Stand up comedian

We went to the stand up comedian Stewart Lee in London.We had been to see him before and his performance did not disappoint.

For those not familiar with his work Mr Lee is a clever, self conscious performer. He has been doing stand up for 25 years and his work has slowly evolved into a treatise on comedy itself. He attracted some infamy a few years ago as co-writer and director of Jerry Springer the opera. He is also a man of letters and has written a novel and a fine book on comedy. Check out his work . I have made him sound po-faced and worthy but he is funny. The recent political discourse over Russell Brand's interview with Jeremy Paxman is described as a monkey throwing its own excrement at a foghorn.

He is a fan and promoter of fellow countryman Kevin McAleer. The Flann O'Brien of Omagh is an acquired taste. I went to see him perform in Soho a few years ago and watched as his performance sailed at cruising altitude over the heads of a London audience. His routine can cross the line into unfunny Beckettian farce but it is fascinating and performance art in itself . Again. Check him out.

Both men have avoided the dire boom in stand up comedy as the new rock n roll. Various folk regularly fill stadiums with their comic observations on football, self abuse and the fluff in their navel.We were walking from a train station in Greenwich a while ago when I saw flyers for courses in stand up comedy . There may even be a BA.

I am not laughing.