Russell Brand. (He's famous in England you know...)

We've been fans of Russell Brand since discovering him on the Jonathan Ross Show a few years ago and then again as one half of the famed "Goth Detectives." So when we discovered that he was going to be in town this week, we jumped at the opportunity to see him on stage at Cobb's Comedy Show in North Beach.

Russell was at his low-brow/high-brow best: one minute he is providing a Foucauldian deconstruction of the Jonas Brothers' chastity rings, and the next minute he is discussing British schoolage phenomenon of
"seagulling" (don't ask).

Prancing about on stage, Brand discussed his failure as a VMA-host, repeating jokes that MTV unfortunately cut from the show (the original introduction of Kanye West was very funny) as well as his deep-seated need for fame in America. What is wonderful about Brand is his open-book attitude about discussing his vanity and overly
self-involved ego. Not once does he hide his flaws from himself or his audience, and in fact, continuously laughs at himself for all of his fallible ways.

It was nice to see that Brand didn't dumb-down his act for a new audience and we hope he finds the recognition in America he so craves.