I couldn't disagree more.

Not only is Stewart Lee's understanding of how stand-up comedy works hilariously brilliant - watch this piece on 'Identity' for a masterclass in audience positioning, which allows him to get away with some really high-risk, funny material (User Posted Link - but he's got greater insight than any other comedian I see working at the moment.

His pieces on political correctness (User Posted Link are genuinely visionary, and have done more to counteract the reactionary stupidity of Clarkson, Littledick etc than anyone else. He noticed that these people - who couldn't be more privileged - had managed to make conservatism appear radical by bleating on about the PC mafia, PC gone mad etc, and brilliantly undercut it.

This is something that nobody else was doing: even critics on the left frequently attacked political correctness on the grounds that it somehow went against 'freedom of speech' - playing into the hands of The Sun, The Mail etc who dislike political correctness because it makes them harder to pursue their right-wing agendas by bullying and dehumanising minorities.

Lee not only realised this, but deconstructed it with considerable humanity, insight and wit - which is what a good comic should do. I think he's sublime.

Posted By: Ottosson Foxtrot, Aug 26, 11:05:41