Russell Brand's Booky Wook

Russell Brand at Waterstones, Piccadilly. Rex Features

Presenter, comedian, style icon, columnist, radio DJ and now author of his autobiography “My Booky Wook” it seems that there's nothing Russel Brand can't do. Or at least hasn’t tried to do. For a man who has spent a significant part of his life addicted to various intoxicants, he has accomplished a great deal. But then, without his penchant for alcohol, drugs and sex, he wouldn’t have achieved the notoriety and fame he has today, as it is these experiences that fuel his stand up routines, newspaper columns and, in great detail, his book (and also therefore his bank balance.) For this reason, perhaps branding Russell as a cultural icon may sit uncomfortably, but an icon, albeit a modern day one, he undoubtedly is. Olivia Marks braved a freezing Wednesday night to queue with hundreds of fans at his book launch at Waterstones, Piccadilly, for a glimpse into what makes the messy-haired one so special. And maybe get a peck on the cheek into the bargain.

For some, Russell Brand cuts an odd figure: clad in jeans that are tighter than tight with backcombed hair that goes beyond anything that could be called stylish, and eyes ringed in smoky black liner, he isn’t necessarily your conventional pin up.
But for others, Brand is the epitome of contemporary youth culture and what it means to be “cool”.
Judging form the hoard of (literally) screaming girls queuing up to see Brand in the flesh, he’s getting something right. Especially if  dancer Nicola, 25, is anything to go by: “He’s highly attractive. The most attractive man in the whole of England," she told me excitedly.

 Considering Brand’s appearance and unabashed flamboyance, it could be said that he challenges our traditional notions of what it is to be masculine and how being a man is conventionally portrayed and played out in the male body.

However, Brand’s is a strand of masculinity (because despite his feminine features and lithe body, he is unarguably a proper bloke ) that predominates the beginning of the 21^st century.
As Vicky, 16, puts it “With teenage culture as it is, [Russell] epitomises that kind of masculinity but in an older person. He’s not too perfect, you can imagine he’s exciting and stuff”.

 This is true: he certainly isn’t perfect and he is most definitely exciting.

As someone who hadn’t entirely made up their mind about what to think of Russell Brand, I did find myself eagerly awaiting his arrival on the podium at Waterstones.

And later I was lamenting the fact I wasn’t able to get my book signed thus losing my chance of having him whisk me away to a seedy bar for one drink that would last two weeks, as would have inevitably happened.
I’m not deluded (well, maybe a bit), this is just how Russell Brand makes you feel; that anything and everything is possible when in his company.

 Leaving his beguiling persona to one side, the one opinion uniting the three hundred people that had turned up to this launch was simple: Russell Brand is very, very funny.

Katrina, a waitress and Jenny, a  gym worker, both 20, think he’s so funny they’ve seen him seven times and had travelled from Portsmouth that night to get him to sign a book (which Brand later promised he would sign in his own manly juices, every single one).

“We think he knows we stalk him”, they said. “In a funny way”.
Of course.

 But what is it that people find so funny about this curious gentleman (I use the term loosely)?
Student Natalie, 17, as with most people I spoke to, thinks his comedic talent lies in
“The way he talks about his personal experiences. They’re hilarious to listen to."
And they are. The candid way he speaks about the most personal and embarrassing scenarios is extremely funny.

Even his mum, who I was stood next to during the launch, was chuckling away about the time her son smoked crack in the toilet at MTV. Oh, you’ve got to laugh.

 But it's Brand’s way with language, his turn of phrase, that really gets people going.
There is something quintessentially British about the way he talks.

English teacher Sarah, 28, who lived in Italy until recently, explained to me how Brand “basically kept me sane and up to date with what was going on in Britain. He was a real lifeline for me actually. He sums up Britishness completely.”

And actually, Brand as a lifeline, as someone to look to for help, is a role that fits surprisingly well. “I think he’s quite an amazing guy the way he’s turned his life around”, says Laura, a 23 -year- old dancer.
“I think he’s an inspiration to people. A real class person."

Enough said.
Now where's my kiss, dammit?

 My Booky Wook, published by Hodder and Stoughton, is available at Waterstones, priced £18.99

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