which may wish to pet him as he goes. I love the fact that he can record an hour and a half of stand-up for the telly and have the biggest compromise to his material be in excising the word "f~cking" from some material about the homosexual necrophiliac tendencies of the gang-rapist mallard duck*. So as the sentence suitable for broadcast is a solemn Freeman-ish intonation: "there goes that little mallard, raping that dead mallard, in his dead ass... in a dance as old as time."**
2. Stewart Lee's first word, claims his mum, was "Pierrot", uttered while watching children’s television, a 'Play School' repeat-along-with-me on Commedia del'arte. Stewart Lee's son's first word, claims his dad, was a squeal of "BOGEYS!" uttered while watching 'Dick & Dom'.
3. Stewart Lee is an actual famous funny man, and this is reflected in the numbers of people attempting to see his first television series in a decade. Numbered entry wristbands are available way before the ostensible venue-open time of 6.45pm, and folk intending to go this week would do well to be there earlier so as you can both get in to the Mildmay, get a seat in the bar and not be last in to the club room itself.
* For more on the homosexual necrophiliac tendencies of mallard ducks there is this disturbing Guardian interview with Moeliker, particularly notable for its final paragraph concerning squirrel copulation.
** N.B. This material forms part of a larger swipe at 'March Of The Penguins', which Stu sees as erroneous propaganda for the American religious right. An error in itself, for the film was seized on by zealots who saw admirable 'Christian ideals' in the monogamy and community atmosphere of the penguin colony, and evidence of intelligent design in the birds' physical responses to their harsh environment. It was not promoted or intended as such. Mayhap because the film-makers know that penguins are seldom monogamous for more than one year, and also engage in prostitution, child-kidnapping and homosexual gay activities. The New Scientist article thereon is repeated here. Every time I see Stu cover this topic - that's, um, four times in the last month - I think he's going to mention this. The albino ostracism at least. Come on!
[pause]
Have just realised I could email him the article, instead of grumbling, and done just that. Muuuch better.
1. In order to render self more appealing to a TV audience, Stu has smartened up, but only in appearance. His material remains as sharp as ever (though there were times when some tongue-lashings seemed to be flailing for a solid target); vitriolic, warm, barbed, playful. Biting the hands that feeds - Lord Reith an improvisatory "jazz racist" - as well as the ones which may wish to pet him as he goes. I love the fact that he can record an hour and a half of stand-up for the telly and have the biggest compromise to his material be in excising the word "f~cking" from some material about the homosexual necrophiliac tendencies of the gang-rapist mallard duck*. So as the sentence suitable for broadcast is a solemn Freeman-ish intonation: "there goes that little mallard, raping that dead mallard, in his dead ass... in a dance as old as time."**
2. Stewart Lee's first word, claims his mum, was "Pierrot", uttered while watching children’s television, a 'Play School' repeat-along-with-me on Commedia del'arte. Stewart Lee's son's first word, claims his dad, was a squeal of "BOGEYS!" uttered while watching 'Dick & Dom'.
3. Stewart Lee is an actual famous funny man, and this is reflected in the numbers of people attempting to see his first television series in a decade. Numbered entry wristbands are available way before the ostensible venue-open time of 6.45pm, and folk intending to go this week would do well to be there earlier so as you can both get in to the Mildmay, get a seat in the bar and not be last in to the club room itself.
* For more on the homosexual necrophiliac tendencies of mallard ducks there is this disturbing Guardian interview with Moeliker, particularly notable for its final paragraph concerning squirrel copulation.
** N.B. This material forms part of a larger swipe at 'March Of The Penguins', which Stu sees as erroneous propaganda for the American religious right. An error in itself, for the film was seized on by zealots who saw admirable 'Christian ideals' in the monogamy and community atmosphere of the penguin colony, and evidence of intelligent design in the birds' physical responses to their harsh environment. It was not promoted or intended as such. Mayhap because the film-makers know that penguins are seldom monogamous for more than one year, and also engage in prostitution, child-kidnapping and homosexual gay activities. The New Scientist article thereon is repeated here. Every time I see Stu cover this topic - that's, um, four times in the last month - I think he's going to mention this. The albino ostracism at least. Come on!
[pause]
Have just realised I could email him the article, instead of grumbling, and done just that. Muuuch better.