Russell Brand and the WBC!

[MamaJunebug]

Not a fan of Russell Brand, but the video at http://www.towleroad.com/2012/11/brand.html

showed a little bit of ... brain? on his part.

 

He actually invited two members of the Westboro Baptist Church to his talk show. They presented him with a typical WBC protest sign, FAG PIMP BRAND, which Russell says that in England would simply mean he sells cigarettes. I was kinda hooked from there on in.

 

Didn't watch the whole thing, though, since it became a little repetitious.

[kpmom]

"The holy spirit ain't got a pen." :lol:

I'm not a big Russel Brand fan either, but he did a good job here.

There's a big part of me though that hates seeing this tiny group keep getting publicity simply because they found a legal way to do something disgusting and outrageous. I imagine they eat it up that they've gotten such attention.

[jaynie]

I don't always like Russel Brand*, but I think he's smarter than he usually acts. He's written some pretty good articles on addiction as well, and one on the London riots that was pretty thoughtful.

Meanwhile, whether or not it's a good idea to give these loons publicity, it's REALLY satisfying to see them so cheerfully mocked. I guess it's like arguing with trolls. Some people think it's pointless, some people think it's hilarious, and some people think it provides insight to other people with similar views, even if the troll will always be a troll.

*his comedy, I mean.

[Alecto]

I am not a huge fan of his comedy style, but I have a lot of respect for his work in addiction issues and also with the homeless. Literally, this man goes out and takes at least one or more homeless people to breakfast almost every day.

I also respect that he chose his sobriety over his marriage. That's not an easy choice.

[0KidsAndHappy]

Brand is very intelligent, specifically when it comes to religion. I know he a comedian and his show is meant to be funny, but he really could have had a great debate to prove just how hypocritical they are. He could have done it comically, too ... Asking to see their clothing tags, finding out which foods they eat that would send them to hell. I never see anyone do anything like that in interviews with them.

[JenniferJuniper]

Brand is very intelligent, specifically when it comes to religion. I know he a comedian and his show is meant to be funny, but he really could have had a great debate to prove just how hypocritical they are. He could have done it comically, too ... Asking to see their clothing tags, finding out which foods they eat that would send them to hell. I never see anyone do anything like that in interviews with them.

I kept waiting for him to go there. He was far too kind to them.

I did lol over the hug he managed to wrangle out of the younger one though.

[Kellbells]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I too respect Russell's work with homelessness and addiction. I wish he could get more press for how smart and well spoken he can be with subjects like this, maybe we would see this side of him more often. I thought the body language was interesting. Maybe it's just me but it looked like they couldn't figure out whether to laugh or be pissed. It's funny until you realize that they really think those things are true.

[Shea]

Not a huge fan of Brand, but I liked this a lot more than the usual WBC interviews. It at least had some comic relief, although a more serious debate showcasing Brand's intelligence would have been nice too. I agree that giving them a lot of attention is a disservice, but I'm sure a lot of people (like me) find them fascinating to watch in a car-crash these-people-are-disgusting kind of way.

[MamaJunebug]

I honestly had no idea about Brand's work w/homeless nor that sobriety was a factor in his divorce from Perry.

Thanks for the info!

[BravaAmica]

I honestly had no idea about Brand's work w/homeless nor that sobriety was a factor in his divorce from Perry.

Thanks for the info!

I knew about his work with the homeless but not that his sobriety was threatened by his marriage to Perry. I'm glad he chose what was best for himself, even if it meant some emotional pain at the time.

[debrand]

Thank you for posting about this. I showed it to my kids and was impressed at how well Brand did. It seemed like the members of WBC didn't know how to take Brand.

Now I want a shirt that reads, "The Holy Spirit ain't got a pen."