Oh, I can’t sleep, whatever – it’s a huge problem. The comedian’s thing is you self-medicate with alcohol and knock yourself out – but obviously, that’s not a long-term strategy. Stewart Lee Read Quote
If a gig goes badly, my main worry is, ‘Will these people come back?’ Because that will affect my ability to pay the mortgage – but nowadays, I don’t really mind what happens, as I think if it all goes wrong for real, you still have to go with it. Stewart Lee Read Quote
I work a lot of things out on stage nowadays rather than writing them in big blocks. Stewart Lee Read Quote
Sometimes, I read that I’m this leftwing comic who just goes on about politics the whole time. Other times, I read that it’s just surreal nonsense about crisps. It’s both of those. Stewart Lee Read Quote
I don’t know where the ideas come from, and it’s terrifying. They seem to be absolute flukes. When I was in my 20s, I’d walk around with a notebook all the time and make sure I wrote down anything that occurred to me. Now I’m just hoping that some sort of event will descend on me. Stewart Lee Read Quote
I’m in this for the long haul, I want to be doing this until I die. I am a standup comedian. I know a lot of people say I’m not, but I am. Stewart Lee Read Quote
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 Read Quote
I read in the ‘Daily Mail’ that I’m one of these ‘foul-mouthed comedians.’ But I’m much cleaner than the people they like. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to think that a 70-year-old – particularly someone like Alan Bennett – would like it, because they’ve seen a lot of stuff. Stewart Lee Read Quote
I grew up in Solihull, on the edge of what was then the Birmingham conurbation. It was a good place to write comedy from. I didn’t feel allegiance to anything. I didn’t have working-class pride or upper-class superiority. Stewart Lee Read Quote
The only reason I look back is to check if I’ve been doing something wrong. I look at things from even three years ago and think, ‘I wouldn’t do that now.’ Your life changes. Stewart Lee Read Quote
