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PMM
PMM
3155 posts

Bragg on Brand
Oct 27, 2014, 13:01
Billy Bragg wrote:


It’s difficult to say which I’ve found more entertaining – Russell Brand’s recent declarations of revolutionary fervour or the splenetic anger that he has elicited from mainstream commentators of both left and right wing persuasions. His Newsnight appearance last week had me laughing out loud as he attempted to avoid the best attempts of Evan Davis to paint him into a corner. And in his scathing review of Brand’s new book, Revolution, in the Observer yesterday, the normally insightful Nick Cohen sounded more like Sir Bufton Tufton, harrumphing about the ‘atrocious writing’ and accusing him of only half reading the books that he quotes.

Brand’s new revolutionary persona - an irrepressible mixture of Che Guevara and Austin Powers - can be exasperating. I find myself attracted by what he’s saying, yet repulsed by the way he’s saying it: great that he’s talking about inequality, but please don’t spoil it by telling me 9/11 was an inside job.

Brand made more sense on BBC Radio Four’s ‘Start The Week’ this morning along with Juliet Barker, who has written a book about the Peasant’s Revolt, David Babbs, who founded 38 Degrees and philosopher Susan Neiman, who posed the question of what it means to be a ‘grown up’. It was an idea platform for his ideas.

Each guest had something to say about the way we conduct politics now and Brand managed to keep his excitable verbosity under control until the host suggested that the best option for change was to vote for the least worse party at the next election. Brand let rip at this and I have to admit that I would have done the same if I’d been in his position.

His exhortation not to vote is perhaps an extreme response to the problem, but many millions of people are deeply frustrated by the paucity of choice at the next election. With Labour promising to stick to Tory and Lib Dem spending limits, where’s the choice? Where’s the democracy?

And despite being portrayed as such by the media, Brand’s dismissal of voting isn’t an apathetic cop-out, it’s a call to arms. He wants people to get more engaged in activism, to think outside the box, to see that the way that we do politics is rigged to benefit the powerful.

In many ways, Brand represents a return to the days when alternative politics was a key aspect of youth culture. The ideas in his book are very similar to those expressed by the Beatles in the mid-60s. It’s unusual, in these days of fundamentalist atheism, for counter-cultural figures to espouse spiritual insights as part of their critique of capitalism, but Brand does so without any qualms. When Nick Cohen dismissed this tendency by snootily declaring that ‘no figure in the history of the left has seen Buddhism as a force for human emancipation’ I couldn’t help thinking of how John Lennon embraced transcendental meditation.

In a society where the government offers us graphs that prove that, despite more foodbanks opening every week, the economy is successful, Brand’s call to think differently, to change your consciousness from passive to active, makes as much sense as anything else on offer.

One of the biggest criticisms of Brand is that he doesn’t have the answers to the problems that he’s highlighting. But guess what – Woody’s guitar didn’t really kill fascists. It was a declaration of intent - that he was going to use his talent to challenge the oppressor.

This idea, that popular culture should be used as a force to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, has been pushed to the margins in the 21st century. I believe that Russell Brand represents a return to that tradition. He realises that his talent has given him a platform to speak out about inequality and now he’s going to push as hard as he can against the system to see if it has any effect.

He appears to understand the limits to this approach – several times now I’ve heard him say he’s just trying to amplify the voices of people like the E15 Mothers, whose fight against eviction was ignored by the mainstream media until he turned up to support them.

As ever, pop figures talking about radical politics always throw up a heap of contradictions and Brand’s hedonistic history makes him an even bigger target for those who seek to stop him speaking out. I hope he manages to keep his nerve and focus his arguments, because at a time when out political discourse is tightly controlled by a bunch of technocrats who all did PPE together at Oxford, we need counter-cultural figures to challenge all our thinking.

Russell Brand may not have all the answers, but the role of the artist is to ask the right questions, to ring in the changes rather than make them himself. I welcome his contribution.

Astralcat
Astralcat
742 posts

Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 27, 2014, 13:18
Excellent. Thanks for posting that. I entirely agree with every word.
tjj
tjj
3606 posts

Edited Oct 27, 2014, 22:03
Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 27, 2014, 20:27
Hello, hope you don't mind me dropping by to comment on Russell Brand. I like him a lot though didn't see the controversial Newsnight programme. I did hear most of "Start the Week" this morning and thought it a very appropriate mix of guests. Juliet Barker talking about the "Great Revolt" (Peasants Revolt) was particularly apt - its an important piece of English history that's not about kings and queens. I'm proud of the fact the town hall in the town I live in is called Watt Tyler House - the now Tory council hasn't so far changed it (perhaps they're scared of another revolt). Russell Brand was respectful and restrained in his interaction with all the guests this morning - though I didn't hear the end bit as had to go out. I'm not sure if Russell Brand in himself can effect change - perhaps he should join forces with the Green Party who are a gentle, sensible breed though a bit too quietly spoken for their own good. Caroline Lucas was on the Andrew Marr programme on Sunday morning reviewing the papers and was basically drowned out by the two overbearing male guests sitting on the same sofa. She could do with a Russell Brand on her side.

I disagree with Billy Bragg (who I greatly admire) in likening Russell Brand to the Beatles - especially John Lennon. That was another lifetime, another planet and the Beatles had become millionaires. We were still living under the protection of the NHS at its best, young people leaving school found work easily, university was grant funded. We still had a working class that was proud to work and who had work.

Russell Brand is articulate and intelligent ... but the jury is still out as far as I'm concerned and even if revolution was to happen (it wouldn't be bloodless for sure) we would still ultimately end up back at the ballot box.
Captain Starlet
Captain Starlet
1110 posts

Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 27, 2014, 21:18
I would like to agree, but sadly just see brand as someone who's hopping on a bandwagon, just coming up with hackneyed ideas and being an utter bell end, especially with the no vote crap, which he seems to be desperately trying to wrangle out of. It's hard to try and admire someone who claims to be working in the interests of the public from his ivory tower where he doesn't see or even be affected by what goes on in the world around him.
Sin Agog
Sin Agog
2253 posts

Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 28, 2014, 08:36
I doubt you've watched the Trews, or you prob wouldn't have written that last sentence. Its whole ethos is engaging in the world around him. Dude does a new one every weekday; he's at least 500 percent more plugged-in to the world and its various ills than even I am.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAjCiXwP46w
sanshee
sanshee
1080 posts

Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 28, 2014, 10:45
I agree with you there, and when I saw Bragg I thought if Melv and thought 'how strange' but when I saw it was 'Billy' I thought ah well, never mind...
Also does Billy Bragg really otherwise 'admire' Nick Cohen?
I recall hearing our own arch drude on Radcliffe and Maconie come out with something you just would never have guessed.
Speaking about his novel, he made this telling comment re 'the capitalist system' (sic) and regardless of its flaws and injustices it has allowed him the privilege of doing his stuff on stage every night and enjoying the sort lifestyle not really worth complaining about.
Here's the interview, I've probably got the quote wrong but the gist is right:)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p021p12b
tjj
tjj
3606 posts

Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 28, 2014, 19:07
sanshee wrote:

Here's the interview, I've probably got the quote wrong but the gist is right:)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p021p12b


Thank you for that link - have just reposted elsewhere. As I said in my earlier post I hadn't made up my mind about Russell Brand, so this helps. I like very much that he is giving these young people a chance to be heard and appears to be listening without patronising them. How can London councils leave perfectly habitable flats empty while telling people who have lived there all their lives to move up north. I was once like them, homeless with a young child to care for - fortunately my parents took us in so I wasn't on the streets. Eventually I was given a council house which I will always be grateful for.

Somebody whose opinion I usually value today said Russell Brand is not a force for good ... is there anybody out there in public life who is a force for good. We have the Green Party on the margins is all. If the SNP spread south of the border they would have my vote - but sadly that can't happen.
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat
6200 posts

Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 28, 2014, 20:02
tjj wrote:
Somebody whose opinion I usually value today said Russell Brand is not a force for good ... is there anybody out there in public life who is a force for good. We have the Green Party on the margins is all.


I've changed my view of Russell Brand a lot over the last couple of years, mainly because of the Trews and the fact that he uses his "notoriety" (for want of a better word) to make a lot of points that a lot of other people - like Billy Bragg even, in some cases - might shy away from making. He's pretty spot on with most of his targets and causes, in my view.

I don't personally agree with his "no vote" stance, although I understand and admire the sentiments behind it. For me, too many people died getting me the right to vote to not use it whenever I can. I have a Green MEP now, and I don't believe the democratic process itself is broken, despite the paucity of choice from the three centre parties - people need to move away from the idea that some votes are "wasted".

I also think that the Referendum on Scotland was a brilliant example of how a sufficiently strong cause is capable of engaging almost the entire electorate (on both sides of the debate). It would be great to see that level of engagement in politics across the whole country come next May. People like Russell Brand may help to interest some people in politics who otherwise wouldn't care.
Astralcat
Astralcat
742 posts

Edited Oct 29, 2014, 08:27
Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 29, 2014, 07:49
Interesting interview. Thanks for the link. It did confirm what I'd always suspected though. His 'revolutionary' schtick really is just a posture. A useful and lucrative one for sure, but it's all a bit hollow.
Markoid
Markoid
1621 posts

Edited Oct 29, 2014, 11:32
Re: Bragg on Brand
Oct 29, 2014, 11:25
I like Brand. He talks sense. His sexual energy has gone into positive political action. I have a quibble with him puting all his stuff on youtube right enough. A multi-national corporation? I'll let him off for trying to infiltrate the masses.
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