What has Stewart Lee done?

I remember seeing a tv show about Jerry Springer the Musical, where he was complaining that the show should have been a big hit and been his pension, but because of the blasphemy complaints, it never got the big US tour and was quietly shelved. You’d think he’d have a bit more sympathy for comedians who don’t have mainstream opinions.

God knows what the JKR joke is, but I wonder if it breaks his rule about not punching down.

Tbf there is no way he could punch down at jk Rowling, she was a literal billionaire at one point and has many multiples more influence than he could ever wish to have.

You mean you haven't? Err good for you.

I did used to like Stewart Lee, I mean he was a massive cunt to Richard Herring too, which put me off a bit. I lump him in with frankie Boyle now. I don't think Richard herring has said anything egregious, from what I have seen he tries not to go there. I respect that because he obviously has friends/colleagues who would undoubtedly disown him if he came out one side or the other (I stand to be corrected if he has made any statements, I cba with the comedy scene)

We all know that in real life the people being cancelled are women like Rachel Meades, Maya Forstater, Allison Bailey, Rachel Rooney and Gillian Philip. I suppose he is smart enough to understand that making jokes about a social worker or a Black lesbian lawyer isn't a terribly good look for a lefty.

Well that and the fact that no one has ever heard of them.

God knows what the JKR joke is, but I wonder if it breaks his rule about not punching down.

Both he and Christie seem obsessed with Ricky Gervais. In that article it says he takes issue with the idea that Gervais has been cancelled. But has Gervais ever claimed he's been cancelled? We all know that in real life the people being cancelled are women like Rachel Meades, Maya Forstater, Allison Bailey, Rachel Rooney and Gillian Philip. I suppose he is smart enough to understand that making jokes about a social worker or a Black lesbian lawyer isn't a terribly good look for a lefty.

You've probably just written a quote for his next tour.

"Smug elitist liberalism. Who is this cunt ?"

Watch out for the Mumsnet reference.

He's not on the same level as Ricky Gervais or Craig Ovens for proper belly laughs.

Does anyone care what he thinks? A smug, sneering, sanctimonious, Oxbridge-liberal prat. His 'humour' basically consists of mocking other comedians (like Michael McIntyre) and lecturing the audience (who love it, because they are as smug and superior as him).

He's knows his audience, he knows what goes down well. And he's got to keep the school fee fund topped up!

I'm trying to reserve judgement too. He's an intelligent bloke, so is his wife and I'd be disappointed if JKR gets an undeserved pasting... I know he's had form with Graham Linehan.

I bet there are lots of really funny and intelligent young women and men out there who couldn't give one rattling fuck about politics at all.

I know, it’s terrible that Geoff Norcott is allowed a career.

“The problem now is that there are comedians on our circuit that are specifically and explicitly from the right,”

• *Is her for real? What an arse.

Stewart Lee is touring a new comedy show, Basic Lee, from next week. He’s plugging it in today’s Times.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/stewart-lee-interview-snowflake-tornado-bbc-two-gz955ws08

“Lee has just performed a morning work-in-progress show, titled Basic Lee, at the Stand comedy club. As usual, there’s not much “in progress” about it, the jokes about JK Rowling, jazz and the process of writing already finely tuned...He is delighted by how the Rowling joke went down (“I can tell you now, without sounding arrogant, that is going to be a really, really good bit”)"

On Jerry Sadowitz:
“The problem now is that there are comedians on our circuit that are specifically and explicitly from the right,” he adds. “So I think people can be forgiven for feeling differently about Jerry ... The ground has shifted around him. Last time I saw him ten years ago, [his act] was still really good. But it’s a different world, unfortunately.”
Stewart Lee there, who likes to think of himself as an anti-establishment cynic, going with the right-on flow.

I’ll reserve judgement on the JKR routine as I’ve not heard it. I’m sure it will be terribly clever though.🙄

Relieved that not all comedians are captured.

Listened to the new 'Phonejacker' podcast on Spotify. Towards the end of ep2 there's a spoof call to a scaffolding firm about 'sex change' surgery. Very funny and astute.

Thank God, Kayvan Novak gets it.

Well yeah I guess

Who has ever been cancelled because they went woke?

In light of the current scandal around Jim Davison possibly being cancelled at Evesham following a complaint, I'm surprised he isn't being cancelled from our little backwater theatre. All it takes now is one person to say something to the council.
The theatre have a ridiculous booking fee so every ticket holder is already being stung for that on top of the I thought reasonable ticket price.

SL mentions in his metro lib elite updates that he has had to rewrite sections of his show due to Covid. How much of it was about that?

He says Dave Chappell is ‘kicking down’ by criticising transgender people. But I felt Lee was kicking gender critical feminists down in his show too. But of course, very subtly.

The whole kick down thing has been overused and tends to be used as an excuse to berate others without having to justify why. Few groups are at the bottom of every hierarchy and very few of us are immune to doing daft things that deserve a ribbing occasionally.

If anything, isn't it presumptuous of white, middle-aged, middle class, wealthy Lees to decide what that hierarchy is?

He's a comedian, not a politician, and ultimately it doesn't matter what he says and thinks. He's there to entertain a crowd and he's giving them what they expect. But given the music he likes, I thought his work would be less mainstream.

I could also sense a slight defensiveness around the idea of some feminists recently criticising him.

Yes, there is nothing worse for one of his ilk than being described as a woman hater. Because they are so 'pure' and always 'on the right side' so the idea is ludicrous. The problem is, because they are actually quite misogynistic, it comes up fairly often, and therefore they have to get more and more defensive.

See also Billy 'but I campaigned about violence against women and abortion' Bragg and Owen Jones.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/the-c-word-has-had-its-day/amp

It's from 2019. I'm with Tony Parsons on this.