Stewart Lee

[BomberPat]

Richard Herring's "Hitler Moustache" is a really brilliant bit of stand-up, that shows what he is capable of when he really commits to a concept. But every subsequent "themed" stand-up set I've seen from him hasn't come anywhere close, and a lot of his stuff has relied on fairly low hanging fruit.

I think you're spot on that Herring wanted to be part of a broader comedy establishment (and arguably now is), while Lee wanted to do his own thing, and saw the double act as a means to an end. Similar to the relative post-double act trajectories of Newman and Baddiel, though that's an unfair comparison in many ways as Herring is still a far better comic than David Baddiel ever was.

With Herring doing his podcast, popping up on stuff like House of Games and Taskmaster, it feels like he's become part of the cosy comedy fraternity, which is seemingly what he was after all along. 

 

In some ways I think the difference between them is that Herring feels more like the organically "funny bloke" who became a comedian, while Stewart Lee probably isn't actually all that funny in day-to-day conversation, but has developed a really solid understanding of the theory and the inner workings of comedy - I was about to say that even if you don't find Stew funny as a stand-up, you'd be able to appreciate him writing about comedy and how it works, it's rhythms, timing, why certain jokes work and others don't; but then I realised that if you don't find Stewart Lee funny, you probably think comic theory is a load of bollocks anyway and that things are either funny or they're not.

[Mr_Danger]

The Stewart Lee Adam Buxton podcast episode from earlier this year was a really good listen. He’s promoting his King Rocker documentary and there’s no ‘Stewart Lee the comedian’ persona at all. Buxton is an excellent podcast interviewer though and there’s none of that annoying interviewer talking about themselves that Herring is prone to from time to time which always comes across like a referee trying to get themselves over.

[Chest Rockwell]

Herring is, by his own admission, a comedy performer who turned to stand up later. It shows in the way that he approaches the medium and the way he thinks about comedy. He's always been a better writer of musings and skits than stand up material.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

On 10/12/2021 at 8:02 PM, Mr_Danger said:

When has Herring said he didn’t think Lee contributed anything to the double act?

Herring did tell Stew on the podcast that TMWRNJ was actually meant to be Herring and Nick Owen (based on a humourous appearance on Fantasy Football), who got cold feet and dropped out. I've been watching them back the last few days and Herring certainly takes most of it, as if its his gig and Lee is just there as the spider haired pretty one.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

On 3/19/2017 at 8:06 PM, gmoney said:

He was actually fairly chunky back in the day, at times. There's a Fist of Fun sketch where he and Rich run naked through a garden and it's Stew who looks worse. He just held it better under his clothes.

I know I'm a few years out of date with the reply, but fucking hell you're spot on. Doesnt even look like the Stew in the studio minutes later. Herring's in better shape than him throughout this series.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Pokemon Go has let itself go.

[Jazzy G]

Terry Waite's let himself go. 

[FLips]

The Life Aquatic with Stewart Lee

[Jazzy G]

He looks like a garden gnome who's lost his little fishing rod, been evicted from his toadstool home as a result of no longer being able to pay rent due to the failure of his artisan seafood business, and is now pondering the next step to take in his life. 

[Tommy!]

Sorry i'm a bit slow on the uptake here, why is Stewart Lee dressing up as Pikachu and helping tramps? 

[Jazzy G]

Not pictured: Simon Quinlank and a flask of weak lemon drink. 

[neil]

Compo's let himself go

[Hannibal Scorch]

Sad to see Ian Beale is back on hard times. Still, maybe there’s an Only Fools and Horses revival on the horizon and they need a new Uncle Albert so every cloud.

[Thunderplex]

2 hours ago, jazzygeofferz said:

Not pictured: Simon Quinlank and a flask of weak lemon drink. 

Hooray!

[Jazzy G]

This was the only way Stew would work with Richard Herring again, unfortunately.