About Stewart Lee's book

There are two relatively new left-wing cultural icons, Charlie Brooker and Stewart Lee. They are icons in both senses of the word. First, that they are generally popular and revered by lefties. Second, their fans/followers/whatever to some degree project their own values onto these characters.

Charlie Brooker denies that he is left-wing. He is left-wing, however he may (or may not) have good reasons for not emphasising this. Stewart Lee's recent biography, How I Escaped My Certain Fate, sort of performs the same function. Stewart Lee's avoidance of fate, his live stand-up comeback has been defined by politically charged material. However, judging by ...Certain Fate, Lee sees his comeback more in terms of personal realisation, which he is, of course, entitled to do. I think we are also entitled to suggest this makes for a less interesting book.

The broader, social axis of the book is a key moment in youth culture. In 1993 Robert Newman and David Baddiel descended from the rafters of Wembley Arena, to perform to 12,000 or so people. Comedy was declared the new rock and roll. But, shortly after that, rock and roll became the new rock and roll, as indie bands (curiously signed to major labels) poured forth into the top ten. Alternative youth culture became big business.

In terms of the typical comedy night things changed, almost to the point of regression. Where once alternative comedy was a particular sub-culture, with its own rules and customs, a sort of miniature global village, it's base broadened and so did average audience expectations. One of the interesting things about Lee's stand up (brought out very well in the biography) is the extent to which his performances are very carefully weighted. For example, his famous (and excellent) routine about vomiting into the gaping anus of Christ has no swearing and almost no coarse language, no easy laughs in other words. The audience has to go along with the premise of the routine for it to work. The spell cannot be broken.

To keep doing this Stewart Lee has had to cultivate his own audience, reduce the numbers to increase the impact. The urge to recreate alternative comedy, which he sees in other, younger, stand up comedians, has revived the old post-punk, cottage industry values, which defined seventies and eighties stand up.

Now, about popular music...?