Respect Authority

For every entertaining stand-up comedian on Comedy Central, there are least five cringe-worthy amateurs – who by the grace of some malevolent God were afforded their own half-hour special in which to spout redneck jokes or uninspired quips like “Man, the subway is just so crowded.”

But every so often, as in the case of Demitri Martin, Kevin James and Dane Cook (circa 2006), the illustrious Comedy Central debut is a harbinger of good things to come, of a long and hopefully successful career in the world’s biggest venues, or on a bearably mundane sitcom.

So it was with Russell Brand, the British comedian who had his own inaugural show on Comedy Central this weekend. Now, Brand is not an amateur so much as he is simply British, and despite years of experience on ye ole’ English standup scene — plus a slew of over-the-top “telly” appearances — he’s managed to remain relatively unknown over here in the states. That is until his riotous (one might say breakout, if it weren’t so insulting to break out in such a mediocre movie) role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

In the last 48 hours, I’ve gone from knowing Brand simply as the whimsical rocker he played in Marshall to realizing he is one of the most unique stand-up comedians out there, a journey that’s already taken me through two full-length performances and one salacious (and magenta-colored) memoir.

Indeed, after witnessing Brand on Comedy Central—a great introduction, as he curtailed the British-isms for an American audience—I immediately took it upon myself to watch another full-length routine on You Tube. That performance, also two years older, bears the mark of someone who had yet to slow down on stage – a reality that makes it both harder to understand and far more outlandishly entertaining.  The next day I stumbled across Brand’s recently released memoir, titled My Booky Wook. It, too, is genius (and thankfully includes equally genius footnotes that explain any number of British words, phrases and cultural icons).

In short, if you’re a little weary of the Dane Cook Thunderdome style of stand-up, perhaps it’s time to look overseas, to the home of Monty Python and Ricky Gervais. And specifically, to someone who’s been named The Sun’s Shagger of the Year Award so many times (3 consecutively) that the paper renamed it to the Russell Brand Shagger of the Year Award. I’d like to see Demetri Martin show that kind of dedication.