One of the reasons I took a month off from blogging (apart from moving from Melbourne to Seattle) was to get some serious writing/editing done. Unfortunately I didn't get in as much writing in as I would have liked and I have completely and rather spectacularly procrastinated all my editing chores. I have done a ton of reading though getting in the new Zadie Smith, the actually rather depressing biography of David Foster Wallace, an ok novel by Vasily Grossman, a great comic novel called Cooking With Fernet Branca, a terrific science fiction novel called The Quantum Thief and a lovely and really quite brilliant fantasy set in Northern Ireland called Blue Skies From Pain by Stina Leicht. I've also become obsessed by the British comic Stewart Lee who I only vaguely knew of as the guy who wrote Jerry Springer: The Opera. I've now listened to or watched everything Lee has done and as a convert to the genius of Lee there are many clips I am dying to share with you. I think his greatest achievement may be his careful, slow, piece by piece annihilation of the worst film ever made: Mel Gibson's Braveheart or possibly his spoken word retelling of the poem The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear which is the kind of thing I wish the New Yorker would do but doesn't. It's called Pea Green Boat and I think its a masterpiece but its not, alas, on youtube. You can however listen to it on soundcloud, here. You should listen to the whole thing. Like Vegemite half of you will hate it with all your being, half of you will love it. I love it. Also fantastic is Lee's deployment of irony in a bit comparing the IRA to Al Qaeda. The only Lee bit which is officially licensed by the BBC to YouTube is his song about Russell Brand's wedding, which isn't that funny but it is quite nice:
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23 comments:
I wonder why I feel I have come across the pea green boat before, despite its unavailability.Quite recently.
Seana
Stewart Lee's version of the Owl and the Pussycat was on youtube until about a month ago when it was removed for copyright violations. Its a shame because it was brilliant.
All the blogposts here are essentially random and cobbled together a few hours before I post them, but sometimes you can see a coherent thread running through them.
One of Stewart Lee's good friends is Alan Moore of Watchmen fame. Moore appeared in the last post about The Thick Of It. The Thick of It was written by Armando Ianucci who appears as a kind of Grand Inquisitor on Stewart Lee's BBC series. Also in Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen there is a reference an ancestor of Jeffrey The Dude Lebowski who of course was on of the "Seattle Seven" in fictional and in real life.
So thats the last 3 posts linked. Stewart Lee. The Thick of It. Seattle.
I could do this all night. But wont.
Here's a full list of all the fictional places and people who are real places and people in Alan Moore's League universe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_The_League_of_Extraordinary_Gentlemen
I loved the bit he did about Top Gear, talking about Hammond dying in a car crash, but, not being "serious" about it.
Cary
The Top Gear bit was brilliant. So much more effective than Coogan's rant. (Incidentally Lee was one of the first writers, along with Ianucci, on Coogan's Alan Partridge)
I also loved the entire 41st Best Standup Ever routine. Boring, repetitive and yet utterly utterly brilliant.
Cary
This youtube playlist plays all of the 41st Best Standup Ever.
Like I say boring, repetitive, and yet compelling and brilliant. The Tom OConnor bit...Genius.
God, that 'Braveheart' film - I drove my family nuts semi-shouting at the screen, and wished I hadn't wasted time watching it. What an utter load of bollocks..I am surprised Wallace's wig didn't get an acting credit (and his intestines!!) - I am even annoyed that I remember the blessed dross. I will certainly catch this comic's take on it!! so thanks for the tipoff
Deb
Here's part 1 of the Braveheart bit and you can follow it on the right to part 2. Whats fantastic about this is that Lee did this routine in Glasgow...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybQCNb4AuW4
Friday morning update.
Stewart Lee's version of The Owl And The Pussycat, Pea Green Boat. Weird. Brilliant.
ncrFriday-evening-just-before-the-pub-update - I have been watching Stewart Lee vids - the Braveheart analysis, then got drawn into Lee's dissection of the reaction to Princess Diana's death and his excellent Top Gear sketch (that 'light entertainment programme' is a particular loathing of mine..I assure you all here that I am NOT a Miserable Git by the way) ... Great stuff!
Re: Lee's Braveheart.. geeky fact alert -I felt smug that he named a remote site that I have visited - the Broch of Gurness (on Orkney mainland opposite Rousa)... but then I would have done, cos I am an archaeologist, and went to Orkney on my first major dig in the summer of '76... never noticed any Gay -lich graffiti...
Very tenuous link to topic alert: A great Orcadian writer I am sure you have all read - George Mackay Brown - 'Time in a Red Coat' is a goodie (I may have misremembered the title, tis middle age you know)
I like SL very much, too. This is a great interview with AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE2kDtXzTUA
And he called Adrian Chiles a tobyjug full of hot piss. Genius !
Just finally watched the IRA/Al Quaeda one. Great. There's something about his looks and his timing that reminds me of my uncle, who was a pretty funny guy in his day himself.
Deb
Thats so cool. I've never been to Orkney or Shetland but I would love to go. Some day...
Paul
Watched that this morning. Thanks for that. Very cool.
Anon
Yeah and dramatised it one of the series. Funny.
Seana
He's very very dry isnt he?
I think it's the timing that feels so familiar.
Hi all - I always really enjoy reading the blogs and comments but haven't commented before. Just caught up on the last few posts since Adrian's blogging break.
I was particularly amused by this post as I went through a similar experience with Lee about 5 years ago. I had seen a bit of his early work with Richard Herring when I was a teenager but hadn't really been into standup since then. But after moving to Edinburgh from London I got into the comedy festival and was lucky enough to see the Milder Comedian show a few times live. After that I went through a period of devouring all his work and being a real pain to my family and friends by constantly showing them clips and getting them to come to shows with me.
A few of my favourite bits are cited in the comments above but I think you would all love his piece on Celebrity Biography books which is in episode one of his first BBC series of Comedy Vehicle. If you can track it down it really is eye wateringly funny.
His book with the scripts for his shows is superb giving footnotes with how arrived at his ideas and explaining how he delivers each section.
Also worth reading his occasional pieces he writes for the Guardian - always very smart, even if he has let himself go a bit round the middle!
Recent review of an old show in the Guardian here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/sep/13/stewart-lee-90s-comedian
Anyway, I'll try and join the discussions a bit more. Love all your books Adrian and very much looking forward to the next Duffy novel.
Dan
Whats so interesting about Stewart Lee is the fact that so many people hate him. I feel like I've joined a cult. I keep telling people cant you see that this man is a genius! And some of them look at me in utter bafflement.
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