“I walk on to the stage…through a forest of ghosts”. Something about that line is just so perfect, so self-pitying, just enough to keep it going. Beautiful.
He comes up with a half-decent joke but deliberately tells it in a way that won't get laughs, then makes you laugh at something totally inappropriate and blames you for the routine failing to go well. His manipulation of the audience is masterful!
I love the break to conversation in comedy vehicle when Armando explains that he operates all the levers that could make someone laugh EXCEPT for actually saying something funny. So spot on.
Is it from a live show? I thought it was from the Comedy Vehicle series (S4E6). Which kind of hurt my sense of causality because that episode aired in 2009, while Robin Williams died in 2014.
georgejohnsmith Yeah, I guess this was during the recordings for the last Comedy Vehicle series. I saw him doing this in 2015 and he was basically road testing the material for the series.
@@neilpattison130 I'm still partial to Jimmy Carr's joke about mosquitoes and AIDS in Africa, but yes, this specific line would likely have Robin Williams himself laughing at its powerful rawness and subversiveness. Glorious.
Great stuff. And, really, if the 'you' he says is society itself, ie all of us, then he is telling his truth. Because it is always society which kills the clown.
@King Brilliant that's what I thought. For, at some moments, you think he's surely acting, but what if he isn't? What if he is truly just acting out. I was wondering why the ppl where laughing, but it did seem to placate him somewhat ;O)
I love that stewart can craft a joke so precisely that he can actually manipulate the number of people in the audience who will laugh at it in order to set up an entire routine.
He does also just lie about the reaction sometimes. You can't really tell how many people are laughing when you're in the audience but you can see on video. Sometimes he'll just act like a joke got a bad reaction even though most people laughed, or act like the whole room laughed when it was a minority. Not saying he's not immensely skilled but it's all part of the routine :)
He so perfectly embodies the spirit of the depressed English teacher who explodes in impotent rage when trying to be funny and the class doesn’t laugh. The elf defeat, frustration and despair then channelled into the faces of bewildered 14 year olds too young to understand the burden of a pile of murdered dreams carried into middle aged meaninglessness. Who knew Misplaced rage could be so tragic and so hilarious at the same time? So human. This is pure art.
@@RICHARDGRANNON Peace through superior goblin slaying. The undertones are allegedly overtones. Personally, I like two-tone, but I'm not not sure what the correct term for that musical style is now and I can't mention "Ghost Town" on a video like this. Too many asides and implications. I should leave before people think I'm impersonating a spriggan.
I was a teacher once and I can confirm I often wished I was dead. On occasion I even said that. The kids said they wished I was dead too. Quite cathartic really :). Happy days.
I have never heard any standup from this guy but his ability to remain stonefaced and evoke tenative uneasiness in a crowd is something I've only ever seen in videos of Andy Kaufman. So fuckin good
I’ve watched Stewart Lee since his Fist of Fun days. He has matured into one of the best comics around today. Intelligent, thought provoking but utterly hilarious. Him, Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci.
I never really knew Stewart Lee and had no opinion until this series. Probably the best English standup, so clever, brave, innovative and laugh out loud funny. The way he leads his audience around a topic is masterful.
I like it when he does a broad one liner like Jimmy Carr might do, then follows it up with the real punchline - looking down the camera and saying "see, I CAN do jokes, I just choose not to".
Seen him live at The Brewhouse Taunton and he got angry and dropped the mike. It was so realistic, I believed it. He's an amazing actor as well as innovative comedian. He has the audience ranging from hysteria to stunned silence. He is unafraid of saying things over and over again, as part of the routine. He went crazy about a Nero's Loyalty card and it was hysterical.
This man is a genius. So good at portraying the emotions he wants incredibly sincerely! He does this by actually remembering true events from his life that provoked such emotions, so that they've an element of truth to them. Very clever.
Stewart will always be one of my favourites. That had so many levels, it was brilliant. I just feel sad that every time I introduce him to one of my friends they never get it
I'm lucky to have seen them both live. For sure the best in the biz right now. Only one who comes close is Bill Burr. Everyone else is a disappointment.
@@kildogery bill burr doesn't come close to Lee imo - he just does good yet standard observational stuff that sometimes leans into mild misogyny/racism etc etc at his worst.
I think Carlin once described himself as a writer first and a comedian second and I imagine Stewart would feel similarly in terms of how they approach writing stand up
this is THEE video that got me into stewart lee, changed my whole approach to crowd control and approach to ideas in my songwriting and stage banter when i'm playing shows.
The great mobility and speed of the Red Army's legendary cavalry can in part be explained by the fact that General Budenny's troopers often changed their tired horses for others requisitioned that had not let themselves go.
Masterful. "There's a price to your indifference!" shouted to a television audience and the cold dead eye of the cameras where the cynically numb are judging and preparing their two cents is so charged with meaning that it goes way beyond sarcasm. I truly miss his shows.
@Wid Eye Robin Williams was a trained actor BEFORE being a comedian. He got into one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world before even trying stand up
This, and Frank Skinner’s jealousy rant, are the “best of the best” of comedy routines. Simply outstanding, surgical awkwardness, aimed at the ‘’still-laughing” audience and at the absurd nature of the comedian’s lot in a post modern society where entertainment takes the place of responsibility within the essential dialectic of human life: to be or not to be, a graphical question forever pencilled in my leaden mind. If that is the question, then Lee has found a path to draw out the fundamental narrative contained within the double Helix of life, lines that can never be erased, ghosts that can never be rubbed out twice.
This has taken years of honing his craft to get to this genius . Is there another comedian in the world ,that has developed a character to this depth . Stewart Lee the comedian showing utter contempt for the audience's intelligence. But the real Stewart Lee showing real confidence in the intelligence of the audience to understand the concept. The more awkward the joke ,the more he can play with the audience for laughing at him . Really clever stuff.
The way he maintains character and then rollercoasters through every element of that character - he would make a great spy. For me, he is the greatest.
em diar And the Chuckle Brothers, naturally. But that goes without saying. I’ve seen the CBs live. It was awesome. “To me. To me. To you. To me. To you”. And the crowd went wild.....!
I never really watched much of Lee until recently but, he & those of his ilk are needed now, more than ever before. I've always viewed comedy as being without limits, so long as the context is understood. One-liners, puns, innuendo, etc. all have their place but, I love the satire & observational stuff that makes one think. For those people who may find something utterly tasteless, you can't judge the delivery, as it's the people in the audience around you who set the benchmark of what is deemed funny or not. Basically, if you don't like it, tough. Being offended doesn't mean you're right.
“I walk on to the stage…through a forest of ghosts”. Something about that line is just so perfect, so self-pitying, just enough to keep it going. Beautiful.
They whisper to me...
It's the accusatory "I look through them..... and I see you." bit that gets me.
That was a beautiful line but I laugh more at the part later on where he cries out, "This is being filmed!" 😂
I remember my first beer.
Just 'forest of ghosts ' is lovely.
He comes up with a half-decent joke but deliberately tells it in a way that won't get laughs, then makes you laugh at something totally inappropriate and blames you for the routine failing to go well.
His manipulation of the audience is masterful!
I love the break to conversation in comedy vehicle when Armando explains that he operates all the levers that could make someone laugh EXCEPT for actually saying something funny. So spot on.
The Hitchcock of stand up.
Only ever let's you go where he wants you to then slams you in the face with so much force.
Nobody does it like this.
Thanks for the explanation 😂
Watch this bit, and then remember that Joe Rogan calls himself a comic.
What’s wrong with that?
Like watching Muhammad Ali and then listening to Logan Paul call himself a boxer.
@@MrBurghausenfound the utter moron lol
@@DecartesGreatStar username checks out
He does know Stanhope though! 😂
Saw him do this routine in Liverpool. He is so convincing. When you're right there in the room you almost start to believe it. Brilliant.
Is it from a live show? I thought it was from the Comedy Vehicle series (S4E6). Which kind of hurt my sense of causality because that episode aired in 2009, while Robin Williams died in 2014.
Oh, sorry for bothering you, I googled it again, turns out it was last year. :-)
georgejohnsmith Yeah, I guess this was during the recordings for the last Comedy Vehicle series. I saw him doing this in 2015 and he was basically road testing the material for the series.
He is getting better every year. Not only the content but his acting as well.
georgejohnsmith Nah, he is not a good actor. But its funny anyway. ;)
He just gave it to them straight; like a pear cider, that's made from 100% pears.
😂
Now I want 100% pear cider.
Pear
Yes! If you get this you're a true fan.
THAT IS STOLEN FROM A DEAD MAN'S HEART
"You as good as murdered Robin Williams." OMFG. Stewart Lee never disappoints.
That part fucking killed me.
@@neilpattison130 I'm still partial to Jimmy Carr's joke about mosquitoes and AIDS in Africa, but yes, this specific line would likely have Robin Williams himself laughing at its powerful rawness and subversiveness. Glorious.
Great stuff. And, really, if the 'you' he says is society itself, ie all of us, then he is telling his truth. Because it is always society which kills the clown.
@@martinmarriott1819 A clown is terrible thing to waste
It's a permissible joke because you know Robin would be in tears if he could hear it. He knows that and he knows we know that. Well played.
How he manages to not laugh during some of those quiet bits I'll never know. Genius!
I know right! He must be a legend at delaying orgasm.
as if I needed another reason to want to shag Stewart Lee
zaitesushion same
@King Brilliant that's what I thought. For, at some moments, you think he's surely acting, but what if he isn't? What if he is truly just acting out. I was wondering why the ppl where laughing, but it did seem to placate him somewhat ;O)
The micros are still there but yh i agree
It's a shame Morrissey has been reduced to this, he was a great artist. And he's really let himself go
These days if you say you're Morrissey you'll be put in jail.
@@Jojo-uc9or good
@@Jojo-uc9or what, actually put in jail??
@@andysmith8890 yeah, these days if you say you’re morrissey you’ll be arrested and thrown in jail
@@GreatGreenGaming When did this come in?
I love that stewart can craft a joke so precisely that he can actually manipulate the number of people in the audience who will laugh at it in order to set up an entire routine.
if it didn't get so poetic and complex later, you'd never believe it was deliberate.
He does also just lie about the reaction sometimes. You can't really tell how many people are laughing when you're in the audience but you can see on video. Sometimes he'll just act like a joke got a bad reaction even though most people laughed, or act like the whole room laughed when it was a minority.
Not saying he's not immensely skilled but it's all part of the routine :)
Stewart lee is a master at deconstructing his routine. It's pure brilliance
I saw him do this n Edinburgh 2yrs ago, it was something special to experience in person. Fukn genius Stewart.
Was this before or after he'd let himself go?
He so perfectly embodies the spirit of the depressed English teacher who explodes in impotent rage when trying to be funny and the class doesn’t laugh.
The elf defeat, frustration and despair then channelled into the faces of bewildered 14 year olds too young to understand the burden of a pile of murdered dreams carried into middle aged meaninglessness.
Who knew Misplaced rage could be so tragic and so hilarious at the same time?
So human.
This is pure art.
*self defeat , the Elves remain an undefeated ancient and binding force for peace.
@@RICHARDGRANNON Peace through superior goblin slaying. The undertones are allegedly overtones. Personally, I like two-tone, but I'm not not sure what the correct term for that musical style is now and I can't mention "Ghost Town" on a video like this. Too many asides and implications. I should leave before people think I'm impersonating a spriggan.
@@IncredibleGoliath From OP's misspelling of "self" in his first comment, which he then jokes about himself.
quite
I was a teacher once and I can confirm I often wished I was dead. On occasion I even said that. The kids said they wished I was dead too. Quite cathartic really :). Happy days.
I am a grief counselor and that shit was therapy.
Of all the bits I've seen Stewart Lee do live, this is the one that made the biggest impression. So good.
carpet remnant world is the ultimate imo
A magnificent Rockstar of comedy. Dragging the joke around the room and shaking it in peoples faces.
I have never heard any standup from this guy but his ability to remain stonefaced and evoke tenative uneasiness in a crowd is something I've only ever seen in videos of Andy Kaufman. So fuckin good
He's been outstanding for 25 years now. Are you a fan 2 yrs on?
Funny I was thinking Kaufman all through this :-) btw he's leaving it a bloody long time to come back
Watch 41st best comedian ever, pure class
I’ve watched Stewart Lee since his Fist of Fun days. He has matured into one of the best comics around today. Intelligent, thought provoking but utterly hilarious. Him, Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci.
Is his wokeness part of the comedy routine?
Sometimes it’s so absurd I wonder ?..
I never really knew Stewart Lee and had no opinion until this series. Probably the best English standup, so clever, brave, innovative and laugh out loud funny. The way he leads his audience around a topic is masterful.
Stewart Lee is the only comedian that makes ask myself why am I even laughing.
Funny innit
Lol yeah I'm like hahaha Robin Williams's suicide lmao
He's not a comedian - he doesn't tell any jokes. Not like on Top Gear
He's not even a real hamster.
As a huge Top Gear fan, his Top Gear bit is genuinely hilarious.
Quite the compliment.
The Top Gear couch has let itself go.
I like it when he does a broad one liner like Jimmy Carr might do, then follows it up with the real punchline - looking down the camera and saying "see, I CAN do jokes, I just choose not to".
His control and pacing and patience is unreal.
I thought his control, pacing and patience had let itself go.
"i'll just finish this bit..." *smacks lips, stares into the void for thirty good seconds* the maltese flyers...
The Malteasers?
Seen him live at The Brewhouse Taunton and he got angry and dropped the mike. It was so realistic, I believed it. He's an amazing actor as well as innovative comedian. He has the audience ranging from hysteria to stunned silence. He is unafraid of saying things over and over again, as part of the routine. He went crazy about a Nero's Loyalty card and it was hysterical.
That bit about the Nero's loyalty card is filmed on his DVD "If You Prefer a Milder Comedian Please Ask For One", btw.
Breaks all the rules and delivers a unique routine. Mesmerising to watch
This is next-level performative craft. Andy Kaufman would have LOVED this if he'd been around to see it.
This is comedy genius at its finest, one of my favourite routines of his.
This man is a genius. So good at portraying the emotions he wants incredibly sincerely! He does this by actually remembering true events from his life that provoked such emotions, so that they've an element of truth to them. Very clever.
Great observation.
Have you seen... TV? 😅
Events of his life, for example?
Thanks RUclips recommendations for reminding me that Stewart Lee exists
This is beyond comedy - it's art.
Absolutely. I love his deconstruction of comedy norms.
Moses has let my people go.
lozinja
Don’t tell us
Tell-oh Phara-oh
😂😂
I love the idea that he wrote two entire routines based off the audience reaction to one joke.
Stewart will always be one of my favourites. That had so many levels, it was brilliant. I just feel sad that every time I introduce him to one of my friends they never get it
Are you American, out of interest?
Not on your own, they are used to being spoon fed Michael Mcuintyres warm dialarhoea.
Change your friends!!
@Robert Taylor They are called Typo's sweetie, still you should be thankful for giving you a false sense of superiority pointing that out.
Face it, Stewart Lee is now so 'meta' that he can only be appreciated by the fans he has groomed over two decades.
I listen to this at least once a year and it improves with age.
Saw Stewart lee once. He said I lacked even the most rudimentary of home brewing facilities
That line was originally from Michael Redmond
Rob one of my writers brought it to me
Stewart Lee is actually looking quite good
Its not Stewart Lee - its KD Lang, and shes let herself go to be quite honest
Your standards have let themselves go.
Stewart Lee letting himself go has let itself go.
Love him. Met him twice. Wasnt dissapointed, he cracked me up. Unique comedian if ever there was one.
If he was unique, then by definition he would be THE one. Sorry. I've had a long day...
Along with Doug Stanhope, Stewart has the best delivery in comedy.
I'm lucky to have seen them both live.
For sure the best in the biz right now.
Only one who comes close is Bill Burr.
Everyone else is a disappointment.
@@kildogery bill burr doesn't come close to Lee imo - he just does good yet standard observational stuff that sometimes leans into mild misogyny/racism etc etc at his worst.
Stanhope doesn't hold a candle to Stewart Lee
So many layers of comedy.... one massive pear....!!!
one massive onion
This is brilliant. Such an amazing self examination of the nature of comedy, and hilarious.
Beautiful combination of pathos and truth... with fun. The alchemical mixture.
Unbelievably good. A unique talent.
Well, he was until he let himself go.
I don’t understand why I like this bloke for the life of me ? But this genius ffs
Watching as he goes full John Cleese at the end is absolutely spectacular! Genius at work.
George Carling and Stewart Lee, two comedians i turn to for genuine intellectual entertainment. Two masters of the craft!
I think Carlin once described himself as a writer first and a comedian second and I imagine Stewart would feel similarly in terms of how they approach writing stand up
I prefer Mitch Carlsberg.
I wish ghosts would whisper "join us" in the ears of people that comment "... has let himself go"
The secular humanist has really let himself go
The stewart lee comments section has really let itself go - it's all references and catchphrases, may as well be watching the fast show.
this is THEE video that got me into stewart lee, changed my whole approach to crowd control and approach to ideas in my songwriting and stage banter when i'm playing shows.
The great mobility and speed of the Red Army's legendary cavalry can in part be explained by the fact that General Budenny's troopers often changed their tired horses for others requisitioned that had not let themselves go.
Bumgardener Kreme😂😂😂😂
This is so great and impressive and timeless and next level before there was a next level.
This is just brilliant. Haven't heard of this guy before. But he's amazing. A total original.
The Yank , watch more of this series,it’s well worth it. Stuart is just brilliant.
I do envy you being able to go and find a wealth of other Stewart Lee material. He’s a treasure.
elvis has risen from the dead and let himself go
supergangsterish1 Morrissey has fallen into a car compactor and become a stand up comedian
KD Lang's bloating body was found in the river after 18 days
he already had let himself go
Orion has risen.
The fact that he did gigs in the 90s with Hedberg and Stanhope makes me respect this guy 1000 times more
He gets better and better as the years go by.
Like a fine pear cider made from 100% pears
Proper genius this guy, one of my favourites.
I think Stu will appreciate the horrific 20 second advert for bet fred that appeared for me 5 mins in, dont let em get you down
"Join us, join us, join us ....." Lol moment!!
Masterful.
"There's a price to your indifference!" shouted to a television audience and the cold dead eye of the cameras where the cynically numb are judging and preparing their two cents is so charged with meaning that it goes way beyond sarcasm.
I truly miss his shows.
He reminds me of Basil Fawlty yelling at his hotel guests about how hard it is to run a hotel.
I would love to see him play a serious dramatic role. I bet, like Robin Williams, that he would be even better at drama than he is at comedy.
It'd be hard to take him seriously in a drama though, given how deadpan his humour is. Maybe he could still pull it off though, who knows?
@Wid Eye Robin Williams was a trained actor BEFORE being a comedian. He got into one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world before even trying stand up
First and foremost Lee is a fantastic actor.
Quite possibly the best standup ever recorded.
41st best standup comedian my foot!
You can't take 41st best away from him, so I wouldn't even try.
‘Audiences like you as good as murdered Robin Williams’ 😂
This, and Frank Skinner’s jealousy rant, are the “best of the best” of comedy routines. Simply outstanding, surgical awkwardness, aimed at the ‘’still-laughing” audience and at the absurd nature of the comedian’s lot in a post modern society where entertainment takes the place of responsibility within the essential dialectic of human life: to be or not to be, a graphical question forever pencilled in my leaden mind. If that is the question, then Lee has found a path to draw out the fundamental narrative contained within the double Helix of life, lines that can never be erased, ghosts that can never be rubbed out twice.
I love this guys catch phrase “Stop me, oh-oho, stop me, Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before 🤣”
Underrated comment 😂
Absolutely gobsmacked. Wish I'd been there...
What a fantastic routine, I actually felt ashamed to laugh out loud......but I still laughed! Brilliant as usual!
This has taken years of honing his craft to get to this genius . Is there another comedian in the world ,that has developed a character to this depth . Stewart Lee the comedian showing utter contempt for the audience's intelligence. But the real Stewart Lee showing real confidence in the intelligence of the audience to understand the concept. The more awkward the joke ,the more he can play with the audience for laughing at him . Really clever stuff.
You're so clever to spell it all out for us.
The way he maintains character and then rollercoasters through every element of that character - he would make a great spy. For me, he is the greatest.
People seem to believe that the concept of letting ones self go has stood up well to the test of time. But it hasn't.
Yeah, that concept really did let itself go.
absolutely fantastic, so deep, so meta , so quick headed ... dear god i hope he doesn`t read this he`ll be unbearable
He knows how to play an audience like a concert pianist
concert pianist thats let himself go.
Yea, like Les Dawson. But Les could actually play the piano.
Funny, I thought they played pianos?
I love that Lee baits his audiences. It's gladatorial.
Outstanding comedian. Possibly the best ?
Our Glorious Leader has let himself go!
Embittered Drunk is your avatar Joe from sunset beach?
dronespace the wizard from taxi driver
Genius! Master of comedy.
Shed a tear for Mitch Hedberg, whilst pissing myself laughing, which is somehow the perfect salute to him
A far superior comedian than Lee, Mitch Hedberg was simply funny, without all the wanky meta and "layers".
...the part where he says ' you're clapping yourselves' ...genius! 🤣🤣🤣
the best comedian working in the UK today, no question
He'd make a great actor...........
A forest of ghosts has let himself go.
peter kay has somewhat reeled it in.
The word 'genius' is so over used these days. It should be reserved for things like this.
Then it would be under used which is just as bad.
em diar And the Chuckle Brothers, naturally. But that goes without saying. I’ve seen the CBs live. It was awesome. “To me. To me. To you. To me. To you”. And the crowd went wild.....!
What's he ever done to help the world?
creyag claata genius has nothing to do with helping the world
Spice Weasel - really? You define genius far differently to me.
A comedy masterclass. What a genius.
Joe rogan dreams of being this funny
Brilliantly written and executed.
He walked pasted me in borough market a few years ago wearing shorts, massive calves.
Since it was Borough Market, what type of marinade did he slather you with?
calves?........i didnt realise stewart lee kept livestock......was he taking them to the market in exchange for magic beans
Did he look fat and depressed? Did you immediately twat it on twatter??
Kev Shearer you should do standup
Torahboy1 No
This makes me cry every time. It's a bit. But, at the same time, it's not.
This has to be the best comedy set ever!
It really might be it’s brilliant
This is absolutely class.
Might have been the best comedy routine I've ever seen, if I hadn't stopped paying attention
I never really watched much of Lee until recently but, he & those of his ilk are needed now, more than ever before. I've always viewed comedy as being without limits, so long as the context is understood. One-liners, puns, innuendo, etc. all have their place but, I love the satire & observational stuff that makes one think. For those people who may find something utterly tasteless, you can't judge the delivery, as it's the people in the audience around you who set the benchmark of what is deemed funny or not. Basically, if you don't like it, tough. Being offended doesn't mean you're right.
well said.....100% pear cider that
This defines commitment.
This comments section has let itself go.
Thunderbirds Are Go
Every comic on RUclips has a set of 20 comments, the punchlines of 20 other bits, that follow them to every video they appear in.
@@OMGclueless Do you have a doghouse?
Jo Brand looks great
Oh. He’s finished saying that sentence.
I wonder what he’ll say next.
"The old music hall guys...people you know..."
😂
Genius writing and delivery
Lenny Henry has let himself go
I have let himself go.
Class - the difference between telling jokes and performing comedy.😂
Alan Shearer's let himself go
Bryan Battista good spot
First audible laugh from an internet comment today. Treat yourself to a cherry.
Shearer ? What are you on about??
is that alan shearer?......in the garden?