What do Conor Lenihan and Russell Brand have in common? A lot more than you think....
Brand has the persona of a hybrid Lenny Bruce and Albrecht Duerer. Conor Lenihan is the Fianna Fail's Cumainn clown. Lenihan branded Leo Varadkar a fascist in what has to be the most tedious and embarrassing media 'row' to happen in this country in aeons. The remarks were made during a debate on what is actually an important issue, namely cuts in education. Lenihan made a reference taken to be about Varadkar, complete with Nazi style salute to cap it off.
Brand, as you know, unless you've had the blessing of total sensory deprivation over the last week, is responsible with Mr. Jonathan Ross for a prank voicemail message on actor Andrew Sachs' phone, leading to both being treated in the media furore in much the same way large black and white animals are smacked about in a Badger baiting contest. They made references to Brand's relationship with Sachs' granddaughter.
What Conor Lenihan's fascist jibes and Brand's idiotic and possibly illegal prank have in common is that neither was particularly funny. Similarly, both rows have lead to questions about what we deem to be in good or bad taste.
I don't think it's in good taste to call someone a fascist. I also don't think it's in good taste to leave offensive messages on someone's phone about what you've done with their granddaughter. I also don't think it's in good taste to be distracted by these pathetic sideshows when central Africa is on the brink of genocide for the second time in as many decades.
For both rows, there's the same response to be made. If you don't like Russell Brand, don't go to see him. It worked to get rid of Bernard Manning,thank God. Similarly, Brand has not said or done anything his peers have not already signed off on. Is it right to make sleazy jokes about your sexual conquests? Is it right to crack wise about the Holocaust? Maybe not, but sometimes comedy can reveal truths that other art forms don't reveal. If a minister repeatedly says things which make you want to slice your tongue off to distract you from the pain of the embarrassment he causes, then don't let him back into Leinster House at the next election. He has not earned the right to rub shoulders with statesmen....
...Sorry, that last line was in particularly bad taste, as it didn't reflect reality at all!
I find neither Conor Lenihan nor Russell Brand terribly clever or amusing. Neither politics nor comedy are enjoying a golden age right now, and real genius is thin on the ground. I choose, therefore, to avoid them, let them on, and hope someone will, as Andrew Sachs suggested, "do better".
