Ten years ago, there were two things I could never have predicted. One was Donald Trump becoming president of the United States. The other was Russell Brand becoming the face of rational, empathetic progressivism.
Brand is the famous actor and comedian. Most know him for his roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. I loved him in Rock of Ages. Brand's YouTube podcast covers a range of topics, with an emphasis on examinations of the increasing wealth inequality, the consolidation of information available to the public via corporate media, and the oppressive features of interlocking institutions in modern capitalist culture. Often seating Covid questions in the context of these themes, he has covered the pandemic remarkably well.
Brand is entertaining while erudite. His presentations are disciplined. He does a wonderful job of enumerating Dragnet-style facts while being funny. That's a very, very difficult high wire act to maintain, but he does it with relentless clarity, verbal patience, and humor. Brand has the material resources and personal abilities to pull this off with style, to connect with vastly different political audiences, and to make a real difference.
Occasionally, Brand's wardrobe choices leave me baffled, but to each his own. Sometimes he's rocking a look suggesting Obi-Wan Kenobi shopping at thrift stores. Other times, he's reminiscent of Jesus of Nazareth if the Nazarene had decided that wearing boatloads of crosses was a good idea. Once my eyes get adjusted to Brand's lack of clean lines, however, he can be mesmerizing.
Check him out. The podcasts are brief, informative, and intellectually disciplined. Brand does more good in one YouTube video than I can do in a hundred blatherings. I salute him.
Bob Dietz
April 5, 2022
