Marc takes in some of the world's best works of art while staying in London. Wondering whether stand-up comedy counts as art, Marc puts the question to Stewart Lee, one of Great Britain's most renowned comics. Hear how they both struggle to get their work to the stage (and in Stewart's case, get into legal battles over it) and judge for yourself. This episode is sponsored by Adam and Eve. Visit www.adamandeve.com and use offer code WTF to receive 50% off almost any product.
To the person who complained about Lee's "stuttering": I think you are confusing "stuttering" with being very deliberate with the words you choose. It's the very reason Lee is so powerful a comedian.
And you wouldn't think that stuttering is how English people talk unless your impression of them is based entirely on Hugh Grant movies.
Try not to sweat it, you paranoid little man.
Love the podcast.
Ive known and loved Stewart for years (both as an act and as a friend). I knew the two of you would make great listening. Smart and full of beauty. I think I took you to see him in Edinburgh.
I have to say the above 'comment' from Solomon Rabbe is cute in that he starts by critisising Stewart for taking too long to make his points, and then ends by telling you to be more patient with people. Pot? Kettle? Black?
Keep it up.'This is your year baby......Boom!'
Love
Fleet
a) straight men dressing up as women, sortof proto gay. See Uncle Milty doesn't count IMO since its straight men gender bending not gay per se.
b) Paul Lynde.. See this utube skit from 1976 on the Dean Martin show. Actual gay comedy touching on gay men excluded from the Viet Nam draft and anal sex, wow, really meaty stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86bLLGvU8Y
c) Charles Nelson Reilly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaRHhgvrQRA&feature=related
d) Recently there was Frank Di Caro on the Daily Show, so short-lived.
none of these ever made it as A level like they do in England. Basically in America gay comedy is ghettoized and marginalized, with a very few exceptions.
Compare to someone like Simon Amstell (of Buzzcocks and Popworld fame), pretty much the coolest person in the world on the coolest UK shows. His persona is 'I'm better than you, I'm smarter than you and watch me eviserate you with my brilliant wit'
Such a gay person is so threatening to USA manhood, in the past noone would ever allow him on a US TV show. I think that is changing rapidly, see Chelsea Handler and LOGO channel. But its still not mainstream, we have a long way to go in England, =everybody= watches Graham Norton.
Bambi Stalin
GAYMME founder
the GAY Marc Maron Experience
a 501 (c) corporation
I think you forgot to shit your pants.
Viva La Chupacabra!
One of the biggest differences between the US and the UK is that in the USA you cannot be gay male and be a mainstream comedian. Oh we love lesbians here, especially because we force them to profess love for Tom Cruise, but if you're gay and male you better shut up about it or you will never get on TV or make any money. Oh well until Chelsea Lately started, she's a big exception, thank goddess.
So why is England so pro-gay boy?
It started a long time ago in Shakespeares day or even before when men played all the roles including women. Gay subjects are found throughout English literature. Our first modern example of the Gay comedian is Oscar Wilde, well an Irishman actually, but he made his name in England and while traveling in America put on a one man show. He told stories and amusing epigrams with gay subjects cloaked in allegories and double meanings. He was the first modern gay celebrity. Of course when they found out he was gay they put him in jail.
Basically like "Don't Ask Don't Tell" you can be as gay as you want as long as we don't find out about it.
In the 1920s and 1930's we have Noel Coward, another closeted but utterly flamboyant wit.
In the late sixties and early seventies British Gay comedy comes out on Monty Python with Graham Chapman and all the rest of the Pythons who put gender bending and campy gay comedy on the map permanently. You would never see anything like this on American television and never will.
Since then, the gay celebrity/comedian/presenter has been a normmal presence.
a brief list:
1) Julian Clary; 1980 The Joan Collins Fanclub
2) Paul O Grady: aka Lily Savage
3) Graham Norton
4) Simon Amstell
Basically the Brits are about 100 years ahead of us when it comes to Male Gay Comedy.
Bambi Stalin
GAYMME
the GAY Marc Maron Experience fan club
England x good time = totally average pod
hmmmmmm, thrive on misery by any chance?
This was a podcast I was really looking forward to, a meeting between two of my favorite stand-ups, and the resulting interview didn't let me down. Great job on the podcast Marc and Brendan! And thanks! I really loved that you asked specifically about the Dil Spinks bit. What a nice insight into that routine. Perhaps if you ever get the chance to talk to him again you can ask about his bit about another American comic, Franklyn Ajaye. It was bitingly funny, but given this article which Lee himself (http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/press/other-stuff/2009-06-24-scrivenersfancy-slee-v-fajaye.htm) republished on his own website would be a fun/interesting follow-up.
Thanks again for this interview. I really hope Stewart gets to make a bigger entry into the consciousness of the US public, and I'm glad to hear that Marc's work is being appreciated over in London.
Hope you rock here in Atlanta, Marc. Sorry I can't make it.
He also had an excellent radio show a few years back, and would play stuff like Country Teasers, and 60's garage and psych. You can find episodes of it floating around on the net for sure.
Another great show, Marc!
Another thing that is a bit off topic, I know that this is a comedy show, so my response is in the same vein and tone, you said to Mike Birbiglia that anyone who says that a "comic" is a joke thief should have to have at least a dozen shows under their belt before they can coment on the process of creating a joke, which I can totally understand and appreciate, but later you sarcastically joke to Mike, telling him that once you were talking to his sister and you said something to the effect of "great, just what we need, more comedians"......I'm sure you can tell where I'm going with this. just think you should get off your kick of putting down people who's hearts seem to be in the right place when they recognize a joke and jump to a conclusion that might be premature. I know you approach everyone as though they have the same intellectual capacity as you, and I might be advising you to talk down to some of your audience, and one of the main things I like about you is that you don't do that. I just think that some of your audience jumps to the wrong conclusion and more importantly, acts on it, I think Mike puts it best when he says "the thing I should have said was Nothing"....I think I'm just saying that you should have more patience with people.
Before even listening let me say I am so excited for this, and so happy this exists.
The two of you together, both being great, but given to strange, sweeping generalizations about the other's culture, ought to be a lot of fun.
Nice one lads! You shouldn't meet your heroes; but it's great to hear them meet each other.