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Russell Brand Explains Recent Hijacking of MSNBC Show

Jul 2, 2013  •  Post A Comment

Comedian Russell Brand opened up about a controversial appearance a couple of weeks ago on the MSNBC show "Morning Joe," which was described as Brand’s hijacking of the show.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed reports: "Appearing to promote his ‘Messiah Complex’ tour, Brand grew increasingly frustrated with the set-up and the hosts referring to the comedian as if he wasn’t there, leading him to admonish them for their lack of ‘manners’ and take the interview into his own hands, promoting his tour and delivering the news himself."

Now Brand has followed up with an op-ed in the U.K. paper The Guardian, saying everything went smoothly until he encountered "rudeness from the crew," THR reports.

Brand explains in the op-ed: "I was surprised by the soundman’s impatient intrusiveness and yet more surprised as I stood just off set, beside the faux-newsroom near the pseudo-researchers who appear on camera as pulsating set dressing, when the soundman yapped me to heel with the curt entitlement of Idi Amin’s PA."

THR adds: "He goes on to say that when he sat down, he realized what he was in for, claiming that he became aware the show was broadcasting ‘the shrill, white noise of dumb current affairs.’"

Brand writes: "One of the things that’s surprising when you go on telly a lot is that often the on-camera ‘talent’ (yuck!) are perfectly amiable when you chat to them normally, but when the red light goes on they immediately transform into shark-eyed Stepford berks talking in a cadence you encounter nowhere else but TV-land — a meter that implies simultaneously carefree whimsy and stifled hysteria."

Click here to see video of the "Morning Joe" appearance.

3 Comments

  1. I thought he was brilliant. The anchors were squirming something awful. It was great live TV moment…

  2. After seeing the entire segment and working in TV production most of my life, his descriptions are dead on. Also, there was nothing “controversial” about it. He was treated like an absent 3rd party.

  3. RB’s “rant” was right on the button–I’m so tired of TV “news” and this was a perfect incident of what it should be like–free ranging thought, smart guy taking the reins from the talking heads and putting his ability up front without pulling punches. TV news? News to me. More Brand, less baloney.

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