Russell Brand: rape and sexual abuse allegations, grifting and general dodginess - discussion

[ElizabethofYork]

There's another comedian who makes quite a few people uneasy. Wonder will he crop up as well.

David Walliams?

 

[weepiper]

This interview from 2014 has just popped up on Twitter and is a very interesting (and uncomfortable) read in the current context

Lunch with the FT: Russell Brand

Over soup and red juice in an East End café that helps the homeless, the comedian-activist says capitalism has failed, gives money to a drug addict and tells Lucy Kellaway to shut up

www.ft.com

 

[Petcha]

Andrew Tate and Elon Musk have 'sprung to his defence' according to the Mail. I can't be bothered linking that. But with friends like that.

 

[Petcha]

I actually fell out with my best mate over his adoration of this fuckwit. I really don't get it. Yes, he's highly articulate and is actually really funny in the movies I've seen that he's made, but he's an utter fuckwit. Have we all forgotten the Johnathan Ross affair? That seems to have quietly been swept under the carpet over the years.

 

[seeformiles]

This interview from 2014 has just popped up on Twitter and is a very interesting (and uncomfortable) read in the current context

Lunch with the FT: Russell Brand

Over soup and red juice in an East End café that helps the homeless, the comedian-activist says capitalism has failed, gives money to a drug addict and tells Lucy Kellaway to shut up

www.ft.com

He just comes over as a massively entitled hypocrite with a raging ego and a very simplistic view of the world - not to mention uncomfortably “handsy” like the office sex pest.

 

[bimble]

If this is what it looks likely to be (with brand claiming that his accusers are lying) it’s not going to be as simple for him as for people like tate:
Brand’s fanbase isn’t all angry young men,not at all. He’s managed to create a devoted following that straddles trump fans and wind-chime dream-catcher homeopaths by avoiding ever committing himself to anything, ‘just asking questions’, a flat out claim that these accusations are lies won’t be without fallout for him. Which I’m glad of obvs.

 

[Storm Fox]

I actually fell out with my best mate over his adoration of this fuckwit. I really don't get it. Yes, he's highly articulate and is actually really funny in the movies I've seen that he's made, but he's an utter fuckwit. Have we all forgotten the Johnathan Ross affair? That seems to have quietly been swept under the carpet over the years.

He's moved to the alt-right. So that has gone from 'Despicable attack on the family of a national icon' to 'It's just bantz' and 'no-one can take a joke anymore'.

 

[Petcha]

After Tate and Musk's public backing he must be praying like fuck Prince Andrew doesn't know how to use the artist formerly known as twitter

 

[Petcha]

He was fired by his talent agents at ICM after a series of disgraceful incidents on board a ship in Istanbul while making a film with David Walliams and Rob Brydon.

He picked up a young prostitute in Istanbul, made her cry when he broke her mobile phone against a wall while they were having sex, and then demanded a refund of his money. 'Frankly this girl was a sorry fair-weather excuse for a prostitute. Eventually she agreed to have sex but it was a kind of weary half hearted semi erect bored disappointing but of sex for which I'd paid a lot of money.' After he broke her phone he said: 'This is not looking good. I'm going to have to walk past reception in a minute, five paces behind a crying prostitute.'

That quote's from his own book

 

[editor]

That quote's from his own book

Ugh.

 

[weepiper]

Christ.

 

[seeformiles]

What a piece of shit

 

[hitmouse]

There is a weird sort of deja vu to all this, since what actually started off the great vampire castle wars a decade ago was Fisher getting upset about people calling Russell Brand a misogynist. A lot of water under the bridge since then, and I've reluctantly come to admit that VC did have more going for it than I thought at the time, but I'm still not entirely convinced that "you shouldn't say mean things about Russell Brand" is that much of a great ethical-political principle.

 

[planetgeli]

That quote's from his own book

Stupid question perhaps but if it's Brand's own book why is he referring to himself as 'He' and not 'I'?

I.e, is that quote actually about himself?

 

[8ball]

Andrew Tate and Elon Musk have 'sprung to his defence' according to the Mail. I can't be bothered linking that. But with friends like that.

Bloody hell.

 

[Petcha]

Stupid question perhaps but if it's Brand's own book why is he referring to himself as 'He' and not 'I'?

I.e, is that quote actually about himself?

Oh I pulled that from the Mail's story. Dont blame me for the subbing.

They're having a feast over there btw if you can stomach it.

 

[planetgeli]

Oh I pulled that from the Mail's story. Dont blame me for the subbing.

They're having a feast over there btw if you can stomach it.

They don't like my adblocker and there's no way I'm removing it for the fucking Mail.

 

[Petcha]

 

[editor]

It's a sleaze club summit!

 

[The39thStep]

Pretty accurate

 

[hitmouse]

Stupid question perhaps but if it's Brand's own book why is he referring to himself as 'He' and not 'I'?

I.e, is that quote actually about himself?

Presumably the bits actually in quote marks, 'Frankly this girl was a sorry fair-weather excuse for a prostitute. Eventually she agreed to have sex but it was a kind of weary half hearted semi erect bored disappointing but of sex for which I'd paid a lot of money.' and 'This is not looking good. I'm going to have to walk past reception in a minute, five paces behind a crying prostitute.' are the direct quotes from the book, and the rest is someone else summarising/paraphrasing?

 

[farmerbarleymow]

The BBC and Times have published articles about this now - the one in the Times is very detailed.

 

[Gromit]

I'm very much a believer of innocent until proven guilty.

There's something about Brand that makes me think that although he doesn't seem to be the type to violently rape a woman...

... That he seems the sort that wouldn't take no for an answer. He'd take it as a slight to his enormous ego and would put horrendous undue pressure to get what he felt was his due. Date rape.

So my innocent until guilty stance is written in pencil right now.

 

[Sue]

There's something about Brand that makes me think that although he doesn't seem to be the type to violently rape a woman...

Ffs.

 

[Epona]

I'm very much a believer of innocent until proven guilty.

There's something about Brand that makes me think that although he doesn't seem to be the type to violently rape a woman...

... That he seems the sort that wouldn't take no for an answer. He'd take it as a slight to his enormous ego and would put horrendous undue pressure to get what he felt was his due. Date rape.

So my innocent until guilty stance is written in pencil right now.

Date rape is rape.

 

[Elpenor]

Also rape is by definition an act of violence surely?

Oh just realised it’s Gromit, what a surprise

 

[purenarcotic]

What does the type of man who does ‘violently’ rape women look like exactly? Asking so I can spot in a crowd to avoid, it being well documented that women can prevent our own rape like.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

he doesn't seem to be the type to violently rape a woman...

Oh ffs

 

[BristolEcho]

I'm very much a believer of innocent until proven guilty.

There's something about Brand that makes me think that although he doesn't seem to be the type to violently rape a woman...

... That he seems the sort that wouldn't take no for an answer. He'd take it as a slight to his enormous ego and would put horrendous undue pressure to get what he felt was his due. Date rape.

So my innocent until guilty stance is written in pencil right now.

It's concerning that you think any rape would be considered not violent. Think about it.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I'm very much a believer of innocent until proven guilty.

There's something about Brand that makes me think that although he doesn't seem to be the type to violently rape a woman...

... That he seems the sort that wouldn't take no for an answer. He'd take it as a slight to his enormous ego and would put horrendous undue pressure to get what he felt was his due. Date rape.

So my innocent until guilty stance is written in pencil right now.

My opinion on the guy has wobbled over the years, but I think probably my first impression of him was right. Whether these allegations are true or not (and note they are from multiple women), the guy is obviously a massive narcissist and attention seeker who already has definitely done some truly horrible things (that incident with him and Jonathan Ross perhaps being the stand out that we know for sure).