Support NeoGAF

[Vincent Alexander]

It's hard to believe he used to do a shit ton of drugs. I enjoy him though.

 

[TheKaeptain]

This is a great interview.

 

[aronnov reborn]

nothing against this guy at all but i just dont find him funny. maybe this stuff is funny in England but i guess my American mind is too simple.

 

[TheKaeptain]

This interview wasn't meant to be funny.

 

[Stinkles]

Brand really seems to split people right down the middle. Awesome, sexy smart people seem to think he's amusing and everyone else doesn't.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

nothing against this guy at all but i just dont find him funny. maybe this stuff is funny in England but i guess my American mind is too simple.

Personally, I don't find his stand-up that great. However, I've loved his film roles.

 

[TheKaeptain]

He really talks like an intelligent ex-coke head. Like most of my English professors.

 

[Timber]

I only ever saw him in an episode of HIGNFY and he was annoying, so he should probably die, the shit.

 

[ChubbyHuggs]

Brand really seems to split people right down the middle. Awesome, sexy smart people seem to think he's amusing and everyone else doesn't.

I see what you did there D:

Spoiler

But then again, I am an awesome, sexy smart person.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Brand really seems to split people right down the middle. Awesome, sexy smart people seem to think he's amusing and everyone else doesn't.

I have ever told you that you're my favorite gaffer?

 

[HiroProtagonist]

The thing about American's who say he's not funny is that all they've ever seen him in is his shitty movies.

Check out

-His book 'My Booky Wook', the second best autobiography of the last ten years after Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama. Still haven't read the sequel yet...

-His podcasts. Greatest podcast of all time.

-His stand-up comedy.



Saying he's shitty just because of his recent comedy movies is like saying Robert De Niro is shitty just because of his recent comedy movies.

I'm American and have seen him on Nevermind the Buzzcocks, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, interviews on Ross, his stand-up, and various radio interviews, and find him utterly and completely annoying. He's like a coked up child. If you suffer from ADD, or a low attention span then he is the comic for you.

I do enjoy how you, in the age of the internet, assume that people on a tech-ish forum do not have access to most things - especially media. You don't live in a bubble. Or if you do, it's being pierced by a million cables sucking out and pumping in your entertainment.

And FYI: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington have the greatest podcast of all time.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

And FYI: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington have the greatest podcast of all time.

Minus Gervais' shrill and annoying ass laugh (which I've slowly learned to block out) I agree.

 

[Your Excellency]

And FYI: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington have the greatest podcast of all time.

Too much bullying. I enjoyed the first two series, and yeh they were really funny, but I think from then on it just because far too horrible to listen to.

 

[rexor0717]

I've always liked Russel Brand. That was a good interview.

 

[wonderkins]

:dap to Russell Brand. Interview was great given his sincerity. I can see how some see him as garrulous; but, I like how engaged he seemed. That he is self-aware, that he makes it evident to us, that still he continues to pursue ephemeral fame, and that he is famous even after admitting the sham...genius. I don't mean to say he isn't a funny comedian with great talent; he is worthy of celebrity for his comedy and writing. The only flat note seemed his answer to a belief in god. His answer seemed more descriptive of a catholic (lower-case c) spirituality than a faith in some form of monotheism. His answer's understandable as his wife'd probably chest bump him with that firework bra; puncture wounds hurt.

 

[canadian crowe]

I'm a huge Russell Brand fan, so much so' that I've imported all of his DVDs, but I'm not a huge fan of his films.

His best work was the podcasts and Poderland. The podcasts were great because he has Matt Morgan (arguably funnier than Brand on the podcasts) to keep him in line. He gets annoying when he has people(Jonothan Ross) egging him on and not calling him out when he's being annoying (like Matt did).

 

[diehard]

I sadly remember him from the MTV awards.. he bombed so bad.

 

[kittoo]

I was pretty sure Brand was/is an atheists? Anyone know if that changed?

Last I knew he had shown interest in Hinduism and was following 'Hare Krishna Movement'.
Currently only looked wikipedia though.

 

[Solo]

Love this guy. Great interview.

 

[Sealda]

Looks great. Nice try at trolling, bro...

She looks hideous on that pic.

 

[Monocle]

I think Brand fits the definition of a pseudo intellectual, anyone that puts so much emphasis on the words longer than 3 syllables in their sentences are trying to hard to look intellectual.

This seemed a bit below Paxman, he rips apart politicians every week on Newsnight in this interview he seems to have held back.

I think this post is a splendid example of the sickly anti-intellectual attitude broadly responsible for the social stigma (in the US, if not elsewhere) of being perceived as a cerebral person rather than a man's man or a plastic pseudocelebrislut. Brand's ideas in this interview are solid and he offers some uncommonly keen cultural insights, yet all you can muster in response is a feeble jab at his vocabulary. Your comment says far more about the way you think than about Brand's intellect.

 

[Ken Masters]

using big words never fails to impress people

 

[Pastry]

I think this post is a splendid example of the sickly anti-intellectual attitude broadly responsible for the social stigma (in the US, if not elsewhere) of being perceived as a cerebral person rather than a man's man or a plastic pseudocelebrislut. Brand's ideas in this interview are solid and he offers some uncommonly keen cultural insights, yet all you can muster in response is a feeble jab at his vocabulary. Your comment says far more about the way you think than about Brand's intellect.

I'm calling bullshit. There is a difference between being anti-intellectual and being frustrated when someone intentionally inserts vocabulary solely for the purpose of looking smarter.

 

[Aske]

Can't beat a bit of ol' Russ. Dude is awesome, and I'm glad he's doing so well for himself.

 

[Monocle]

using big words never fails to impress people

Those who were paying attention may have been impressed by the meaning they conveyed. Anyone can use a thesaurus or memorize five dollar words. It takes more than hot steam between one's ears to place those words in coherent sequence.

Edit:

I'm calling bullshit. There is a difference between being anti-intellectual and being frustrated when someone intentionally inserts vocabulary solely for the purpose of looking smarter.

I'm impressed that you know how to peer directly into another person's inner life. You could make a lot of money with your infallible ability to recognize other people's intentions.

 

[Your Excellency]

I think this post is a splendid example of the sickly anti-intellectual attitude broadly responsible for the social stigma (in the US, if not elsewhere) of being perceived as a cerebral person rather than a man's man or a plastic pseudocelebrislut. Brand's ideas in this interview are solid and he offers some uncommonly keen cultural insights, yet all you can muster in response is a feeble jab at his vocabulary. Your comment says far more about the way you think than about Brand's intellect.

Absolutely. Whenever someone with a non-Received Pronunciation accent uses big words, people always say they're being fake. It's pretty fucking pathetic anti-intellectualism, and no different from young 'gangsters' in schools finding it embarrassing to use any word with more than 2 syllables.

 

[MrPliskin]

I'm usually not one to say something like this, but it's an absolute crime that they're remaking Drop Dead Fred with this guy. Rik Mayall, he is not.

GTFO. They're ruining DDF!?! NOOOOOO!!!

 

[MrPliskin]

Bro, you should see how she looks when she wakes up

Whatever helps you sleep at night!

 

[Salazar]

GTFO. They're ruining DDF!?! NOOOOOO!!!

Perhaps even OuterWorldVoice can concede that this is a fucking stupid idea, as was the notion of remaking Arthur.

 

[LQX]

I sadly remember him from the MTV awards.. he bombed so bad.

Partly why I have not gone out of my way to see him in anything.

 

[AnkitT]

Saw this on reddit earlier, and my respect for him has increased from "indifference" to "dude is smarter than people give him credit for".

 

[PumpkinPie]

Paxman really is a mong in that interview, I just saw the first couple of minutes again, when trying to demonstrate how some people are famous for actually doing something and some people are famous just for being famous, he says "Richard Dawkins is famous for being an atheist" - the fuck? How is that an accomplishment?! And Russell Brand is a huge stand-up comedian, TV presenter, radio presenter, newspaper columnist, author, and actor (and I've probably missed a few things there) - those are obvious accomplishments. Paxman is trolling hardcore. No wonder Brand doesn't wanna live in England anymore, after how he gets treated by both the lowbrow tabloids and the highbrow commentators.

Paxman is trolling hard. Don't feed the troll, guys.

That's Paman's shtick though, troll people so they bite. I've never liked him as an interviewer.

 

[T-Matt]

I think he's pretty funny and his grin always reminds me of Tim Curry.

 

[bjb]

Bro, you should see how she looks when she wakes up

My god...

What is that....

 

[apocalidiot]

i can't stand the way he 'elucidates' every sentence with his overly-convulted verb dropping. Such verbal-diarrhea. Doesn't make you sound smart Russell; just desperate to impress

This post reminds me of what you're describing, lawl

 

[MrPliskin]

My god...

What is that....

A woman. You should try it out sometime when you're not busy pretending to be hot shit on the internet.

Seriously, what is with the influx of juniors and their sharpknee's mentality? Are they spoiled by the internet and this fantasy world of what women look like? Katy Perry is still hotter than a pretty large majority of the women most of us (as in Men, not "us" like internet people) encounter / interact with.

Or do you guy's not understand that bad pictures / expressions happen? Silly kiddo's.

 

[Ark]

Wow, I didn't have much a positive opinion about Brand before, but this interview just turned everything I was told, on it's head.

Great interview, great guy.

 

[bjb]

A woman. You should try it out sometime when you're not busy pretending to be hot shit on the internet.

Seriously, what is with the influx of juniors and their sharpknee's mentality? Are they spoiled by the internet and this fantasy world of what women look like? Katy Perry is still hotter than a pretty large majority of the women most of us (as in Men, not "us" like internet people) encounter / interact with.

Or do you guy's not understand that bad pictures / expressions happen? Silly kiddo's.

Between this, and this:

The first few months of new Junior waves are always the most painful as hundreds of return Gamefaqs rejects get yet another account perm'd from GAF.

On the brighter side, it's always threads like this that help fill my ignore list, and purge the good from the bad here on GAF.

The fuck? My god man - calm down. You're losing it, and having meltdowns in multiple threads. What is this, your personal crusade against new members? I mean, you registered a month before I did. Please allow me to bow before your misguided seniority - oh great knight :lol.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

He looks like Tiny Tim.

 

[anonnumber6]

I think this post is a splendid example of the sickly anti-intellectual attitude broadly responsible for the social stigma (in the US, if not elsewhere) of being perceived as a cerebral person rather than a man's man or a plastic pseudocelebrislut. Brand's ideas in this interview are solid and he offers some uncommonly keen cultural insights, yet all you can muster in response is a feeble jab at his vocabulary. Your comment says far more about the way you think than about Brand's intellect.

I have no problem with people liking the content of that interview but I myself prefer it without the window dressing.

 

[Yen]

I was pretty sure Brand was/is an atheists? Anyone know if that changed?

He's now a Free Presbytirian.

 

[mattoz85]

I saw him host SNL and he was terrible. His monologue consisted entirely of him telling everyone why he was famous. Then he did a horrible American accent in his first skit, and I just couldn't take it anymore.

I really don't find him funny. His voice is very grating and he looks ridiculous.

 

[HiResDes]

Recognizing an artist's intellectual ambition and appreciating their art two different things...For example, I find Jane Austen to be a rather sub-par author, but I'd never question her general intellect.

 

[RustyNails]

The guy is fucking lucid.

 

[Jburton]

I have to say ......

...... that I hate this prick!!



Not a funny guy, he is married to Katy Perry and he has a face that needs smacked.

sorry for rant!

 

[Your Excellency]

I saw him host SNL and he was terrible. His monologue consisted entirely of him telling everyone why he was famous. Then he did a horrible American accent in his first skit, and I just couldn't take it anymore.

I really don't find him funny. His voice is very grating and he looks ridiculous.

Ha. SNL is a fucking dogshit show which can drain the funniness out of anyone. Seriously, how that show is still going on after all this time is a complete mystery, and worse yet, the idea that some people on this forum like it whilst at the same time criticising HBO shows shows how twisted people's minds are...

 

[Joel Was Right]

I'm calling bullshit. There is a difference between being anti-intellectual and being frustrated when someone intentionally inserts vocabulary solely for the purpose of looking smarter.

Being verbose doesn't equate to being an intellectual - you can't make that judgement of someone on a 15 min interview. What you can, however, clearly make out from this short interview is his ability to articulate himself with a grasp of vocabulary few are common with. In this aspect, it's not relevant who the name of the person is, but rather what they are saying and how they are saying it; this could be a complete stranger on the street being interviewed and you would get a similar level of admiration for the way he/she conveys himself. It's really a component of character that is rare nowdays - I could perhaps count with one hand the amount of people who I've met that 'speak' like this

 

[HiResDes]

His hyperactive and near manic nature is probably what jars me most. He's like an opportunistic politician that is willing to present himself in whatever way he feel will impress the present audience most. I find his comedy to be trivial and pedestrian. And the longer I watch the video the more I find his intellectual cause to be both in-genuine and overly pedantic. I've watched his comedy specials, movies, and random guest appearances and they've all led me to the same malfeasant conclusion.

Being verbose doesn't equate to being an intellectual - you can't make that judgement of someone on a 15 min interview. What you can, however, clearly make out from this short interview is his ability to articulate himself with a grasp of vocabulary few are common with. In this aspect, it's not relevant who the name of the person is, but rather what they are saying and how they are saying it; this could be a complete stranger on the street being interviewed and you would get a similar level of admiration for the way he/she conveys himself. It's really a component of character that is rare nowdays - I could perhaps count with one hand the amount of people who I've met that 'speak' like this

Well speaking like that is in part impractical in common, daily interactions...Therefore, just because most people don't speak like that, doesn't mean that they can't...Hell you don't even know whether or not Brand speaks like that outside of televised interviews.

 

[Joel Was Right]

Well speaking like that is in part impractical in common, daily interactions...Therefore, just because most people don't speak like that, doesn't mean that they can't...Hell you don't even know whether or not Brand speaks like that outside of televised interviews.

I watched this television production on pre-Industrial Britain some time ago and one segment of child marriages caught my interest. It wasn't because of the subject matter, but rather the letters from the groom the narrator was quoting; a 13 year old child with an vocabulary most politicians would envy. What's happened to our society in this respect?

 

[Phonomezer]

he has a strange face. He looks like Rocky Dennis.

I think he looks like a middle aged woman.