Falling Under Russell Brand's Spell

I'm a fairly cautious, personally (not politically) conservative person so it takes me a while to warm up to anything. I don't jump on bandwagons; instead I sit back and carefully consider whatever new song, movie, TV show, major personality is rolling down the road and look to make a personal connection before committing.

And I do commit. I enjoy being a fan, collecting useless facts and amassing stuff—books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and so on. I didn't get into Madonna until the end of high school, more than a decade after she'd arrived on the scene, but proudly adore her to this day. My true love for U2 didn't solidify until 2001 because it was that album and that tour that found their way into my system and clicked.

It doesn't always take that long for me to catch onto or catch up with an artist. Maybe it took a year for my John Mayer enthusiasm to take hold with me slowly warming to the singles being released off of "Room for Squares" until the first time I heard "Why Georgia" and was sold. A similar thing happened with Alanis Morissette and Fall Out Boy. I've been disappointed by so many "next big things" that I prefer the frenzy to die down and the artist to prove him/herself to me before I buy the CD, book, watch the show, whatever.

My current late-to-the-party fascination is with the lovely Russell Brand. He's been known in the UK for more than a decade and has been gaining stature in America for about five years. I first heard him on NPR talking about his first book, "My Booky Wook," and his role in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." I saw "Get Him to The Greek" in the theater (so rare to shell out to see a movie in the theater these days when it's so easy to catch something on near-repeat on cable).

He made a bit of an impression on me, I definitely thought he was interesting, but didn't give him much more consideration. That's changed this year, though I'm not entirely sure why. I saw him for the first time in February at the incredible Largo doing a run-through for his upcoming FX show "Brand X." Since then, I've sped through and adored both of his memoirs ("My Booky Wook" and "Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal"), dug up videos online (including his recent testament to a Parliamentary committee on the failed war on drugs), listened to his WTF interview several times, saw him in Eric Idle's star-studded "What About Dick?" (featuring the amazing cast of Eddie Izzard, Tracy Ullman, Tim Curry, Billy Connolly, Jane Leeves, Jim Piddock, Sophie Winkleman and Eric Idle) and pounced at the opportunity to see him again at Largo Wednesday night for another "Brand X" rehearsal.

I like Russell Brand because he's clever, he talks really fast, he moves all over the place and he makes amazing sense. On stage he'll talk about compassion for the homeless, throw in an aside about his own checkered past and play at being Morrissey in the span of a few seconds, and it's natural and sweet and funny and thoughtful. I could watch him and listen to him for hours.

His books have that same energy, which is why I think I was able to read through them so quickly. I started a journey with him in a rehab center near Philadelphia, wound back through his rough childhood, teenage years, the drug use, the drinking, the girls, his emergence as an artist, failure, success, burgeoning fame, growing notoriety, into drug rehab and onto a promising future so fluidly. Naturally, I highly recommend both books (particularly the first, for which he helpfully provides British-English-to-American-English translations).

I hung out in the Largo courtyard after the show hoping to get my copy of "My Booky Wook" signed and get a minute to express how impressed I am with him. I was fortunate to do both. In person, Russell Brand is so much more than I imagined him to be in words and pictures. His life experiences have led him down a yogic/philosophical/theological path that has made him so warm.

Most of the 200-ish people who came to the show also hung out in the courtyard hoping to get their moment with him. I think he stopped to talk to and hug every single one. I got a bit of time with him, telling him how fantastic I thought he was in "What About Dick?" (he did properly hold his own against that amazing cast) as he wrapped an arm around me to hug me. I talked to him about how much I enjoyed both books, how easily I could hear him reciting the words as I read along. He held my shoulders, locked eyes, thanked me for telling him that I enjoyed his books and gave me his full attention for that bit of time before he was off to be fully present to someone else.

Yeah, I'm sunk, sunk by this truly lovely man and his many, many words, his long legs, introspection, beautiful skin, fantastic cheek bones, throaty laugh and general cleverness. It took me a while to catch on, but I'm solidly a Russell Brand fan now. I must make a space for him on my cubicle wall with my other favorite boys.