Revolution

Russell Brand perhaps needs no introduction. His notoriety precedes him, as one who confesses, honestly I might add, to having within him an "extremist, destructive impulse." He gained his notoriety and following as a one time "enfant terrible" of the nightclub flesh pots, comedy club, Hollywood, US and UK talk show circuits. But one can only grind one's gears in the run-away, fast lane for so long before you crash and burn, with a pickled brain and liver. "Sometimes when you're famous you can get away with being a lunatic," says he, … perhaps because it makes us question the "customary, consensual behavior"… but "mostly for a laugh." That's our Russell! So for us members of the general public, who can hardly escape being aware of those in the public eye, it is intriguing to see the transformation that this young man (celebrity) has made from a glitzy, out-of-control, substance-abusing, sex- and heroin-addict wise guy to the new "brand" of social activist-reformer and would-be spiritual guru. He is in a word, trying to be, and perhaps is, a "wounded healer." Time flies in the fast lane and it is noteworthy that the new Mr. B has been clean and sober for 11 years. Russell, if I may be so familiar, has a native charm to go with his native and incisively-quick wit, and a street-wise, but unaffectedly naïve and friendly buoyancy – perhaps he was born buzzed – which makes him talk innocently of the opinions of his quirky "mates" along side those of G. K. Chesterton, Gandhi, Jesus and the Dalai Lama. Innocence has its charms, and I recall chuckling when I saw Russell asked by a talk show host why he titled his first venture into the literary world as My Booky Wook; his reply, grinning from ear to ear and without missing a beat, was: "Because I'm childish!"

This present book, Revolution (with the 'evol' bit equaling "love," spelled backwards and highlighted on the cover), is ostensibly about the wealth gap and the value-impoverished mind set, and distorted, if not corrupt, consumer-loving, media-drugged, social order, and the cultural narrative which allows such imbalances to exist in the name of freedom and democracy. We now all know statistics which show that fewer than 100 of the world's richest people own more assets than half the world's population, or that the top 1% in the UK own more than the bottom 55%. In the USA the six Walmart heirs own more than the poorest 30%, with more security guards than high school teachers to help protect it! These uniforms stood respectfully to attention, with most of the rest of the world, during the $30 trillion bailout to the Wall Street wealthiest, as they pulled off the greatest theft in history. But, confesses Russell, he's done OK in the celebrity sweepstakes, and is more than happy to concede that it he is as hypocritical as the next celebrity to even touch on the subject. But remember, society and its values put the likes of Russell into that 1% category in the first place.

Much of the book comes back to the theme of rehabilitation and transformation of the self. In his personal journey Russell has been on the retreat and rehabilitation circuit and become an exponent of yoga and transcendental meditation. He states "The reason I keep mentioning God is because I believe in God." He then quotes G. K Chesterton in saying "The death of God doesn't mean man will believe in nothing but that he will believe in anything." Russell says he was a "good example… at eight a believer in biscuits, at seventeen a devoted wanker, at nineteen a fanatical drug user before winding up in the monastery of celebrity."

Russell often reiterates the unity message central to eastern spiritual traditions, reminding us that "all desire is an inappropriate substitute for the desire to be at one with God." The miracle of existence which keeps our hearts beating without conscious effort should remind us that we are already one with the cosmic fabric. Optimistically Russell looks to a bright future where humans become "something unrecognisable" and have true freedom in a world of our creation where "consciousness is going to coalesce, collectivise [and] … return to the whole." There are therefore "alternatives to the systems we are currently using to organise society" and these days Russell is nothing if not vocal in this arena.

What then are these alternatives? I agree with our mate Russell that they have to be solutions that redress the imbalances by implementation of sound policies instituted by non violent means, ostensibly driven by the will of the people and their innate sense of fairness, often expressed as righteous indignation when thwarted by fat cats or the taxman. But, and we'll get to this soon, implementation is easier said than done. The enormity of a $30 trillion theft is beyond the comprehension of the man in the street, especially the homeless one whose indignation, or simple concern, is most likely focused on why he can't afford a hot meal or comfortable bed for the night.

Reading between the lines of Russell's effervescent text I sense a humanistic wisdom (Good on ya' young man), which forgives us mere mortals for our foibles and weaknesses. (And why not? Russell's exhibited a few – often with show-stopping flair). So while he points fingers at problem narratives and players, he forgivingly avoids ideological branding (get it) of perpetrators as demons beyond any hope of redemption. The trick is to move on and find realistic solutions. Consensus is great in theory, but a challenge, if not a near impossibility, in practice, at least as long as the inertia of present thinking prevails. Whistle blowing, and post-modern concern for the underdog has certainly exposed what Samuel Huntingdon said about US power…that "it remains strong…in the dark; exposed to the sunlight it begins to evaporate." But what replaces the crumbling old order? It is not enough to hope that people power will somehow magically organise, as if it had been politely biding its time to implement new and infinitely wise policies when the rascally old guard was finally ready to give up its greedy clutches on power. In reality the new guard is likely blinded by resentful and revolutionary fervour, which even if restrained and non-violent is almost inevitably redirected into an unhelpful ideological war of words.

In the latter part of the book Russell takes up the theme of state power (and its goal of protecting private and corporate interests) with considerable attention to Noam Chomsky's incisive expositions on the subject. Although Chomsky is smart enough to expose the devious strategies of power brokers, that does not mean he has solutions or equal power. The robber barons, and corporate rigging cannot be swept aside by compassionate saints who will say "Thanks, nice try, but we can take it from here: why don't you go and enjoy your Bahaman villas, and we'll have an egalitarian utopia up and running by Christmas, which, by the way, we will run in a truly Christian, non-commercial spirit." [My text, not Russell's!] This is why I think Russell's proposed solutions (using 12 steps to recovery models) aspire to at least on the grand scale to rather unrealistic, leaderless, post-modern consensual behaviour. He may be right - I hope so - that it can work locally at the grass roots scale, and evolve from there: dare I say it, with wise leadership! Consensus is great if you can get it, but as Russell admits, when himself engaging in consensual dialogue, one quickly realises how many of us have strong urges to be in control and promote our agendas. Damn it! I know my way makes the most sense!

In recent years Mr. B has come a fair way, and it is surely testimony to his transformation that he was recently picked by the Dalai Lama to host a Buddhist leader's youth event in the UK. He's also testified at various other government hearings, edited an issue of the New Statesman, all ostensibly to address social problems. Did the establishment register his message? At least they asked for his opinions, though many have been quick to react negatively to his suggestions as naïve claptrap. But I am reviewing his book, not what naysayers think of him. I'm also a naïve optimist, so must question my own old guard, (A team?), in-the-rut skepticism about naïve new guard solutions, and human nature's inclination to fall back into its old, complacent ways. Russell at least has youth, (some youth), on his side, and is not afraid to speak out. So perhaps it is time for the Mr. B team to take at least one little corner of the field and promote his new brand of revolution.