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Original poster

Russell Brand has been out of control for years

103 replies

teddyandgypsy · 18/09/2023 20:12

Russell Brand has been enabled to become the preposterous character he is by all those who facilitated his behaviour. That includes people who commissioned and watched his shows, idiots who bought his books and videos and the people who booked to see him. I have no idea if he raped anyone but I would put money on him being in prison within a couple of years. The fact is, his behaviour is and should be abhorrent to anyone with a shred of integrity.

OP posts:
NoSquirrels · 19/09/2023 08:14

explainthistomeplease · 19/09/2023 08:11

Boyle and Brand. Nasty nasty men.

As for Brand's defence that he was promiscuous but always within the law. Well how would he know? He confesses he was off his face for much of the period. I don't think being out of it is a defence either.

He wasn’t off his face. He was clean from both drugs and alcohol.

explainthistomeplease · 19/09/2023 08:17

I thought he wrote of substance abuse in his book of what?2007. And the assaults may predate that.

Either way, as I say it's no defence.

NoSquirrels · 19/09/2023 08:22

explainthistomeplease · 19/09/2023 08:17

I thought he wrote of substance abuse in his book of what?2007. And the assaults may predate that.

Either way, as I say it's no defence.

He got clean, predating the book and the period of the sexual assaults. He may well have also sexually assaulted women when he was off his face, but the assaults alleged in the documentary and the article are from when he was clean and sober.

Certainlyreally · 19/09/2023 08:23

I never liked him, always thought he was a twat. I didnt watch anything he was in as didn't find him funny at all, more irritating.

Nevermind202020 · 19/09/2023 08:25

I think his crimes are/were his choices, however I also think he was enabled - these enablers include those who worked with/for him and promoted his shows etc, those who ignored his behaviours, and those who bought into his whole 'persona'. I am the same age as him, and he made my skin crawl from the first time I saw him - of course people can make our skin crawl for a whole host of reasons, and that doesn't mean they are a rapist or anything else sinister, but it's beyond my understanding what make him appealing to people (feel free to share what you did find appealing if you like, it might be an eye opener for me!).

WinterTrees · 19/09/2023 08:34

And this joke about killing and raping Holly Willoughby was made only LAST YEAR.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/31/frankie-boyle-slams-claims-he-made-offensive-holly-willoughby-joke-17098777/amp/]]

RB's defenders claim that his behaviour was a long time ago, in a pre-#Metoo cultural climate, which of course is no excuse whatsoever. But it takes a special kind of narcissism and bone-deep hatred of women to be ploughing on with it into the 2020s.

The media need to stop excusing this sort of dangerous rape-as-comedy shit as 'edgy', and cut off the oxygen supply of a mainstream platform to men who make violent misogyny a lucrative career.

WinterTrees · 19/09/2023 08:35

Sorry - to be clear, my post is referring to the aggressive rape comedian and misogynist Frankie Boyle.

Ivebeentogeorgia · 19/09/2023 08:37

I thought he was funny and bought his book and watched his movies. I only stayed to go off him when the Andrew sachs thing happened.

I don’t really appreciate being called an idiot for that op. I had no idea he was a rapist.

bombastix · 19/09/2023 08:38

Boyle is also repellent. I hope it's the end of his misogynistic shit too.

IClaudine · 19/09/2023 08:41

Boyle is vile.

bemorebernard · 19/09/2023 10:06

Ah so this has now gone to Frankie Boyle whose advocating free speech and made a joke about toxic masculinity, and criticised Ricky gervais for doing trans jokes 🤷🏻‍♀️

How did we get here ? I lost the map .

Censorship is as bad I'd say. Where do you stop . Which books would you burn ?

WinterTrees · 19/09/2023 10:24

What is it about violent misogynist Frankie Boyle and his rape comedy that you think we shouldn't discuss bemorebernard?

HappiestSleeping · 19/09/2023 10:25

Zerrin13 · 18/09/2023 20:51

I have utterly despised him since the Andrew Sach's episode. I despise Jonathan Ross aswell for his part in it. It was cruel and despicable.

That incident was largely started by Jonathan Ross. Brand ran with it, but it was Ross who started the unpleasant part of it. I was never a Brand fan, didn't find him funny, and to be honest, I wouldn't have ever thought he was that popular. I did like Ross before that incident, but he took a nosedive after that.

Asiatoyork · 19/09/2023 10:26

I resent the idea that I'm an idiot- he was very funny back in the day and My Booky Wook is actually a very good read

I read the start of that because my flatmate left it hanging around and couldn’t finish it because even then he came across to me as an absolute twat.

He’s always made my skin crawl, and I have never understood any female who likes him. I mean, all of this is not a MASSIVE surprise, is it?

He’s always just talked a load of word salad.

Asiatoyork · 19/09/2023 10:26

That said, obviously it’s not his fans fault. Enablers in the industry, maybe are culpable to some extent

bombastix · 19/09/2023 10:27

My booky wook is misogynistic. Very. If you can't see that then you are, imo, part of the reason Brand got away with his disgusting behaviour.

bombastix · 19/09/2023 10:32

WinterTrees · 19/09/2023 10:24

What is it about violent misogynist Frankie Boyle and his rape comedy that you think we shouldn't discuss bemorebernard?

Let's not burn any books. Let's burn Boyle.

Hahaha

It's a joke.
And so on.

Johnnylewis · 19/09/2023 10:39

Very unfair to put this upon normal fans.

He was well known for being promiscuous but was subjectively funny and good looking - I always assumed women were willingly throwing themselves at him. How could anybody have possibly known that he was grooming teenagers or raping anybody?

DorisTheRidgeback · 19/09/2023 10:41

explainthistomeplease · 19/09/2023 08:17

I thought he wrote of substance abuse in his book of what?2007. And the assaults may predate that.

Either way, as I say it's no defence.

He met one of the women in an AA meeting.

rollonretirementfgs · 19/09/2023 10:42

He's always given off the vibe of a creepy little sex pest... why is anyone shocked?

Zebedee999 · 19/09/2023 10:44

NameChangeNotReporting · 18/09/2023 20:17

I bought his books, listened and contributed to his radio show, watched his TV shows, saw him live a few times, and snogged him a few times too.

I had no fucking idea that he was sexually abusing and raping women. Obviously.

I believe the women who have shared their trauma 100%. I don't understand why you think those of us who enjoyed his work, without knowing what was going on, are 'idiots'

You must be very naieve to not see how he is with women and how he treats them? It was apparent decades ago that women were simply sex objects to him and he'd snog (and more) anyone that came his way. What made you join the queue to snog him? Doesn't it repulse you a man that has sex with 5 different women in a day and touches/snogs anyone that lets him?
As the OP said some people have simply emboldened his behaviour.

PenhillDarkMonarch · 19/09/2023 10:50

We tie ourselves in knots trying to find more people to carry the blame than the perpetrators.

Russell Brand was publically sleazy. Rolf Harris was not. Both appear to be sexual predators. Public image and private behaviour do not allign as often as they do and it is, therefore, silly to suppose that everyone can 'tell by looking' who will rape and who will not.

Original poster
teddyandgypsy · 19/09/2023 11:38

Speaking for myself, I find the rape allegations somewhat beside the point. I hope that if he has committed criminal behaviour the law will take its course, but too many seem willing to forgive him as long as he hasn't fallen foul of the law. The point surely is that his attitude to women, his sleazy sexuality and his unattractive character are unacceptable and should be called out. Okay, if he then goes on to make a living out of people who have no problems with him, fair enough. But please lets stop clinging to the idea that all is well unless you have committed a crime. It isn't and it never was and it says a great deal about us as a society that such a repulsive bloke has achieved fame on the back of repellent behaviour.

OP posts:
Findyourneutralspace · 19/09/2023 11:40

One person is responsible for Russell Brand’s behaviour. Russell Brand.

Yes everyone has a moral duty to report anything illegal, but I don’t think you can put that on his audience.

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 19/09/2023 11:45

Probably it's my age (old lady) but it never occurred to me that Russell Brand wasn't a risk to the women he encountered. In public he pushed boundaries, was narcissistic and manipulated audiences to laugh along with some quite nasty stuff. Which made him a good comedian and risky company offstage. Jokes can be a "tell" especially when they harp on a theme and quite a lot of his jokes were misogynist. I laughed at (some) of his jokes from a safe seat in the TV audience but he'd be very high on my "don't get in the limo" list especially after that Andrew Sachs business, he obviously didn't care who he hurt.

But when I was younger I might not have recognised that. He might have just seemed "honest" and"edgy".

The thing about comedy is that we all have nasty impulses that we mainly don't give in to and feel embarrassed about or even ashamed of, and that's a very good source of humour to tap into. When a comedian tells a story about giving in to nasty impulses and makes themselves the bad guy we laugh along and it makes it feel better about our own. And at the same time we can assume it's a story, the comedian didn't really act on that impulse same as we didn't, he exaggerated for effect and no-one would really do that, or if he did it's all the past and he's a Better Person now.

Only what if the comedian didn't exaggerate, what if it wasn't all in the past? What if he was underplaying the reality?

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