Stewart Lee Again

In quirkier news, The Guardian published a nice little interview with our mentor and guide, Stewart Lee, which touches upon the recent Richard Hammond fiasco, the Jerry Springer scandal, and Lee's current commercial popularity. As we know, Lee's comedy is a delicate thing, balancing financial reward with critical acclaim. He says himself:

It would be nice for the TV show to be recommissioned so I could have a year off the road. Then again, I've worked out that the economics of a being an obscure cult figure might just work out better in the long run than the economics of being a discarded television performer.

Should he reach broader audiences, or should he remain touring the world's smaller venues, speaking to the niche and the cult audiences that this very blog finds itself among? Thankfully, Holly and I have our tickets for his latest routine, currently at the Leicester Square Theatre (a larger venue than the club we saw him in during the Summer). If you read the article, you'll notice that Sean O'Hagan, the author links to a YouTube clip of a "long and inspired tightrope walk of a routine which targets the Mail's reigning loudmouth, Richard Littlejohn". That particular clip, taken from Lee's 2006 show, is one that I posted online. As a result, I've had a few more hits than usual, plus a wealth of intelligent, Guardian-reader-esque-type comments in the comment section. It's worth rewatching for a quick laugh. I suppose, it's nice to be involved somehow.