Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 Bargin October 16, 2008
Brilliant, witty and now only 3.98! Even if you dont like it.... it's 3.98 for crying out loud!
From vain, arrogant young man to 41st best stand up ever... July 19, 2008
The transformation of Stewart Lee from a "vain, arrogant young man" (his words) to a truly brilliant stand-up is remarkable. I was never a fan of his early stuff with Richard Herring as it seemed confused and derivative. But maybe some comedians just take longer to mature because this DVD of a gig from Glasgow is phenomenal. Watch the full gig first and then compare it to his earlier style on the DVD extras and you will see the difference.
From the outset, his material is confrontational but never forced and his delivery is assured and confident. Over the course of an hour, he toys with his audience, deliberately provoking them and attacking their own identity. Far too often, stand-up comedians preach to the converted, holding viewpoints which they know that their audience share. Lee avoids the easy path; on several occasions you feel as though he has gone too far and you can see the uncomfortable looks on the faces of the crowd members in the intimate venue. There is a real sense of danger - imagine Bill Hicks combined with Jerry Sadowitz and that will give you an idea of the tension in the air.
The beauty of Lee's stand-up is that he can push the audience away and then bring them back again because his material is never less than hilarious. If you are a fan of intelligent, original comedy then you will not be disappointed with this DVD.
Smart and funny! February 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Stewart Lee is to my mind one of the smartest in the stand up field, his work is truly crafted. He is a master and this DVD is perhaps the finest set I have seen him do.
Don't judge a DVD by its cover! February 20, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I became interested in Stewart Lee since seeing a shortened version of his "41st greatest Comedian in the World" routine on the comedy channel. Since then I have seen him live (he is still touring it so visit his website and you may be in luck) and watched his "90's Comedian" DVD.
I bought this one as its the only other one around. I can't believe how funny it is. To go up to a Glasgow audience and tell them that their national hero is gay, and so is their language, takes some doing. To get big laughs for doing so is testament to how well he can ride an audience.
Stop reading this drivel and buy the DVD now. You won't be disappointed.
9/11? The 9th of November? Reclaim the calendar! January 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
You can't judge a comedian on how much he makes you laugh. I've watched other DVDs which have made me laugh to the point that it hurt (or at least ached) - and once the DVD finished, that was that.
But Stewart Lee is the sort of comedian (like Mark Thomas) who will make you laugh, and then think, and then laugh some more. And once you've put the DVD back in the box, it still stays with you. You realise that you've changed the way you think, you've seen something in a different way, and for that reason - the stand-up routine you've just been watching has actually changed you.
Lee uses some of his older material here and polishes it so to feel edgier than it did when first performed. Filmed in a small comedy club, the cosy feel extends into your living room and you can practically smell the pork scratchings. The friendly environment no doubt helps when your comedy repertoire seems (on the face-of-it) to be greatly offensive, but Lee manages to turn it round, he is a man of integrity and uses challenging subject matter to test the less liberal views of others. In short, he exposes the ugly side of humanity, such as racism, so we can recognise it for what it is - silly. That may sound blasé, but it's true.
Typical of the performances on TV I've seen; Lee analyses his own material on stage, dissecting his quips to understand why they are funny. His analysis ends up being as funny as the joke itself, and inevitably results in a further understanding of the human condition.
This is a fantastic comedy routine, and although the additional features are pretty sparse - to have anything extra is a bonus. It wasn't until I read the DVD details that I realised that this is the first recorded video performance you can get of Stewart Lee. Now that's a shame, because this intelligent, political, and often `offensive' comedy challenges beliefs and adds fire to the comedy world.
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