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Writer/performer Stewart Lee was one half of the comedy double-act
Lee and Herring, who became
stalwarts of the stand-up circuit
in the mid-90s and graduated to
radio and television as creators of Fist Of Fun and This
Morning With Richard Not Judy.
He
has written for Steve Coogan and Michael Barrymore and published
a novel, A Perfect Fool.
His
return to stand-up earlier this year at the Edinburgh fringe came
after a three-year break, during which time he co-wrote and directed
Jerry Springer - the Opera.
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Was
it pleasing to get such good notices at Edinburgh after being away
from stand-up for so long?
Yes.
It was great. It meant that lots of people came to the show and
so I didn't lose money for the first time in 15 years. But it doesn't
do to get too excited. The last time I did a straight stand-up show
in Edinburgh, which was 2000, I got a lot of bad reviews for the
same kind of act.
| "I
didn't do an explicitly political act before. But it would seem
churlish to be talking exclusively about silly things today..." |
So
has performing there changed very much for you?
Not
really. It is still the same as in 1987, the first time I went,
in as much as you see lots of things you've never seen before, become
inspired by other people's work, and stand around meeting lots of
cool new people in stinking hot rooms. The main difference I suppose,
is that now I don't feel like I'm in any kind of competition, so
it is much more relaxing.
Your
show balances politics with putting the boot into a number of celebrities,
including Ben Elton...
Yes.
I suppose so. I didn't do an explicitly political act before. But
it would seem churlish to be talking exclusively about silly things
today when the world is full of such obviously wrong things as the
Gulf War, the Republican Party and Ben Elton's Queen musical. I
think a lot of previously similar apolitical stand-ups feel similarly
obliged these days.
Didn't
you once have a falling-out with Armando Ianucci over The Day Today
TV series, which launched Steve Coogan and Chris Morris? Have you
made up?
Not
really. Richard Herring and I wrote much of the original Alan Partridge
material for Radio 4's On The Hour, which became The Day Today on
TV. When it went to TV they wanted to give us a lot of 'minutes
per week', but we wanted some kind of share. This couldn't be worked
out. Armando got annoyed with our management and edited us out of
the CD and tape Best Of... On The Hour.
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"A
force of nature"...Steve Coogan in the guise of sports
presenter Alan Partridge
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I
never fell out with any of them. Chris wasn't really involved and
there's no point falling out with Coogan - one may as well dislike
wind or the sun - he is just a force of nature. I used to hate Patrick
Marber, who subsequently built a career on the popular misconception
that he created Alan Partridge, but now I just feel a bit sorry
for him.
How's
the radio spot with Resonance FM going?
Resonance
104.4FM is London's volunteer-staffed community arts radio station.
You can get it on the web outside London. It's everything you hoped
radio would be. Now that John Peel has died, there is no national
radio show that doesn't feel like it's been targeted towards a demographic
- to its detriment. If only we could get paid too. But traditionally
there is no relationship between good work and financial reward.
| "
I've burned too many bridges. And I get too bored to work on
the kind of s**t things you have to do to become Ben Elton..." |
Were
you aware that BBC London 94.9FM approached you as a presenter a
couple of years back? It stalled with your agent, apparently...
I
often hear these stories. Often there're reasons why I didn't want
to, or wasn't able, to do the job concerned, and then it gets blamed
on my agent, whom everyone hates, and everyone still thinks I'm
nice. I can't remember the specific details of this so I don't know
what to say.
Congrats
on Jerry Springer - The Opera. We had an Online outing to one of
the first previews at the National Theatre and sat in the row in
front of you! People seem to either love it or hate it...
Yes
they do. Sometimes both. Richard Thomas' brilliant score often seduces
sceptics.
More
theatre beckons for you with a new NT commission among your future
projects. Are you in danger of going legitimate and becoming a luvvie
- just like Ben Elton...?
I
think I've burned too many bridges. And I get too bored and frustrated
to work on the kind of s**t things you have to do to become Ben
Elton. Oddly, the National Theatre was the least luvvie place I've
worked in. People just got on with their jobs. I felt very lucky
to have been a part of it, even though I arrived there with a real
suspicion and hostility.
Stewart
Lee is at the Soho Theatre between 16 - 20 and 23 - 27 November
at 9.30pm.
Box
office: 0870 429 6883. You
can WIN a pair of tickets here>>
More
on Jerry Springer - the Opera here>>
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