The voice on the other end of the line surprises me; I'm expecting someone loud and zany, instead I'm greeted by a soft-spoken, polite Russell Brand. Yes, that Russell Brand - the infamous, wild-haired, British comedian. And yes, I did just refer to him as polite. We only have a short time for our interview, and in typical Brand fashion he wastes no time getting down to business - flirting.
"I feel a bit like we're meeting for a date," says Brand in his heavy cockney accent on the phone from Los Angeles.
"A long distance one," I offer. Without missing a beat he replies: "Often that's a nice way to begin a date."
With the clock ticking, there's not much time to chat about his upcoming hosting gig at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) this Sunday, so the innocent flirting comes to an abrupt end.
The 34-year-old comic is back for a second round of hosting duties at the VMAs, which is curious considering the lukewarm response he received when he hosted the youthful awards show last year. Not yet a household name in North America, Brand created controversy when he referred to George W. Bush as a "retarded cowboy" who "wouldn't be trusted with scissors" in England. He also announced that "If there was a female Christ it's Britney (Spears)." Brand received death threats while the 2008 VMAs received a 20 per cent spike in ratings. And so Brand is back and is prepared should he face another easily offended audience.
"Begin every joke with a statement 'this is a joke' and then say it," says Brand, who plans to do "everything differently" from last year. Not surprising given how Brand takes to the stage without abandon. The eccentric, charismatic funnyman - who resembles a rock star stuck between the late 80s and early 90s - is excited to be back hosting. "It's kind of big boots for me, in a way, it's exciting, but one hopes for a little less controversy," says Brand.
Less controversy? Is he kidding?
Probably not, since he's adamant about having some steady prep time for a show as big as the VMAs.
"Oh Jesus, you've got to prepare or else your doomed," he says. And while Brand could very easily fly off the cuff, he'd rather save the improvising for his own stand-up routines.
"I like improvising but you gotta be careful where you do that," says Brand, adding, "it can be a bit risky." This coming from the same guy who was fired from his job at MTV across the pond for bringing his then drug dealer to work and - because that wasn't crossing the workplace line far enough - dressing up as Osama bin Laden the day after the Sept. 11 attacks. Granted, that was several years ago, but Brand is still a comic not afraid to take risks, so there's likely to still be enough risque moments during Sunday's show to rattle MTV executives or humourless viewers eager to send a death threat or two.
Having said that, poking fun at famous folks isn't high on his agenda this year, Brand says his shtick will be more "pop cultural."
A big music fan himself (his cat is named Morrissey, after the British singer-songwriter) Brand says the performances are what he's looking forward to the most at this year's show, particularly Jay-Z and the Michael Jackson tribute.
No comments:
Post a Comment