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.
