Russell Brand used to be the darling of the working class somehow – I never really understood why but he definitely was for a time.
A couple of months ago though seemingly the whole world (internet) turned on him in a second, seemingly for no reason other than someone thought it was funny to say ‘Parklife’ after every one of his vague political criticisms. To be fair to him, he did respond by making his own Parklife video which shows he can take a bit of banter, but it seems like the damage might have been done already as the backlash seems to be gaining momentum and it’s unlikely that the video below will do anything to help him turn it around.
It’s filmed outside 10 Downing Street where Brand had shown up to support a march of hundreds of residents of the New Era estate in Hoxton, who now face eviction following the acquisition of the estate by US investment firm Westbrook Partners. The estate was originally built as affordable housing for workers so you can see why they’re pissed off about it and why Brand might want to help them out given his recent philanthropy.
However, upon speaking to a Channel 4 news interviewer, Brand turned hostile when he was asked whether or not the main problem driving London housing prices up was the fact that the super rich – such as Brand himself – were buying properties in the area. Brand didn’t respond well to these comments and responded even less well when asked how much his house was worth, saying that he rented it and then going on a really long rant at his interviewer without letting him get a word in. It’s interesting that Brand uses the same technique as an interviewer AND an interviewee huh? The segment ended after Hoxton New Era resident Lindsey Garrett (who probably wants to join the long list of Russell Brand’s conquests) jumped in praising Brand’s actions, before Brand himself called the interviewer a snide and walking off.
Although I don’t particularly like Russell Brand or his methods, I’ve got to admit that he’s doing a lot more to cultivate change and try and raise awareness of problems in this country than anyone else in his position, so you’ve got to give him props for that. It’s just a shame he comes across like a massive twat when he does it.
