Russell Brand can always be relied upon to stir the shit, and overnight, he did just that during an appearance on UK TV show Newsnight.
The comedian was promoting his new book Revolution, about the need for social reforms in the UK, but this being Brand, things quickly took a turn for the combative.
Brand’s comments on how he’s “open minded” about the idea of 9/11 being an inside job are the most widely-reported aspect of this interview, and have drawn widespread condemnation, leading to anger on Twitter, and complaints to the BBC itself.
“I think it is interesting at this time when we have so little trust in our political figures, where ordinary people have so little trust in their media, we have to remain open-minded to any kind of possibility,” he said.
“Do you trust the American government? Do you trust the British government? What I do think is very interesting is the relationship that the Bush family have had for a long time with the Bin Laden family.”
Over the course of the interview, Brand also got fired up about corporate malfeasance, “built-in obsolescence”, the occupy movement, and the BBC’s role in the Scottish Independence Referendum.
Then there’s the small matter of his body language with terrified presenter Evan Davis, telling him “You’re much more tactile than that Jeremy [Paxman] geezer – he hated it when I touched his legs!”
A representative for the BBC has since come out and defended the interview, saying: “Love him or loathe him Russell Brand has been one of the most eloquent voices articulating the anti-politics mood that all British politicians are currently struggling to engage with.”
