Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - Series 1 [DVD]

In a world that celebrates idiocy and allows certain people the chance to make a comfortable living out of having no talent whatsoever, its comforting to know that someone as funny, cynical, and - damn it- intelligent, as Stewart Lee is fighting the corner for us non-morons. It saddens me that the likes of Lee Evans and Michael Macintyre (as nice to their mothers as they surely are) have become superstars with their safe, banal comedy while Lee and other luminaries e.g. Peter Serafinowicz seem constantly overlooked. (Nobody I know had heard of Stewart Lee or Serafinowicz's gem 'Look Around You' till I spread the word, unless I was just unlucky to work in a cultural desert.) What draws me to Lee is that he is unashamed about being clever, or being cynical. And in this X Factor/Britain's Got Talent culture where no one dares to criticize any more (I mean, look at Stavros Flatley; their awful, pointless act would have been laughed off stage 20 years ago) it is so refreshing to finally have someone see things the way I see them. His routine about celebrity books and celebrities in general is without doubt the funniest piece of stand up I have ever seen. I guess the best way to describe his humour is to descend into cliche: it's funny because its true. He sees things for what they are, and not how they would like to be seen. Anyway, buy this, discover there's more to 'alternative' comedy than Jimmy Carr and maybe one day soon there'll be a Stewart Lee Comedy Roadshow in a prime time schedule rather than a wonderful but unseen Vehicle tucked away in a graveyard slot.

A man called Stewart stands in front of a small audience of people and says things that makes them laugh, occasionally he makes asides to the camera on stage to make it feel as though YOU, the audience at home, have been welcomed into his close~knit stand up routine.. First off, I've been a fan of Lee for some time, his style of comedy only being commissioned onto our tele's for brief spells over the last 20years. Anyway, so when I heard this show was coming on, I thought I'd make an effort to try to remember to watch it, which I'm glad I did as I found it very amusing. Lee successfully bringing back to our screens his cynical, rambling style of comedy which he aims at a particular topic in each of the six episodes. At times his attitude reminds me of the funny, arrogant, cocky kid at school, who seemed to push certain teachers to boiling point much to the amusement of the rest of us! He skilfully manipulates the audience both playing and shocking them with his viewpoints, either challenging the audiences perception of a situation or (if your like me) has them thinking THANK GOD, so its not just me that thinks this is completely s***! In regards to Lee's popularity and desire in playing to such a small venue, one presumes that this only adds to his style, with a clandestine pocket of co~conspirators, happily listening to his underground/often scathing views of the modern society outside.. Haven't watched the extras yet but for the few quid I paid for it, this seems like a steal. Against its peers 4.5/5 stars!

As someone who holds entirely opposing political views to Lee, I am happy to say I loved his performances. Even when he is attacking ideas I agree with, his charm and wit don't leave you feeling that any of it was nasty. Few comedians can pull this off. His craft and preparation are there to see in abundance, and delivered with control that it almost becomes a mockery of his own politics. At least that 's what it appears, but the mock outrage and liberal sneers quickly point to a man playing a part in order to demonstrate the shallowness of liberal, left wing ideologies. Once you get the joke, the chuckling luvvies in the audience only add to the pleasure, and the BBC's acceptance of a Trojan Horse is delicious. But don't let too many people in on the joke, it might lose its power.

Stewart Lee occupies a position relative to the rest of comedy that is analogous to the position I feel I occupy relative to the rest of society as a whole. It isn't a position of reaction exactly - not an entirely antagonistic relation. It can best be described as 'troubled' - or more analytically as 'critical'. In an ambient atmosphere of personal pessimism and disillusionment, we enjoy more acutely the angry absurdities we find, the gentle silliness of things, or the outright self-celebrating stupidities. It's easy to see why there is such disapproval of Mr Lee in places like the Mail and the Sun, and why he values that disapproval so highly as to wear it like a badge of honour. Having watched many of his recorded perfomances, I enjoy a feeling of immediate and instinctive personal identification with Mr Lee; I understand instantly Where He Is Coming From. Having reached an unglamorous middle age after an energetically idealistic youth, Mr Lee is confronted by entrenched and aggressive right-wing idealogues of sickening popularity, by the fading and weakening of what we might call the progressive project, and by disappointments and failures on every side. His is a plight and viewpoint I instantly recognise, and with which I sympathise very strongly indeed. The authenticity of his comedy makes it especially powerful, I think - this is him - his act being 'him' taken to the extreme. That's why there are such powerful opinions about it in favour or against. He's brilliant, I think. I can't wait to go and see him live. Check out his website for tour dates - [...]

Stewart lee isn't everyone's cup of tea (that rhymes!), and fans of Peter Kay should leave now. He readily admits that he hardly ever tells a joke, and that his style is laboured and monotonous. However, he is unique and simply superb, and this DVD is just a glimpse into his acutely cynical, analytical and deconstructionalist mind. He's the comedian's comedian, and the comedian for people who don't like TV or comedians. This long overdue series is testament to his unbearable,unparalleled genius.

There is no better comedian working today, in Britain or otherwise. Buy a region-free player, and get everything of his you can.

This man is a gem.

Just brilliant. Saw Stew in Edinburgh in about 1990. Was groundbreaking then - still is.

Excellent