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March 28, 2024, 10:21:01 PM

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Russell Brand - what happened?

Started by YouCantWriteTearsJimmy, January 28, 2022, 10:46:16 AM

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Dr Rock

Quote from: Mister Six on April 14, 2022, 06:27:15 PMHaven't listened to the video yet, but my YouTube turnoff is when people fake-snicker while quoting someone who is speaking nonsense in order to make it clear that they don't endorse those views, as though we couldn't pick that up from the content and context

In real life too - when people recount some incident and the other party's words are said in a stupid der-brain voice, I will often jokingly say 'that's how they spoke was it?'

Mister Six

Quote from: Dr Rock on April 14, 2022, 08:09:43 PMIn real life too - when people recount some incident and the other party's words are said in a stupid der-brain voice, I will often jokingly say 'that's how they spoke was it?'

The der-brain thing, or most kinds of theatrical recollection, doesn't bother me much. It's specifically the recitation of a quote, then the voice going all snickery around the most egregious part, like the person is pretending to laugh, that gets to me.

petril

Quote from: Mister Six on April 14, 2022, 06:27:15 PMHaven't listened to the video yet, but my YouTube turnoff is when people fake-snicker while quoting someone who is speaking nonsense in order to make it clear that they don't endorse those views, as though we couldn't pick that up from the content and context of the video itself. Lindsay Ellis, whose output I've mostly enjoyed (what little of it I've seen), did it a lot, as does hbomberguy.

I've always wondered if that's a way to protect themselves from being clipped out of context

Martin Van Buren Stan

It makes me cringe too but what's the alternative? Reading the entire script in a monotone? They've got to make the video entertaining

Mister Six

Those are not the only two options.

Ferris

Quote from: Mister Six on April 14, 2022, 06:27:15 PMHaven't listened to the video yet, but my YouTube turnoff is when people fake-snicker while quoting someone who is speaking nonsense in order to make it clear that they don't endorse those views, as though we couldn't pick that up from the content and context of the video itself. Lindsay Ellis, whose output I've mostly enjoyed (what little of it I've seen), did it a lot, as does hbomberguy.

This completely puts me off Ellis. I'm sure she's great, but I find her 2014 online-persona smug Web 2.0 snark ludicrously annoying. Never got past the first 5 minutes.

People seem to like her stuff so I'm sure it's just me being difficult but there you go.

TrenterPercenter

It's because the fashion at the moment is all about sneering along with your tribe which (alongside the twitterisation of everything) creates an audience that can't handle criticism, nuance or even jokes, despite them fully expecting anyone else to take their criticism, nuance and jokes as reasonable. 

imo this also has to do with in world largely full of fake things and short attention span people crave authenticity, and identity, which means they want "real issues" but presented in confirmatory edutainment forms.  Personally I can ignore these elements but when you see their Contrapoints and Ellis being cancelled by their own fans you can see psychological mess this approach makes.  You've got to teach some plurality of opinions, but the hook of having your own angry opinions massaged and confirmed is a massive dopamine hit for some people, giving them a sense of belonging and purpose.  There are some dovetails here with the Brand and Peterson schtick in that these messengers are constantly trying to create this stimulating content so you keep coming back, anger and sneery put downs are what people come for, it's the same reason people loved to watched Jerry Springer, the draaaaaams innit.

Video Game Fan 2000

#187
There's an extension of the Twitter lib thing where bad ideas aren't bad because they're irrational or factually flawed or badly intentioned, they're wrong because the person who said it is haha dumb and therefore must be responded to with 00s SA-tier irony and rich kid flippancy. Otherwise you'd be having a debate, and who wants to be a debate bro? They're so dumb! Sealioning, right? Haha! The comic says you're dumb.

The audience ends up between two stools because on the one hand, you want to be smart person who talks about society and constructs and power relations like the big boys, but on the other you're in a pseudo-social group where ridicule is considered the only appropriate response to disagreement. To argue would be an admission of defeat, because it would be recognition that the other side have a position and aren't just cartoonish objects of ridicule. It's not a million miles away from how Ben Shapiro or Brand or Rogan or fundie Christian groups deal with media that's about dissent. The fundie flow chart: if you can't engage, ridicule, if you can't ridicule then call your opponent a fascist and say its immoral to even consider their point of view. You don't want to be "telling on yourself", do you?

The other gimmick is using familiar voices for *nodding agreeing* text and snickering voices for *laughing pointing* text. It all works to create the effect of all the cool kids liking the same thing. All your video friends are here on the same video. Got bollocked on here last year by saying this was the same as Fox News using rotating talking heads to create the illusion of a reliable consensus between different PoVs but it is effectively a small-scale version of same.

somersetchris

Quote from: Mister Six on April 14, 2022, 06:27:15 PMHaven't listened to the video yet, but my YouTube turnoff is when people fake-snicker while quoting someone who is speaking nonsense in order to make it clear that they don't endorse those views, as though we couldn't pick that up from the content and context of the video itself. Lindsay Ellis, whose output I've mostly enjoyed (what little of it I've seen), did it a lot, as does hbomberguy.

Ha ha reading the first part of that I was thinking 'hbomberguy' for sure. For someone who gets millions of views and seems to be one of the most popular of that kind of genre, he does have this incredibly fake and hysterical voice he uses to read out things he disagrees with, as if it's the most hilarious stand-up he has ever heard. If you're laughing at other people fine, but what I don't get about it is why they do this voice that is so obviously fake, inventing this high pitched laughter which is annoying more than anything else. You're right Ellis does it as well but she's less bad, her problem is more her inherent smugness that at least hbomberguy doesn't generally have. Robert Evans on Behind The Bastards does it a lot, and what's worse with him is that he is usually talking about some hideous atrocity and then screeching in laughter at some wrong opinion about it.

Video Game Fan 2000

Voice gettinghigherandhigherandlouderandzoominginthenEXPLOSION .GIF


TrenterPercenter

Quote from: Video Game Fan 2000 on April 17, 2022, 03:13:04 PMIt all works to create the effect of all the cool kids liking the same thing. All your video friends are here on the same video.

Ha I very much wrote something similar in my previous post.

The Dog

Don't want to upset anyone but that's the voice I use for reading your posts, it is very annoying but I just assumed it was how you all spoke.


Martin Van Buren Stan

Oh yeah I remember that. Must have been over 5 years ago now? The backlash on Twitter was quite funny

idunnosomename

Its been a long couple of years hasnt it. He left the tweet up actually

https://twitter.com/rustyrockets/status/1308071729810608134


bgmnts

What a strange man. Wasn't Brand working class himself?

Ray Travez

He's working class yes, from Grays in Essex. As far as I remember he lived in a semi, he revisits it in one of his documentaries, possibly the one he made about abstinence.

Mobbd

To be fair, working class men (self included) don't generally bust out words like apricot and cinnamon as adjectives, partly because it doesn't come naturally after such a shit education and partly for fear of a life-threatening beating from homophobes or class loyalty wardens. Bit patronising on his part but I see what he was getting at.

comedycomedy

I saw him tonight in Brixton. Big crowd but except for a few gems and some decent improvisation I'd say it was painful. Non stop shouting - no variation in his delivery at all any more. Narcissistic platitudes and wouldn't it be great if we shared round the money rants. The most interesting part of the evening was when he physically marched a guy with an annoying laugh from the front row into the rear of the theatre as it was affecting his concentration. Either it was schtick or else a revolting case of entitled bullying. I'd say he is a now a self-obsessed rebel rouser without a cause stretching 20 minutes of decent comedy into 3 hours of sub-A level drama student mediocrity. He's not right wing though. Just a dull teenage preacher with no bible. I left before his guided meditation session. Bobby Davro was in the audience. I'd prefer to have seen him.  That's saying something.

Des Wigwam

Quote from: Mobbd on April 25, 2022, 02:44:19 PMTo be fair, working class men (self included) don't generally bust out words like apricot and cinnamon as adjectives, partly because it doesn't come naturally after such a shit education and partly for fear of a life-threatening beating from homophobes or class loyalty wardens. Bit patronising on his part but I see what he was getting at.

I could see him saying "working class men" in an emphatic way with that sort of rising inflection on "working" with his half quarter laugh and it sounding self-aware and ok on the radio. Doesn't really work written down. Maybe if he had added "no less" it would have carried his intent better. Or maybe it was just patronising.

gilbertharding

Quote from: Mobbd on April 25, 2022, 02:44:19 PMTo be fair, working class men (self included) don't generally bust out words like apricot and cinnamon as adjectives, partly because it doesn't come naturally after such a shit education and partly for fear of a life-threatening beating from homophobes or class loyalty wardens. Bit patronising on his part but I see what he was getting at.

I wonder if he could tell from my accent* (or anything else) what kind of school I went to**, what my dad did for a living***, or my relationship to the means of production****... don't know... but if I saw that dog, I doubt I'd use any words to describe him except 'good boy' or possibly 'shaggy'. Apricot... I highly doubt.

* Generic Southern English
** State comprehensive
*** Scientist
**** Employed by a private company

I wonder if Brand has a certain kind of narcissism that makes a person think the far left and far right are the same thing, and it's OK to express far-right ideas if you call yourself a socialist while doing so?

comedycomedy

He is a complex character but his narcissism and his impulsiveness/emotional instability are his clear starting points.
Like all super-fast comedians he is driven by and benefits from his ADHD. But he speaks in platitudes and like all auto-didacts does not know where the gaps in his knowledge lie - so he fills up his deficits unknowingly with buzzwords and second hand phrases. It's the "Love Me" show. To be fair, his audience tend to adore him. I find it exhausting. I prefer Sadowitz's "Hate me" events. But what do I know? He has a flock now rather than a fan base. He's evangelical without any message really.  At 3 hrs plus per show he's trying to be the Bruce Springsteen of comedy but unlike Ken Dodd I don't leave his shows feeling happier. He's very charismatic of course but I long for something more nuanced.

As to his views? I don't think there is a settled world view. He's not left nor right wing just restlessly anti-establishment without knowing where his path lies. It's all just adolescent really and this self-help, spiritual, love me and love everyone while hating "The Man" is just a waste of time. Some of his lines show comic genius. It's all very frustrating

ajsmith2

#205
Just futilely bumping this thread to say I can't believe how far this cunt has fallen into being a robotic right wing content provider. I was never a fan I admit but his work never used to seem so unedifyingly bleak to behold: take a look at his Youtube channel and it's endless Biden/Bill Gates stuff with blown up headlines churned out daily repeated into monotonous infinity. In the actual content of the videos there is some nuance and carefully added disclaimers but the bigger picture is he's decided he now creates junk food clickbait for cunts and that's his thing.

Thosworth

It looks like he's putting out one ten minute+ video per day and getting on average about 500k views each, which apparently works out at $1,000 a day.

idunnosomename

All his videos seem to be vauge non-specific titles like "Can't believe they did this!" or "What's going on here?" with a thumbnail a politician and something circled. Who watches such trash.

I always hated him. Like Ricky Gervais and Frankie Boyle. I suppose all this really proves is that I am a miserable bastard.

I was recommended one of his videos in another search - talking to the guy who has made a decent living out of Covid scepticism and the pet doctor of a number of the 'question everything' crowd - Dr John Campbell.

Funny thing about how he described the placebo effect as part of the double blind clinical trial procedure but it lead into a discussion of the power of the human psyche and 'energy' as a means of self healing. It's absolute gibberish of course, but the blurb in the description reveals why this might be the case - Campbell is a doctor of nursing education, not a clinician. His clinical expertise is no more than a nurse, and his doctoral expertise is how to better teach nurses. Not to diminish that accomplishment or knowledge of course, but it absolutely does not make him competent to pump out videos about what's going on in Wuhan, why you should distrust vaccines, or the lowdown on monkey pox.

His comments are full of the same kinds of herberts that hang off Brand's words, but it is much more worrying because of this guy's apparent credentials conferred by presenting a misleading title. 

jonbob

I feel Brand was one of those people who feigned being a left wing social justice warrior as a cover for being a sexual predator and now he's gotten older he doesn't have to bother. Now he can churn out substandard bullshit to gullible, poorly educated people and if they die as result of following his advice he doesn't care