"Just for a laugh"

This is my first blog entry since Russell Brand's revolution ended (before it even began) in May. The whole debacle of Russell abandoning all of his principles to encourage the masses to vote for Labour in the General Rejection of May 7th, left me losing all respect for him, but yesterday he won me back.... with honours.

Last night, I attended Russell's new stand-up comedy show, A Trew Work in Progress, at the National Theatre's 200 capacity, Temporary Theatre in London - priced at just £15, how could I not!



































The very small audience were warmed-up for 15 minutes by Russell's very own poet laureate, Mr Gee, and then at 6.30pm, the 'Male Dot Cotton with mad eyes' himself appeared.... and yet the eyes didn't in fact look mad, or possessed, or glazed as they often do in photographs and on the telly, they looked warm and relaxed. Can one have relaxed eyes? I don't mean that he had a lazy eye or anything like that, he just looked.... himself, and therein lies the topic of the show.


RUSSELL LOOKING HIMSELF



RUSSELL LOOKING MAD-EYED

The show began with Russell asking what was real and what wasn't. He touched on the subject of having different personalities - what I would call pessoas - without knowing which is the real him. There was to be no mention of revolutions in 'A Trew Work in Progress', instead Rustle has turned his attention to the falsities of life, and it would appear that he is truly trying to find where he fits into the whole great picture, if indeed he does fit in at all.











Gone, apparently, are Brand's days of chasing Babe Station girls, and the falsehood of celebrity, but as to where Russell goes from here, he doesn't yet seem to know. As one member of the audience pointed out in a Q&A session at the end, it is quite unique for a celebrity to come out and acknowledge that fame is bullshit, but my guess is that Russell's whole awakening regarding 'celebrity' originally came from his hero, Morrissey, who himself realised many years ago how ridiculous the whole culture is.





As Russell tries to find a direction, he informed us last night that he may well be having a mental breakdown, asking, "how do you know?" He told the audience that it was all right for them, but he had "shit" going on in his head all the time, including at 3am.

 I'm pretty sure he's not having a mental breakdown, he is just a thinker - recently voted the fourth most influential in the world, as he wittingly reminded his audience on more than one occasion!

As to whether it is a mental breakdown or not, the evening was highly entertaining, and Brand was back where he is at his best - on a stage, making people laugh. His use of the 'C' word throughout the evening was very much appreciated by not only me, but the entire audience. RB didn't use the word to outrage or shock, he just slotted it in at the right time; proving that used in the right way, it is one of the most beautiful words in the English dictionary.

On more than one occasion, Brand threw out the idea that he may in fact be the new Jesus; although I'm not convinced that Jesus would use the 'c' word quite so freely, but at least Russell looks more the part than David Icke ever did..... now that really WAS a metal breakdown!

BRAND - NEW JESUS?




ICKE - THE 1991 NEW JESUS

I have to admit, when RB gave his backing to Ed Miliband and the Labour party at the General election, I really did wonder if that was a mental breakdown, but as Russell told us last night, he only gave his backing to Labour "just for a laugh" - well thank God (or his dad) that he's cleared THAT up! Brand then very amusingly took the mickey out of the way Ed Miliband says the word, 'wrong', saying that when he interviewed him, he noticed how the word leaves his mouth and goes up instead of straight out.

WATCH MILIBAND SAY 'WRONG' AT 9 MINS 50 SECS

The Milibrand interview was another perfect example of Russell looking glazed, and he told the audience at The National Theatre how he looks that way when he's uninterested in someone, giving an example of when he interviewed Julian Assange.

He told us that Assange's answers to his questions were so boring, and that he (Brand) would instead be thinking of the next question, rather than actually listening to the answer. Personally, I think many interviewers work this way, and interviews often fail because the interviewer fails to engage with the interviewee. I have never found Russell to be a particularly good interviewer (unless he his genuinely interested in the interviewee), just as I don't think he makes a very good revolutionist or a great actor (which he pretty much admitted himself during last night's show). For me, as I have already written, Russell Brand is at his best, and being the REAL Russell, when he is making people laugh, but I guess he has to do the other things, so that he is able to write comedy about himself, and as he informed his audience at the very beginning of the night, he is extremely self aware.

He also told us that as well as being self aware, he is generally aware too, particularly of gags on the internet about him letting himself go, where photos of fat lookalikes are posted. He shared one of the images he had seen:




The reason Brand had mentioned Julian Assange last night, was because he wanted to make a joke about Assange having secrets. The gag was that Assange wouldn't let RB see the area where he sleeps in the Ecuadorian embassy in London (where he has been hiding for the past three years), but unfortunately for Russell, the joke about Assange having secrets didn't quite work out, and nobody laughed. Brand then made a joke about how the gag had failed, which then did get a laugh! The show is obviously called 'A Trew Work in Progress' for a reason, as we the audience were being used as guinea pigs, to try out new material on. I guess Russell will just have to re-work that particular gag.

Whilst talking about Assange, Russell took the opportunity to have a go at the way embassy's work, ridiculing the idea of having a part of a country within another country.

ASSANGE IN ECUADOR, LONDON!

If the Assange joke needs working on, plenty of the other jokes don't, as Brand had his audience in hysterics for the 85 minutes that he was on stage. He jumped from subject to subject, which included: false newspaper headlines from the past year about him, wanting to love Boris Johnson, David Lynch and his humming bird, Mike Tyson, David Walliams, Jeremy Paxman and Snide-gate.

Videos were used when talking about both the Paxman interview; which RB says left him unemployable, and snide-gate, with Russell's own self-awareness brought humorously to the fore as he broke down his own appearance on both videos.

LINDSEY GARRETT AND RUSSELL BRAND  - DESCRIBED BY RB LAST NIGHT "LIKE A COUPLE OUT OF EASTENDERS" - DURING THE 'SNIDE-GATE' INTERVIEW

One of the funniest moments during 'A Trew Work in Progress' was an impromptu piece with a grape, which had fallen from Russell's fruit bowl onto the floor. Brand lay on the floor and had a conversation with the grape, which for comedic purposes, he decided to turn into an immigrant. At the end of the conversation, he crushed the grape, and then pondered as to what it might come back to life as.... I bet it hopes it's not another f*****g grape!

The show ended with an audience member asking if Russell will run for a political office. He replied that he would't 'run' for anything, stating that he might saunter or meander, but NEVER run! He refused to rule out going onto politics, stating that he just doesn't know where he's going yet.... thus leaving as he entered!


UNKNOWN DIRECTION

Russell Brand may be struggling with both his mental well-being and finding his place in this world, but he could never have just been a Grays based, happy-go-lucky whistling postman who has nothing to think about other than which letter box to slip his next delivery into.... and no, that wasn't a euphemism, it's was just a sentence about a Royal Mail worker, a package and a flappy thing that may or may not have bristles around it! Russell Brand is far too intelligent and witty to ever be mediocre, and if he continues to combine his intelligence and wit, whilst remaining on a stage, that's where he will find his trew self, and WE will get the benefit.

My faith in Russ is still devout.

I Know It's Over

I started writing this blog on Tuesday; following-on from Russell Brand's very public announcement that he was supporting Ed Miliband and the Labour party in the UK General Election, in what Brand claimed was the start of a revolution.

The point behind me starting this blog was that I just couldn't believe for one minute that Russell Brand would suddenly give-up on all that he had ever stood for - i.e NOT supporting mainstream political parties - to suddenly give his backing to the woefully inept Ed Miliband and his right hand chump, Ed Balls. I was CONVINCED that Brand was just giving Labour his backing because he wanted to bring down mainstream UK politics from the inside - HOW WRONG WAS I, and how RIGHT was David Icke.







Labour lost the General Election by a green wellied country mile, with Ed Balls losing his seat, and Miliband resigning his position as leader of Labour within hours, but that is all beside the point - The top and the bottom of it is, Russell Brand had NO INTENTION of leading a revolution, he merely SOLD OUT, and probably all because his ego had been hurt by David Cameron, who had branded him "a joke".

Russell Brand has now lost all credibility as a revolutionist, but as he says in his latest video, "I'm just a comedian."




And that's it - The revolution is over, and it never really began.

Emergency: VOTE To Start Revolution.

For many years, the actor and comedian Russell Brand has been very vocal in expressing his view that people shouldn't vote; stating that the whole system is wrong, and that NOTHING will ever change by voting for the same old same old. Brand's view is expressed perfectly by his friend, the indie pop god, Morrissey, in his song World Peace is None of Your Business, which includes the lyric, "Each time you vote, you support the process":



In October 2013, Brand was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman, and stated, "I've never voted, never will", adding, "this system currently doesn't address the ideas" and "I'm calling for genuine alternatives". He went on, "why vote, we know it's not going to make any difference" and "we're not going to solve world problems with the current system". Brand called for a revolution, saying, "it's totally going to happen - this is the end".



After the Paxman interview, Brand wrote a book using the title, Revolution. I haven't read it, but apparently it doesn't tell people how to go about starting a revolution; which some say was an opportunity missed.

Since the Paxman interview, the world has been waiting to see how Brand's revolution would actually begin - with many, including myself, expecting some sort of peaceful movement, with Brand as a modern day Gandhi, overturning the current system.




NOBODY could have expected the events of yesterday - when Brand unexpectedly told his 9 million twitter followers and his 1 million Youtube subscribers that they should VOTE LABOUR to start the revolution. The reaction was immediate, with Ed Miliband taking to twitter to declare:

"I'm glad I persuaded @rustyrockets that voting is important...and he's telling people to vote Labour. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwGBTcIHN0U"



Dread Miliband must have thought that all his Christmases had all come at once, whilst I on the other hand, was left feeling completely and utterly let down by Brand - he had sold out to one of the mainstream political parties..... or had he?


"BRAND'S ONE OF US - HELL YEAH!"

This morning, I woke up with a feeling that I must have got this all wrong; especially as I had found myself agreeing with the view of the treacherous Piers Morgan. I had to have jumped to the wrong conclusion about Brand's endorsement of Labour, so I watched Russell's Youtube video again; which incidentally isn't entitled 'VOTE Labour To Start Revolution', it is just 'VOTE To Start Revolution.' The video sees Russell looking as though he is endorsing Labour, but at the same time he is actually telling Scottish voters to vote for the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party), and also calls for voters in Brighton to keep The Green MP, Caroline Lucas. It suddenly struck me that Russell Brand may have a method in his madness.

Many Political Pundits are predicting that the result of Thursday's General Election will be a hung parliament, and if that is the case, then one of the most likely outcomes is a coalition between Labour and the Scottish Nationalists. Pundits are also predicting that if such a coalition comes to fruition, it will be a nightmare, with the SNP looking to break away from the UK at the earliest opportunity, thus weakening the whole system.... and this may be where Brand's revolution begins.

Let us not forget that Russell Brand was PRO Scottish independence last year, saying, "I say devolve everything till we're all in little collectives where we actually control our lives and take power back from corporations and big business."



Has Russell Brand's view suddenly changed about everything he has stood for after one very short meeting with the totally lifeless Lead Miliband? It just isn't plausible. Does Russell Brand honestly think that Miliband and his right hand man, Ed Balls; who Brand once described as "a snidey cunt",  are the two men to lead us all to a better place? I don't think so. Would Republican Brand, a man who called for The Queen to become a cleaner really champion the one dimensional, Dead Miliband, who yesterday tweeted, "Wishing Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana a long & happy life. I hope the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge are enjoying her first, special days." - NO CHANCE!

Owen Jones and the left wing press may have fallen hook, line and sinker for Brand's endorsement of Labour, but that is because they are desperate to see an end to a Tory led government. What Jones & Co have failed to do, is to look deeper into Brand's words - because it suits them not to.

I believe that RB is encouraging people to vote Labour (in England only), as a stepping stone to a revolution. He is hoping that a Labour/SNP coalition is formed, and that this leads to the UK tearing itself apart. It's a revolution from the inside - first Scotland goes, then Wales, then Northern Ireland and then North of England pulls away from the South. The Royal family no longer have a kingdom and they quickly disappear - probably to America. It's a genius idea, and it just might work.

I may of course be wrong, and perhaps I was right with my initial thought that Brand is supporting Labour purely because his ego was hurt by David Cameron calling him "a joke", but this idea of starting a revolution from inside is far more plausible if Russell Brand is the man I think he is.

There is only one stumbling block to this revolution that I can see - Labour DON'T get to form a coalition with the SNP - in which case the revolution, and this blog will be finished before it starts.

I shall return after the result of the election is known.



* UPDATE* - WEDNESDAY 6 MAY 2015

Our revolutionary leader, Russell Brand, yesterday posted another video on his Youtube channel, this time entitled, 'David Cameron? You're Avin' A Laugh!'. In the video, there is no mention of a revolution, and no further encouragement for people to vote Labour - in fact, it is just a personal attack on David Cameron.

The video left me feeling that perhaps I maybe have got this all wrong, and Brand isn't really planning a revolution at all, he is just trying to get the Tories out, but would Brand really sell out to a mainstream political party after all he has said in the past?

Today, RB has posted a piece on his website entitled, 'We Can Change Whatever We Want'. In the piece, Brand states that he finds Nicola Sturgeon "fierce and exciting", and explains that he wasn't persuaded to change his stance on voting by Ed Miliband, as Ed had us believe; in fact, Brand states that, "we decided to endorse Labour before we approached them for an interview."

The most important line in Brand's statement issued today, and the line that makes me STILL believe that I am right about his motives in endorsing Labour, is this one:

"Does this country need a radical new political movement? An equivalent of Syriza in Greece or Podemos in Spain? It feels like it does and WHEN THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION FAILS TO DELIVER BECAUSE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF PARLIAMENTARY POLITICS I'll happily participate in setting it up. With you."



*ANOTHER UPDATE* - THURSDAY 7 MAY

Today is polling date - the day that Russell Brand has stated is the start of his Revolution...... although  I would appear to be the only person in the whole world who believes Brand is backing Labour at this election purely to start a revolution from the inside! Even the 'King of Conspiracy Theories', David Icke, thinks Brand has just sold out - here is what Icke tweeted yesterday:

"Come the FAKE revolution brother":






Will Russell Brand actually vote himself today? NOT A CHANCE!