Across the Stew-niverse: A podcast about Stewart Lee

Dan caught up with bona fide COMEDY GENIUS Dave Cohen (Horrible Histories, HIGNFY, Spitting Image, loads of other stuff) to Stew the Fat (yes we will continuously repeat these tedious puns) about his days as a stand up in the erly days of Alternative Comedy, establishing the now world famous Comedy Store players (with, amongst others, Paul Merton and some unknown Canadian called Mike Myers... wonder where he ended up?) and being nominated (and not nominated for an even better show) for an Edinburgh Fringe Award. We also talk about crossing paths with a young comedian called Stewart Lee, and his thoughts on how Stew has developed and improved upon his craft since his early days on the circuit. On the subject of Stew, Dave and I spend a lot of time discussing the "character" of The Comedian Stewart Lee, Dave's thoughts as a comedy writer and tutor on what sort of work will have gone into developing the act, and a little thought experiment that looks at what sort of sitcom the "character" of Stewart Lee might fit into. Basic-Lee (yes, that's one of Stew's, but a pun nonetheless), this episode is excellent and should not be missed. TRIGGER WARNING: THERE IS A SINGLE USE OF A RACIAL SLUR, IN THE CONTEXT OF TALKING ABOUT THE USE OF SLURS BY WORKING MEN'S CLUB COMICS. You can keep up with Dave's work at his website: Home - Dave Cohen [https://www.davecohen.org.uk/] SEE STEWNIVERSE LIVE AT BRIGHTON FRINGE: Across the Stew-niverse: A Podcast About Stewart Lee - Brighton Fringe [https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/across-the-stew-niverse-a-podcast-about-stewart-lee/] SEE DAN'S WORK IN PROGRESS LIVE AT BRIGHTON FRINGE: Daniel Powell: Breathless (Work in Progress) - Brighton Fringe [https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/daniel-powell-breathless-work-in-progress/] SEE JOE'S WORK IN PROGRESS LIVE AT THE BRIGHTON FRINGE: I should be dead - Brighton Fringe [https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/i-should-be-dead/]

This week Dan and Joe take a rambling (and detour filled) ride around Political Correctness, episode three of series one of Comedy Vehicle. Amongst the topics discussed are motorway service stations, not reading books, and racism. All the topics. Because this episode contains loads of content that was already covered in the 41st Best episode, we've given ourselves license to twat about much more than usual, so if you're thinking "I didn't listen to a Stewart Lee Podcast to hear a load of poorly constructed anecdotes about the hosts instead of well researched content about the subject", unfortunately for you... yes you did. Come and see us at the Brighton Fringe, where Dan has work in progress shows, Joe has work in progress shows, and we have a couple of live Stewniverse records with some great guests. Details HERE [https://www.brightonfringe.org/whats-on/]

Dan and Joe look at the second episode from Comedy Vehicle Series 1, Television. This episode features arguably some of the weakest stand-up of the series (Stew's words) but some of the strongest sketches (our words), with the classic Del Boy/Wicker Man nightmare crossover that you never asked for. Recording of this episode was a tricky proposition due to time constraints, so was recorded in two sittings, clearly separated by a little piece of music. Marvel at how we seamlessly pick up from where we left off! If you're in the area in May, do come and see us at the Brighton Fringe festival, where both Dan and Joe have work in progress shows and we're recording a couple of live pods! details HERE [https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/]

Greetings A-stew-nauts! (that's like a Time Vine pun, not something I would do, really) Back in February, we did an experimental live episode to see how it feels to a) let someone else talk for most of it, b) do it in front of a live audience (insert Lee Mack joke here) and c) only do it for an hour (Lee Mack Style topper goes here). Our guest Michael Legge (one of the funniest comedians currently on the circuit and a joy to talk to) made that infinitely easier (for us, not him) because he talked for most of it, except the annoying bit at the end where I haphazardly conducted an audience game to get rid of some DVD's. WARNING! THERE IS PRECIOUS LITTLE STEW RELATED CHAT IN THIS EPISODE, BUT A VERY POIGNANT AND REVEALING ANNECDOTE FROM MICHAEL ABOUT STEW AND A GUITAR. ALSO THE RECORDING QUALITY IS SHIT, BUT YOU DIDNT PAY TO SEE THIS LIVE AND THIS VERSION IS FOR FREE SO TOUGH FUCKING TITS! Anyway, thanks for listening, enjoy! PS: we are doing this again in Brighton in May (without Joe, so just me and guests!) check out THIS LINK [https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/across-the-stew-niverse-a-podcast-about-stewart-lee/] for details Saturday 25th May with guests (No) Money in the Bank Sunday 26th May Guest TBC

Dan and Joe dive headfirst into Stew's Comedy Vehicle series, starting unsurprisingly with episode 1 - Toilet Books. This episode explores the world of literature through the prism of it's lowest forms, principally the work of Dan Brown, former Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles and rap singer/Jesus like figure Asher D of So Solid Crew. Stew also takes aim at Jeremy Clarkson, Russell Brand and the Harry Potter franchise (the latter of which prompted a challenging but ultimately healthy debate between Dan and Joe) and includes sketches featuring the likes of Tony Law, Paul Puttner, Tara Strong and Miles Jupp, amongst others. As per the DVD commentary, this episode includes two jokes written by Simon Munnery.

On February 9th 2024, Dan and Joe scurried along to the Leeds Playhouse to watch Stew on his Basic Lee tour. this is them talking about it. Dan has seen it before and Joe is seeing it for the first time. Includes amusing/tedious (delete as applicable) asides about Fleabag, Dan's recent Vasectomy and other things that we've probably forgotten. These days, you get arrested and thrown in jail for not remembering things. especially the past. SPOILER WARNING: The bits we could remember probably contain spoilers, so if you haven't seen Basic Lee and would rather watch the man himself do it properly rather than two boring men try to remember bits of it, don't listen to this. Or do, I'm not your Mum.

In this episode, Dan and Joe battle adverse weather and terrible internet connections to bring you this mammoth episode, looking at Stew's 2008 effort '41st Best Stand-Up...Ever'. This special finds 'The Comedian Stewart Lee' in an odd state of limbo, as he is lauded as the 41st best stand-up ever by one of those rubbish late night countdown shows on Channel 4, whilst simultaneously struggling to get anyone from television to give him a commission (as well as being ridiculed by his own Mum for not being as funny as "Scouse Groundhog" Tom O'Connor off of Crosswits) Also in the episode, Dan and Joe discuss their own stand-up related struggles and what misogyny was like in the early 2000s, amongst a bunch of other things. COME AND SEE STEWNIVERSE LIVE IN LEICESTER [https://comedy-festival.co.uk/events/across-the-stew-niverse-a-podcast-about-stewart-lee/] WITH SPECIAL GUEST AND STAR OF THE ALTERNATIVE COMEDY EXPERIENCE MICHAEL LEGGE! COME AND SEE DAN LIVE IN LEICESTER [https://comedy-festival.co.uk/events/daniel-powell-breathless-work-in-progress/] COME AND SEE JOE LIVE IN LEICESTER [https://comedy-festival.co.uk/events/joe-kirkwood-a-guide-to-therapy-for-terrible-people/]

In this special 'Stewin' The Fat' episode, Dan talks to Leeds based comedian, actor, musician and host of the 'Punk Rock Elite' podcast, Eddie French. They discuss Eddie's comedy origin story, experiences running comedy nights in Leeds and crossing paths with current TV comedy stars early in their career, at which point Eddie drops the single best impression of 'Live at the Apollo' star Scott Bennett that there will ever be. In terms of Stew related chat, they talk about their early memories of Lee & Herring's 'Fist of Fun', Being on the front row of a '90's comedian' performance in Edinburgh (in the company of Mum and Dad) and an awkward encounter with the man himself outside the Stand, when he was handing out flyers for Bridget Christie. Punk Rock Elite: A Podcast About NOFX is available wherever you get your podcasts, and you can catch Eddie French Live at Leicester Comedy Festival [https://comedy-festival.co.uk/performances/eddie-french-is-a-poser/] and Glasgow International Comedy Festival [https://www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com/performances/eddie-french-is-a-poser/] COME AND SEE STEWNIVERSE LIVE: Leicester Brighton SEE DAN'S SHOW: Leicester [https://comedy-festival.co.uk/performances/daniel-powell-breathless-work-in-progress/] Brighton [https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/daniel-powell-breathless-work-in-progress/] SEE JOE'S SHOW: Leicester [https://comedy-festival.co.uk/performances/joe-kirkwood-a-guide-to-therapy-for-terrible-people/]

In this episode, Dan and Joe revisit Stew's seminal, revolutionary 2006 work '90s Comedian', which largely deals with the backlash faced by Stew and the composer Richard Thomas in response to their critically acclaimed (and Olivier Award winning) theatre show 'Jerry Springer: The Opera'. Joe and Dan pick apart the finer points of this set and discuss the themes of censorship and boundaries of taste within it, whilst Dan both has a cold AND manages to find time to admit that Jim Davidson is a better comedian than him (for now). To get tickets to our live show at Leicester Comedy Festival on February 24th 2024 please visit Across the Stew-niverse: A podcast about Stewart Lee - Leicester Comedy FestivalLeicester Comedy Festival (comedy-festival.co.uk) [https://comedy-festival.co.uk/performances/across-the-stew-niverse-a-podcast-about-stewart-lee/]

Dan and Joe take a deep dive into Stewart Lee's first ever live stand-up DVD "Stand-Up Comedian", filmed at The Stand in Glasgow. There were some issues with the audio on this recording, despite flawless test runs, although, other than the audio suddenly switching from mono to stereo after the intro (and a bit too much of Dan and Joe's awfully labored breathing being picked up on the mic) We're fairly confident that you won't see the joins (irony there, one of the many comic tools we'll be using throughout). If you like what we do, please consider liking and subscribing wherever you get your pods, and if you want to  see what we look like doing this in front of an audience (with a smashing special guest), why not pop along and see us at the Leicester Comedy Festival? Tickets here:  www.comedy-festival.co.uk/events/across-the-stew-niverse-a-podcast-about-stewart-lee