Russell Brand Puts His Spin On The 12-Step Program

WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY TO "THE LATE SHOW."
FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS A BRITISH ACTOR, A COMEDIAN, AND
AUTHOR.
PLEASE WELCOME RUSSELL BRAND.
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: HI.
NICE TO FINALLY MEET YOU.
WE MET BACKSTAGE A SECOND AGO.
>> EVEN SINCE THEN, OUR RELATIONSHIP HAS EVOLVED.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE BIT.
YOU'RE ONE OF THESE ACTORS I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE NOT HUGE ON
TALK SHOWS.
YOU DON'T LIKE SMALL TALK THAT MUCH.
>> I DO WORRY ABOUT SMALL TALK BECAUSE IN THE BACK OF ME MIND,
DURING SOME SMALL TALK, I MIGHT SUDDENLY REALIZE THAT WE ARE
MORTAL AND DEATH IS COMING-- CRUEL DEATH!
THE ICY HAND, THE ICY HAND, DEATH COMETH.
SO SOMETIMES THAT DISTRACTS ME FROM THE OLD SMALL TACK,
STEPHEN.
>> Stephen: DEATH LOOMS AT ALL TIME.
>> IT'S LOOMING RIGHT NOW.
>> Stephen: WHY ARE WE HERE, RUSSELL BRAND?
WHY IS THERE SOMETHING INSTEAD OF NOG?
THE DO YOU THINK IT'S TO MOVE TOWARDS ONENESS?
COULD THERE BE SOME CONSCIOUSNESS TRYING TO REALIZE
ITSELF THROUGH MATERIAL?
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, I THOUGHT
THE UNIVERSE WAS EXPANDING, AND EVENTUALLY ENTROPY WILL BRING US
TO SORT OF ABSOLUTE NEUTRAL ROOM TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT THE
UNIVERSE, AND WE'LL SUFFER HEAT DEATH, AND THERE WILL BE
NOTHING, NOT EVEN ENERGY.
>> BUT, STEPHEN!
70% OF THE UNIVERSE IS DARK MATTER.
IT'S INCONCEIVABLE.
IT CAN'T BE HELD WITHIN CONSCIOUSNESS.
WE DOTE KNOW THE RULES OF THE UNIVERSE YET, AS YOUR GREAT
HERMAN MELVILLE SAYS, ALL HUMAN SCIENCE BUT PASSING FABLES.
EVERYTHING WE HOLD IS OUR CREDO.
ALL THE KNOWLEDGE WE HAVE BUILT.
WHERE DOES IT LEAVE US!
I AM OZZIE MAN DIAS, KING OF KINGS, ALONE IN THE DESERT,
CIVILLATIONS RULE, STEPHEN.
ROME FELL.
THIS, TOO, MUST PASS!
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
IT'S STILL LOOMING.
IT'S LOOM-ING!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THAT'S TRUE.
THAT'S VERY TRUE.
IN THE MEANTIME...
( LAUGHTER ) YOU HAVE A BOOK.
WE'RE GOING TO SELL SOME BOOKS RIGHT NOW.
>> DON'T YOU TRIVIALIZE THIS!
>> Stephen: OH, I'M NOT.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUR BOOK, A SIGNATURE DOCUMENT TALKING
ABOUT-- IT'S CALLED "RECOVERY: FREEDOM FROM OUR ADDICTIONS."
YOU CAN REALLY HAVE FREEDOM FROM YOUR ADDICTION OR CAN YOU ONLY
HOLD YOUR ADDICTION AT BAY?
>> STEPHEN IT DEPENDS ON HOW ONE DEFINES ADDICTION.
YOU CAN HAVE FREEDOM FROM THE MALEVOLENT MEN FESTATIONS OF
ADDICTION.
IF ADDICTION IS A DRIVE TO KNOW TRUTH OR IN ANOTHER LEXICON, TO
KNOW GOD, TO KNOW ONENESS, THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO MEDICATE
SUCCESSFULLY, BECAUSE OUR CULTURE TELLS US THAT THERE IS
NO MEANING, TELLS US WE ARE BUT MATERIAL, TELLS US THAT WE ARE
INDIVIDUALS TRAPPED IN FLESH, ONLY HERE TO CONSUME.
AND THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT JUST CAN'T BEAR THAT, SO THEY
TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF HEROIN TO UNWIND.
>> Stephen: YES.
THAT'S TRUE.
( LAUGHTER ) AS TOMOS BURTON SAID AS OURS, WE
CLOTHE, WE WRAP IN THE BANDAGES OF OTHER PEOPLE'S PERCEPTIONS OF
US, OR IN OUR APPETITES AND PLEASURES.
AND WE SAY, "OH, THOSE BANDAGES, THAT IS OURSELVES," WOULD
LOOKING UNDERNEATH OUR BANDAGE THAT IS A HOLE IN OUR HEARTS THE
SIZE OF GOD.
>> I LIKE THAT.
THAT'S VERY BEAUTIFUL.
>> Stephen: I STOLE IT.
>> HE SAID HAD YOU BEEN ABLE TO ASK THAT THOMAS BURTON AND SAY
IT IN THE FUTURE ON A TALK SHOW, HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE A FEW
QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW SOCIETY EVOLVED, SAY, YEAH, GO, MATE,
THE SWADDLING.
>> Stephen: HE WAS A MONK.
HE DIDN'T HAVE POSSESSIONS.
>> SOMETIMES I THINK IF I WAS DRESSED IN RELIGIOUS GARB,
PEOPLE WOULDN'T TROUBLE ME WITH TRIVIA.
IF I HAD A HOODED ROBE AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
PERHAPS THAT'S THE ANSWER-- TO ANNOUNCE YOURSELF PHYSICALLY AS
RELIGIOUS.
I'M TRYING TO LOOK LIKE JESUS, BUT IT'S NOT WORKING.
>> Stephen: THE ROBE WOULD HELP.
THE ROBE WOULD HELP A LOT.
>> POSSIBLY WOULD HELP.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE OR HAD ADDICTIONS.
YOU'VE HAD SOME TROUBLE OR SOME EXPERIENCE OR SOME ADVENTURES,
HOWEVER YOU WANT TO DESCRIBE TWITH THE SELF-ABUSE OF
INTOXICANTS.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT GETTING OFF THEM THAT WOULD HELP THE
REST OF US?
>> WHAT I LEARNED IS, IS THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE PRESENTATION IS
OF THE ADDICTION-- IT COULD BE FOOD, IT COULD BE SEX, IT COULD
BE DRUGS, IT COULD BE MONEY-- AND I'VE TRIED ALL OF THEM.
YEAH, I HAVE, REALLY EXCESSIVELY.
I REALLY GOT MYSELF A TERRIBLE MISCHIEF.
THE DRIVE BEHIND THIS IS THE SAME DRIVE.
IF YOU LEARN TO UNDERSTAND THIS DRIVE, IF YOU ARE ABLE TO
COMMUNICATE WITH IT CORRECTLY, THEN YOU CAN HAVE FREEDOM.
SO I SUPPOSE WHAT I'M SAYING IS, THE PEOPLE THAT, LIKE, ARE DRUG
ADDICTS, THEY ARE MERELY THE OUTLIARS.
THEY ARE THE CREATURES THAT FLY TO THE HIGH GROUND BEFORE THE
TSUNAMI ARRIVES.
BUT ALL OF US ARE ATTACHING, SOMEHOW, AREN'T WE, TO TEMPORARY
ILLUSIONS?
THE SQUAD LING OF YOUR THOMAS BURTON THERE.
ALL OF US ARE CLINGING TO THINGS, CLINGING TO THINGS, LIKE
DROWNING MEN.
AND I SUPPOSE THAT THE ANSWER IS FOUND IN CONNECTION.
SO I SUPPOSE THE QUICK ANSWER, WHICH IS A BIT LATE, LET'S FACE
IT NOW, IS CONNECTION.
>> Stephen: YOU TALK ABOUT-- YOU WENT THROUGH THE 12 STEPS OF
RECOVERY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE YOUR OWN INTERPRETATIONS OF THEM.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: OKAY, THEY'RE NOT EXACTLY THE 12 STEPS AS SOME
PEOPLE MIGHT KNOW THEM.
IF I GAVE YOU A COUPLE OF 12 STEPS, COULD YOU INTERPRET THEM
FOR ME?
>> I WILL DO THAT FOR YOU STEPHEN.
>> Stephen: LET'S DO THE FIRST THREE.
>> OKAY.
>> Stephen: YOU SAY-- HERE'S STEP NUMBER ONE IN THE 12 STEPS,
AND YOU INTERPRET.
NUMBER ONE, "WE ADMIT THAT WE ARE POWERLESS OVER OUR ADDICTION
AND THAT OUR LIVES HAVE BECOME UNMANAGEABLE."
>> ARE YOU A (BLEEP)?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: TWO "WE COME TO BELIEVE THAT A POWER GREATER
THAN OURSELVES COULD RESTORE TO US SANITY."
>> COULD YOU NOT BE (BLEEP)?
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: "WE MADE A DECISION TO TURN OUR WILL AND
OUR LIVES OVER TO THE CARE OF GOD AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM."
>> ARE YOU ON YOUR OWN GONNA UN(BLEEP) YOURSELF.
>> Stephen: IF YOU CAN ASK, WHAT-- WHEN DID YOU ASK YOURSELF
THOSE THREE QUESTIONS?
>> I'M CONTINUALLY ASKING MYSELF.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: OKAY, YOU GOT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YOU GOT INTO A TWITTER FEUD WITH
OUR PRESIDENT.
>> OH, YES.
YOU'VE GOT A PRESIDENT, AND I GOT INTO A FEUD WITH HIM VIA
TWITTER, LIKE ALL DIGNIFIED PEOPLE MUST.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: OKAY.
IS THERE SUCH A THING-- DO YOU THINK THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A
TWITTER ADDICTION?
>> IF YOU'RE ASKING ME IF DONALD TRUMP, THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, HAS ADDICTION, CERTAINLY, THE MIDDLE SYLLABLE
SEEMS PARTICULARLY PERTINENT.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: IT'S A SMALL SYLLABLE.
>> I'D SAY-- IT'S BARELY THERE AT ALL.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: THIS IS THE KIND OF CONNECTION YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT RIGHT NOW.
>> IT'S A BRIEF INTERRUPTION IN THE NOTHINGNESS, ISN'T IT,
STEVE?
THAT SYLLABLE, SO TINY, IS BARELY TO BE THERE.
SO I THINK, YEAH, LIKE, IS HE A BEAT (BLEEP)?
YES.
COULD HE NOT BE (BLEEP)?
THAT'S TRICKY.
THREE, DOES HE NEED HELP TO (BLEEP) HIMSELF?
WELL, YEAH, BUT WHO'S GOING TO DO IT AND WHAT (BLEEP) WOULD YOU
USE?
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
DID I DO WELL!
>> Stephen: YOU DID SO WELL!
YOU DID SO WELL.
I'M CURIOUS TO SEE HOW MUCH OF THIS WILL MAKE IT TO AIR.
>> OH, COME ON!
>> Stephen: "RECOVERY: FREEDOM FROM OUR ADDICTIONS" IS
OUT NOW.
RUSSELL BRAND, EVERYBODY.
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Russell Brand Puts His Spin On The 12-Step Program

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