The Time Russell Brand Tried To Make Me His Girlfriend

A BBC journalist recently called me to talk about "my relationship with Brand"

Me and Russ

In the early 2000s, I was booked to perform on Russell Brand’s radio show on the BBC prior to performances I had booked in the U.K., including Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We had a nice repertoire, if I do say so myself, although became exceedingly clear from early in the interview that Brand had romantic designs on me.

Before I arrived in the studio, I was warned by a fellow comedian—Russell Brand should be approached cautiously, because he doesn’t have a reputation for being so nice to women. A young comedian, I was eager to get the press and the chance to mingle with a more famous senior comedian, so I tucked that advice into my pocket and decided to take it with a grain of salt.

The interview went pretty well, as far as I was concerned. We joked around, I sang some songs, he affectionately referred to me as “vagina girl” which wasn’t inappropriate—all my songs were about vaginas. So it only made sense, really. Russell was cute, and I enjoyed his company. But I admit I was a little afraid of him after being warned, and doing some of my own research which led to reading some articles about sexual allegations that he was connected to.

After the interview, Russell and I chatted for a bit, and then he invited me to his flat in Angel Islington for some drinks, but I was feeling tired. He texted me late into the

NOTE: Free posts have mostly been phased out. I hope you have enjoyed your extended free preview of The Museletter. Please consider subscribing for a measly $7 per month. Look, I know $7/mo or $70 per year isn’t nothing, so I appreciate you allocating that money this way. So, here’s a discount link for 20% off a subscription ($56 for a year’s subscription, or $5.60 per month). Subscriptions will include all posts and free classes, workshops, one-on-one coaching and other perks. Plus, have you heard? Comedians are the new journalists. Please consider supporting The Museletter.