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By Oliver Trapnell
Associate News Editor
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Russell Brand's memoirs are facing renewed scrutiny after British publishers withdrew several of his books from sale in the wake of his conviction for rape and sexual assault.
Pan Macmillan and other publishers pulled Brand's titles from sale shortly after a jury unanimously convicted the comedian and actor of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison.
Brand’s offenses for which he was convicted date back more than two decades, with the crimes taking place around the time when tales of sex, drugs and excess helped thrust the 51-year-old into the spotlight.
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Four Memoir Revelations Under Fresh Examination
One particular anecdote from his first memoir, My Booky Wook, in 2007 has garnered fresh attention following his convictions. In it, he described a school game involving grabbing girls' genitals over their clothing.
In the book, Brand, the former husband of U.S. pop singer Katy Perry, wrote, "No one was safe from me," and added that "every female was a potential target."
He noted that years later the game turned into what he called the "knobstacle course"—a term he used to describe pursuing women who were initially reluctant to sleep with him.
Brand described how he would search for the right combination of words to overcome what he called a woman's "moral resistance" which involved pleading, stories and emotional pressure to persuade a woman into having sex.
One example of this was with a woman referred to as Penny in the memoir.
"I was allowed to sleep in her [Penny’s] bed top to toe. I spun gags and yarns till she let me turn round, I painted verbal pictures and begged until she kissed me, I lied and danced and evoked the spirit of Pan till reluctantly she removed her bra, I used tears and emotional blackmail to secure the immolation of her knickers."
In a third section, Brand described an altercation with a lap dancer after sex, writing that he spat in her face after she slapped him as he thought there’d be "no consequences."
"As I escorted Michaela through the front door, I felt very strongly that I needed to avenge the slap. I spat in her face. Yes that’s right, I spat in the face of a beautiful woman. I was convinced that it was the only course of action and that there’d be no consequences."
Later he recalled smashing a sex worker's phone and later referred to it as "the worst act of misogyny I've committed since the spitting debacle."
Another story in the memoir involved the family's dog, Topsy, which Brand wrote about luring upstairs before kicking down the stairs.
The book won biography of the year at the 2008 British Book Awards.
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How Shock Confessions Became Part of Brand's Public Persona
Media and public relations professionals say the cultural environment in which those stories were published was markedly different from today.
"In the late 00s and early 2010s, parts of the British entertainment press treated Russell Brand's boasts about sex and drugs as part of his appeal," Johan Konst, founder of EUSA PR, told Newsweek. "Once being outrageous became his selling point, even stories that might have raised eyebrows could reinforce that image."
Mary Elizabeth Elkordy, founder and president of Elkordy Global Strategies, explained celebrity culture often rewarded provocative behavior.
"In the late 2000s and early 2010s, celebrity culture was far more forgiving of outrageous behavior, particularly when it came to male comedians and entertainers," Elkordy said.
"Stories involving sex, drugs, and deliberately shocking conduct were often treated as part of a celebrity's rebellious brand rather than something that warranted serious scrutiny. Russell Brand built much of his public persona around being provocative, and the media environment at the time often rewarded that behavior with attention, headlines, and opportunities."
Jane Owen, founder and CEO of Jane Owen Public Relations, added that attitudes toward such stories have changed significantly over the past two decades.
"When Russell Brand turned stories about sex and drugs into punch lines, people heard the outrageous comedian they'd come to see, and too few stopped to ask what the same story sounded like from the other person's side."
Publishers Pull Titles Following Guilty Verdict
In a statement about pulling his memoirs, a spokesman for Pan Macmillan said it was "withdrawing Russell Brand’s books from sale following his conviction, and this process is under way now. We recognize the courage it took for those who came forward, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by his crimes."
During the sentencing at Southwark Crown Court in London, Judge Joel Bennathan called Brand, a "sexual predator" and referred to his "casual, arrogant disregard of any woman’s right to say no."
"Whatever women wear, wherever they go, whatever they drink, they retain the right to say no, and to demand justice from the criminal court when sexual predators like you, Mr Brand, act without their consent."
Jurors cleared him on two other rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Following the convictions last week, London’s Metropolitan Police said they are investigating two further rape allegations that have not resulted in charges.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673, or contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) helpline via their website rainn.org.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Robert Greenall and Henry Holloway
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