to wonder what Russell Brand has on the Guardian

[carlajean]

In today's Guardian he was given a page and a half to waffle on about what happened at the GQ awards (his comments about Hugo Boss). (sorry no link, doing this on my phone). I can't remember when anyone, let alone an attention-seeking nitwit like RB, was given this much space and was wondering if anyone thought the same.

I really like RB, off to see him next month, and I really enjoy his style of writing. He has excellent points, and puts them across in a manner which is both entertaining and easy to read.

Long live Russell Brand!

I can't stand RB. He is a shite. He is however, a very castite and articulate man which makes him more of a shite as he knows exactly what he is doing when he is being a shite.

I put him in the same category as MN favourite Frankie Boil Boyle.

Pops I meant astute NOT CASTITE

ipad autocorrect + bad typing = ????

This thread and the negative comments about The Guardian and Russell Brand might just push me off MN (not that anyone gives a flying fuck I appreciate). RB is intelligent, amusing and is able to state his views (whether you agree with them or not) with more clarity and colour than almost any politician or columnist I can think of. The idea he is an idiot or a 'nitwit' is ludicrous.

I am no RB fan, but I did find his Boss comments amusing.

Interestingly, there was a documentary last Sunday about Hitler (2nd part on tonight. Worth watching) and it mentioned Hugo Boss and the SS uniforms. Very apt.

I like that article, thanks for the link.

Shame a little dig like that put the wind up so many folkies. I think his analysis does it justice.

Well I like him.

And Boss did make SS uniforms. He was a nazi. The fashion house is one of a handful of companies that have refused to apologise for their role. Care or don't care - that's up to you - but he only spoke the truth.

In the last 24 hours, the Russell Brand article is the second most viewed on the Guardian's website. There's your answer.

he couldn't write a shorter article-that's the way he speaks!

Therein the difference between a professional writer and a non-professional writer.

Read the archive of his Guardian articles. Whatever you think of his comedy, he is incredibly intelligent, has a written style that puts most journalists to shame, and conveys his points in a very thought-provoking and surprisingly measured manner. His Maggie Thatcher one was brilliant. So in answer to your question, he gets ghat much space because a senior editor at the Guardian recognised his talent and he deserves that much, if not more, space.
In other news, why does Richard Littlejohn still get oxygen, much less column inches?

Richard Littlejohn is a good writer, far better than Russell Brand. How is it "thought provoking" to call Hugo Boss a Nazi and be anti big business/corporate, in the Guardian? It's just lazy. So is being anti-Thatcher. I'd be far more impressed if he wrote something that went against the usual Guardian line. But they probably wouldn't publish it.

If he was that good a writer, the Guardian might not be losing so much money and losing so many readers each year.

'Richard Littlejohn is a good writer.'

Have you read any of the crap he writes? He is not only an awful writer but a troll..

I have newfound respect for Russell Brand the last few months. He has wriiten/spoken about some really interesting topics in a vrey intelligent manner.

Why should a fashion house have to apologise for making clothes for the Nazis? Should the people who made their food have to apologise? Their toilets? Their toiletries?

Was there any choice on whether to be a Nazi in 1930s Germany? Wasn't it more or less mandatory, if you wanted to stay alive?

I read it and enjoyed it, but it did seem to be in the wrong place on the cover.

The Hugo Boss thing is part of the uncomfortable relationship Germans have with their past. I find for a lot of them it is unmentionable, which is exactly why RB mentioned it. Clever RB.

Didn't read the article - just skim read it - but did see how many column inches it was given. Basically top billing - front page plus all of page 3 - and thought it out of keeping with the newspaper and the amount of other news atm. Appreciate that RB is cleverer than he is given credit for but that doesn't make him front page material.

Are you kidding? That piece was genius! Really funny but serious at the same time. Perhaps sucking up a bit to Noel Gallagher, but his point about being at the Tory party conference was great too. Biting humour, I thought. Much better than sucking up to all those institutions that do awards of all types.

Yes, the war ended 68 years ago, but if HB the company have not apologised for their role or acknowledged it, it needs to be pointed out. Why should some people/companies get to carry on like nothing happened when millions can't?

A company can't apologise. Only people can. And I seriously doubt whether there is anyone currently working for Boss who worked for them during the Third Reich! And they made clothes for them, which isn't a crime in the first place.

I like him. He's very intelligent and I lack that combination of intelligence and nonchalance and, let's face it, sex appeal, a lot.

I think it was a really funny and well written article. The line "Who are you wearing?" "I'm not wearing anyone, I stuck with clobber, I'm not Buffalo Bill" made me genuinely LOL

I hadn't seen the article, but actually I agree with the points he made, even if it did take him a loooooong article to write them in.

Thanks OP for bringing it to my attention as I'd probably have missed it otherwise

I am another that can't understand the issue with HB making clothes for the Nazis. They were the government of the country at the time, lots of people and companies will have provided services for them.

I have a friend whose mum was in the Hitler Youth - it was the Scouts/Girl Guides of the country at that time. Remember, people at that time did not have the benefit of the knowledge we have now.

I can't understand why RB's defence of his childish & irrelevant jibe deserved the front page of a broadsheet. If it wasn't for the review section, I think I would stop getting Saturday Guardian.

Does Andrew Sachs read the Guardian, I wonder?

Not read it because I loathe RB.

Guardian readers are easily pleased.