We need to talk about Russell Brand: loathesome lothario or Mensa level charmer?

Russell Brand has been popping up all over the internet this week, thanks to an interview on MSNBC in America, where he takes the show’s anchors to task for being rude and unprofessional.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ADJhErmJuoQ

By the time they started talking about him like he’s not actually in front of them, I ended up shouting “Stop being so bloody RUDE!” at the video, like they could hear me, whereas Russell interrupts the proceedings beautifully, taking over the studio and showing them up for being condescending jerks. It’s great fun to watch, as the hosts seem utterly baffled by his eloquence. It’s one of those moments where I’m firmly Team Russell, gleefully watching him run rings around the hosts.

However, I totally understand that he’s the kind of person that people either love or hate. On one hand, he’s ferociously witty and a fantastic writer (his articles about the deaths of Margaret Thatcher and Amy Winehouse are utterly gorgeous, incisive pieces) and does a huge amount of charity work for addiction and recovery programmes.

But on the other, he sometimes does shoddy and ill-judged things like the Andrew Sachs voicemail messages he left with Jonathan Ross (although I do think that was somewhat blown out of proportion by the Daily Mail) and in a recent Vogue interview, Katy Perry revealed that he texted her on New Year’s Eve 2011 to say he was divorcing her. I know nobody’s perfect, but those were patently non-sound things to do.

But then again, back when he had his excellent BBC radio show, there was one particular day where they got a call from a girl as part of the show’s advice section. She sounded dejected and unhappy and had called for help with her self-confidence, at which point Russell jumped in and consoled her so sincerely and was so lovely to her that I thought I was going to cry.

For the most part, I do think he’s brilliant, although his particular brand of charm can come off as sleazy at times. But the thing is, I met him a few years ago at a book signing, and when that charm is switched on and in your direction, it’s knicker-dropping stuff. I was getting a book signed for myself and one as a present for my friend, who was nicknamed Bossy Tits at the time, and thought it would be funny for him to write that on her book. When he saw that, laughed and told me I had great boobs, I thought I was going to fall into his enormous brown eyes. He looked at me like you’d look at a lovely big cake and all I could do was squeak “Thanks!” It was ridiculous.

So what do you make of Russell? Lovable rapscallion or head-wrecking sleazeball?

Or something in between?

Do tell in the comments!