"Comedy is a safety valve. It's a way of dealing with difficult subjects in an entertaining way."
Stewart Lee's quote suggests that comedy serves as a means to address challenging or uncomfortable topics in a manner that engages and entertains the audience. By incorporating humor, potentially difficult subjects can be approached and digested more easily, thus functioning as a "safety valve" for both the creator and the audience. This perspective underscores the unique ability of comedy to bring awareness, provoke thought, and foster connection amidst complex issues.
"There is no such thing as bad publicity except your obituary."
The quote signifies that any form of publicity, good or bad, can potentially benefit an individual, organization, or brand. Negative publicity might not be ideal, but it can still raise awareness and generate conversation about the subject at hand. However, the only exception to this is negative publicity in one's obituary, as it occurs after someone has passed away and cannot be reversed or mitigated.
"It's a very English attitude, isn't it? The idea that to complain about something means you must love it deep down."
This quote by Stewart Lee highlights a peculiar aspect of British culture, where expressing dissatisfaction with something doesn't necessarily mean one dislikes it completely, but rather demonstrates a deep-rooted affection for it that is accompanied by criticism. In other words, the act of complaining about something can sometimes imply a strong emotional connection to it. This unique perspective suggests that constructive critique can serve as a form of love and dedication towards something, which may not be universally understood in all cultures.
"I think the difference between a good joke and a great one is the space around it. A good joke is like a well-constructed punchline; a great one is more like a carefully crafted setup, with the punchline being implicit in the audience's mind."
Stewart Lee's quote suggests that what sets apart a good joke from a great one lies in their structure, specifically the space or build-up around the punchline. A good joke typically has a clear and direct punchline, while a great joke craftily creates an implicit, anticipated punchline within the audience's mind. In other words, a great joke engages the audience more by requiring them to complete the joke mentally, as opposed to simply delivering a well-constructed punchline.
"Hate is such an energetic emotion. If you channeled that energy into love, think how happy and smug you'd be."
This quote suggests that hate, being a strong and passionate feeling, can consume one's energy and emotions. It posits an alternative: if we were to redirect this energy towards love instead, the implication is that we could find happiness and a sense of satisfaction, as love tends to be a more positive emotion associated with personal growth and contentment. In essence, it encourages us to transform negative feelings into something beneficial and uplifting for ourselves and potentially others.
I'd quite like to write a book about comics, actually. But trying to write about comics as literature, which I don't think anyone's really done before. Sometimes they're more like fan books, and I'd quite like to write one about the Marvel universe over the last 50 years. It's an unprecedented achievement to create that length of continuity.
- Stewart Lee
There's an assumption that my audience is all these bearded twats from Dalston. But actually, quite a lot of older people go. For them, it's like pre-alternative comedy, when there was Dave Allen or Jackie Mason or someone. Also, weirdly, because I don't really swear, they're not scared off.
- Stewart Lee
It's interesting to me that apparently distasteful comments from the Right against weak targets tend to draw a lot less media fire than apparently distasteful comments from the Left against hard targets. That's one of the threads that runs through the show and that people hopefully pick up on.
- Stewart Lee
The idea of what's acceptable and what's shocking, that's where I investigate. I mean, you can't be on 'Top Gear,' where your only argument is that it's all just a joke and anyone who takes offence is an example of political correctness gone mad, and then not accept the counterbalance to that.
- Stewart Lee
In places like Glasgow and Newcastle, audiences have a tradition of being amusingly combative. But they're not trying to ruin the act, they're trying to give you a challenge. It's like a cat playing with a mouse - the cat doesn't want the mouse to die, it wants to keep it alive for its own amusement and to be entertained by its struggle.
- Stewart Lee
For other comics, it's about full-spectrum dominance, being on panel shows and having one-liners and being a good chat show guest and having a good seven minutes you can do on 'Live At The Apollo.' But I really think about these subsequent finished pieces, you know? And they don't always chop up well into one-liners and routines.
- Stewart Lee
When I did 'Jerry Springer: The Opera,' there was a big fuss, largely centered around the misrepresentation of its content. Had Twitter existed then, that would have been over in a week because people who had actually seen it would have been able to get control of the story through social media.
- Stewart Lee
When I started on the London circuit in 1989, nationwide there were about 150 to 200 people that were what you could call alternative comedians - that weren't club comics. Now, last year when the Laughing Horse chain of clubs held a new acts competition, a thousand people entered. So, there are 800 people more.
- Stewart Lee
If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.