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Russell Brand: “I Dress Like a Superhero S&M Scarecrow”

9/3/08, 12:22 pm EST

Photo: Getty

When MTV announced that British comedian Russell Brand would be hosting this year’s Video Music Awards, the first response was mostly “Huh?” But then everybody remembered his hilarious performance as rock star Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and the stories of his exploits in the UK started to circulate: his dressing as Osama Bin Laden, his drug use and his tendency to smoke crack in public. “When I was making RE: BRAND, a TV show that was inspired by Jackass, I was doing all these insane things,” Brand told Rolling Stone’s Melissa Maerz, “like having a bath with a homeless man whose ulcerated legs were weeping into the water. And I smoked crack with a prostitute and her family.” To prepare for the VMAs, Brand — who describes his own style as “superhero S&M scarecrow” — collected some advice from Chris Rock. “He said, ‘Go in hard — no one cares about anything except you have to have a good beginning.’ So I might take my shirt off and have lipstick on my nipples.” But despite all these wild stories, Brand says you can’t believe everything. “Once there was a story saying, ‘Russell Brand was arrested for rampaging through the London underground witha sword.’ I thought, ‘Well, this is ridiculous! What on earth would I be doing on the underground? Once you can afford taxis, you can swing the sword out the window.’”

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More MTV VMAs at Rock Daily


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Comments

cynical | 9/8/2008, 5:50 pm EST

this guy is not funny.

kind of ironic that he and britney spears were the focus of the MTV VMAs– two untalented performers being jammed down culture’s throat by the media for no worth while reason.

I think I’m going to go read the Jerry Wexler obituaries now. Make my time more or less spent wisely

Some Dude | 9/9/2008, 1:10 pm EST

This guy is funny.

I think I’m going to read and watch some of his previous interviews, where his flamboyant language and complete lack of self consciousness will brighten up an otherwise dull and monotonous world.

Truth hurts | 9/11/2008, 8:18 am EST

Russell Brand is such a funny guy with deep sense of British humour. I was not aware that he Presented the MTV VMA award until i saw him displayed on university of racist Tv ‘Fox news’ where he made a comment pleading with American to vote for Obama for the sake of the world as he put it. It is now so sad that whatever said, did,seen or acted that has any irrelevance on Obama whether positive or negative but unconnected to Obama will be blown out of context and used to manipulate the entire American public deliberately pounded to tap into the cynicism of their choice of vote. To put it in a better clear fashion University of racist TV ‘Fox News’is playing a major role in making sure that Obama does not win this election but i am very sorry for FOX of what they are doing because Rupert Murdoch will regret having to have allowed his business to be used to manipulate Americans on their probable choice of the leader to lead this nation & indeed the world at this most troubling times.

London99 | 9/12/2008, 9:01 am EST

Russell brand may offend but he is at least engaging to watch and you dont’ know what to expect, which is more than i can say for every single other ‘comedian’ working out there at the moment (not Chris Rock, however, who is a genius). Even your staples like Stiller, Carrell, Gervais etc – who are enjoybale to watch – are so predictable and one dimensional, that a guy like Brand is refreshing. The funniest man in the UK since John Cleese, and the funniest the world over since Eddie Murphy during his peak (Raw, ‘87). Or maybe since Chris Rock’s HBO special in 2004. Because Chris Rock is, again, a genius.
But rock on Russell !

lelutin | 3/30/2009, 4:09 pm EST

Russell Brand may not be the greatest comedian ever but he has got his own sense of humour that goes beyond provocation and is sometimes hilarious .

As far as British humour is concerned, check the Mighty Boosh out, they are waaaay better and Noel Fielding (one half of the boosh)has made some stuff with Brand which are absolutely amazing (like interviews of grey squirrel haters).

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