Russell Brand: Comedy, Celebrity, Politics PDF
Preview Russell Brand: Comedy, Celebrity, Politics
Palgrave Studies in Comedy Series Editors Roger Sabin University of the Arts London London, United Kingdom Sharon Lockyer Brunel University Uxbridge, Middlesex, United Kingdom Comedyispartoftheculturallandscapeasneverbefore,asoldermanifesta- tions such as performance (stand-up, plays, etc.), film and TV have been joinedbyanonlineindustry,pioneeredbyYouTubeandsocialmedia.This innovativenewbookserieswillhelpdefinetheemergingcomedystudiesfield, offeringfreshperspectivesonthecomedystudiesphenomenon,andopening upnewavenuesfordiscussion.Thefocusis‘popcultural’,andwillemphasize vaudeville,stand-up,variety,comedyfilm,TVsit-coms,anddigitalcomedy.It willnotcoverhumorinliterature,comedyin‘everydaylife’,orthepsychology ofjoke-telling.Itwillwelcomestudiesofpolitics,history,aesthetics,produc- tion, distribution, and reception, as well as work that explores international perspectivesandthedigitalrealm.Aboveallitwillbepioneering–thereisno competitioninthepublishingworldatthispointintime. More information aboutthisseries at http://www.springer.com/series/14644 JaneArthurs(cid:129)BenLittle Russell Brand Comedy, Celebrity, Politics JaneArthurs BenLittle MiddlesexUniversity UniversityofEastAnglia London,UnitedKingdom Norwich,UnitedKingdom PalgraveStudiesinComedy ISBN978-1-137-59627-7 ISBN978-1-137-59628-4(eBook) DOI10.1057/978-1-137-59628-4 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016955176 ©TheEditor(s)(ifapplicable)andTheAuthor(s)2016 Theauthor(s)has/haveassertedtheirright(s)tobeidentifiedastheauthor(s)ofthisworkin accordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988. Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsaresolelyandexclusivelylicensedbythePublisher, whetherthewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation, reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation,broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorin any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhere- afterdeveloped. Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,servicemarks,etc.inthis publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesare exemptfromtherelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. Thepublisher,theauthorsandtheeditorsaresafetoassumethattheadviceandinformation in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publishernortheauthorsortheeditorsgiveawarranty,expressorimplied,withrespectto thematerialcontainedhereinorforanyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade. Coverillustration:PatternadaptedfromanIndiancottonprintproducedinthe19thcentury Printedonacid-freepaper ThisPalgravePivotimprintispublishedbySpringerNature TheregisteredcompanyisMacmillanPublishersLtd. Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:TheCampus,4CrinanStreet,London,N19XW, UnitedKingdom For Marie Morley(1961–2014), anactivist to the end,and Jonah Winch(born 2015), whosetroublemakinghasjust begun. E NDORSEMENTS ‘ThiscaptivatingandenlighteningbookchartsRussellBrand’srisefromcomedian toradiohosttoauthor,activistandmovementleader.Itexplainswhyheisakey figuretounderstandthepoliticalandculturalhorizonthatisunfoldinginthewake oftheGreatRecessionandthecrossoverbetweencelebrityculture,populismand emergingformsofpoliticalleadershipinaneramarkedbypopulardiscontentand acrisisofpoliticalelites.’ –PaoloGerbaudo,KingsCollege,London,UK,andauthorofTheMaskandthe Flag:Populism,CitizenismandGlobalProtest ‘Thisisafantasticallyexcitingbook,onewhichbothforensicallyinterrogatesthe culturalsignificanceofBrandasacomedianbutwhichalsoplaceshimattheheart of a much bigger intellectual narrative about comic celebrity and its increasing impactoncontemporaryBritishpolitics.’ –Sam Friedman, London School of Economics, UK, and author of Comedy and Distinction:TheCulturalCurrencyofa‘Good’SenseofHumour ‘How can a celebrity of global stature “transform public debate, become an established symbol of activist politics, and then seem to vanish almost without trace”? Arthurs and Little’s remarkable new book tackles this question with transdisciplinarylucidity,unpackingthemanymeaningsofRussellBrand,situating themavericktricksterinbroadercontext,andintheprocessofferingavibrantand vitalresourceforallthosewhowanttounderstandcelebrity,contemporarypolitics andtheconnectionsbetweenthem.’ –Jo Littler, City University, London, UK, and author of Against Meritocracy: Culture,PowerandMythsofMobility A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS Jane would like to thank Christine Dayman and Kristin Demetrious for commissioning her chapter on ‘Celebrity, Gender and Reputation Management at the BBC’ for theirbook on Genderand Public Relations whichinitiatedherinterestinRussellBrand;SylviaShawforcontributing her meticulous skills in conversational analysis to their joint article about the Newsnight interview which kicked this project off; Oliver Double for hosting a conference on Politics and Humour at Kent University (2015) where Roger Sabin suggested we write this book; Sharon Lockyer at Brunel University’s Centre for Comedy Studies Research for organising asymposiumonComedyandPoliticswhichrequiredarobustdefenceof Brand(2015);GillianSwansonandLauraCorballisforcontributingtheir sharp editing skills to the final manuscript; the School of Media and PerformingArts,MiddlesexUniversity,forsupportinghertimetounder- taketheresearchandwriting;JosephSimmonsfordesigningthediagrams andtables;andJonathan Simmons forhispatience. Ben would like to thank everyone at Soundings Journal for their forbearance while he worked on the book. In particular, Sally Davison, who picked up the slack on essential editing tasks, and Doreen Massey, whotalkedoversomeofthekeyideasbutsadlyleftusbeforereadingthe final book. Ben thanks our interviewees for generously giving their time to this project: Neal Lawson, Stephen Reid, Sarah Day, Sam Fairbairn, Jonathan Rowson, Helen Lewis and Ed Miliband; Eliane Glaser who invitedhimtospeakatthe2015Post-PoliticsconferenceatBirkbeckto try out some early ideas; former colleagues at Middlesex University, those still there and others elsewhere, whose support and friendship vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS were invaluable; Alan Finlayson for listening patiently as Ben attempted to work through theoretical knots while bouncing Jonah on his knee; Helena and Simon Hart, but especially Chris and Cathy Winch, whose help with childcare created vital time for writing; and Alison Winch for pretty much everything. C ONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 Stand-upComedy 27 3 HybridMedia Celebrity 55 4 FromCelebrity Apparatus toPoliticalAssemblage 83 Bibliography 115 Index 131 ix
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