Yep it would be a shame if he lost his “common touch” just cos he’s got an American popstar girlfriend – or indeed ANY girlfriend. I can appreciate she doesn’t want him running any “unofficial talent contests”…;)) but we loved his accessibility and the fact that he felt it was his job to make the ephemera of fame accessible. Hope this is just a temporary blip. There again, I appreciate he is getting a bit “big” now, and it’s hard for him to move among masses of fans without a minder….but hope it was his own decision rather than Katy Perry’s
Also…I didn’t post all that to “scold” him like a child, well… maybe a wee bit! heh! But seriously, I’m also looking out for his best interest as well. I quite like Russell, he entertains my biscuit brain, puts a smile on my face, and I get a kick out of his personal philosophies, which I agree with him whole heartedly, on a ton of subjects that he’s brought up. I don’t want to see his fan base get all miffed at him, so I felt I should bring this to his attention as well. As far as I can see, it’s a two way street. Russell’s celebrity is a breath of fresh air…he broke down the wall between celebrity interaction and the common man, and I feel he needs to stick with that formula, for it’s what he’s known to do…that’s all. I didn’t post that to strike the man down! I just want him to keep doing what he’s been doing, by keeping it real! That’s all! :0)
Were the meet & greets simply a means to an end- and not the love of mankind as touted? No need to meet & greet when one has girlfriend waiting in the wings…..
I certainly appreciate that you and the Brandystrippers are feeling hurt, Elaine, and I know that some of the ladies waited outside in the cold for hours. But you have to know that this didn’t come out of nowhere, there were warnings and a clear cooling off period. At other gigs, he has told ladies he can’t hug them anymore because he’s made a vow not to. He’s been pulling away from girls who try to touch him without his consent at the last few meet and greets. He’s defending his personal boundaries and personal space, something he probably should have been doing for a while. He is living his life in a new way and he is apparently not going to be physically or emotionally there for the fans in the way he used to be. This is something everyone has to accept. The one thing I will grant you, if at some point at RAH he actually said he was going to meet fans afterward and he didn’t, that’s his fault. He needs to stop saying that because it is clear he does not intend to do meet and greets and give fans the same amount of physical contact that he used to. The fault is not the end of the meet and greets, the fault is if he said he would do one and did not. Everyone’s got to remember, like he’s said before, he’s not an amusement park ride. It’s nothing that anyone should take personally, it’s his decision. It’s not meant to hurt anyone, it’s probably meant to give his new lifestyle and his relationship with Katy a fighting chance.
You know, I was sensing that a certain sector of female fans would start with a backlash against Russell now that he’s in a relationship, and here it is.
First thing is, Russell has promised to come out and meet fans and then not done it many times in the past — it isn’t necessarily related to Katy. I went to a few shows on the Scandalous tour, and he promised to meet people at the end of each one, but there was only one where he actually came out. It’s just the way it goes — sometimes he does it, sometimes he doesn’t.
He doesn’t OWE that to anyone. If you bought a ticket to his show, he owes you a good performance, and that’s it. Anything else is a bonus. Sure it’s nice when you get to meet your favorite celebrity, but it’s not a given. You can’t say that because you decided to travel from a long distance, that he OWES it to you to meet fans after the show.
Russell may be changing, but that’s not the issue here. The fact is that if he’s putting on a good performance and doing his job, you have no reason to complain, and especially not to lecture him as if you have some special entitlement to his time. You don’t. Frankly, he’s probably better off without fans whose main interest to treat him like a ride at Alton Towers.
Things always keep changing — maybe he has had enough of you “Brandy Strippers” and your demands of his time and energy.
I have taken heart in the fact that, after seeing this clip, even more so than ever, Russell and Katy must be a purely physical thing. After seeing her “work” over the last few years, I cannot imagine Miss Perry and Mr. Brand having a conversation even CLOSE to the Skinner interview. I am personally looking forward to the Oliver Stone film on happiness.
Lovely bit of chat with Frank there Russell cant wait to see the whole thing and am waiting to receive my o2 DVD its been dispatched , on its way as I type…
Thank You…
Love & Light x
THANK YOU SO FUCKING MUCH ELAINE I COULDN’T HAVE PUT IT BETTER MYSELF!
I WAITED FOR AGES IN READING FOR YOU, ONLY TO BE TOLD YOU SNEAKED OUT A STAFF DOOR?
Poor show. I love you Russell but you let so many fans down ):
Love, and a small, tattered, frayed, broken, slither of respect,
Imo x
Russell, I am excited that you have done this new interview and I am looking forward to watching it on the DVD.
You have given three stunning performances this week and I have enjoyed seeing you so happy. I hope the gigs have raised a lot of money for Focus 12.
I know from attending the shows that you have a lot of new and interesting material and I look forward to seeing more in the future. For many fans, being able to attend a small gig such as the Pleasance is an amazing experience and not something to be taken for granted.
I wish you well with whatever you decide to do in life. x
Imo, really it’s up to him if he does meet and greets. You have to realize that reading a post that tries to guilt him into being more accessible is likely to have the opposite effect, guilt won’t motivate him to do what you want, it will probably send him in the opposite direction. Your post would confirm he’s right to limit contact with fans.
Sheila, I understand where you’re coming from, but you should remember that Katy was raised in what most of us would call a cult atmosphere. Check out a Youtube clip you can search for called Katy Perry Has Seen Jesus Camp. She is definitely not a scholar and she’s had very little formal education as a result of her childhood, so she may not sound very intelligent, but she did earn her GED. The GED is usually looked down upon, it’s clearly not a challenge, but it does show she had self-motivation to finish it when she decided to leave school. Russ seems to not want a woman in his life who will be intellectually challenging to him (I know he used to write about finding a woman who is his intellectual equal when he was in rehab, but he doesn’t seem to seek out that kind of woman in daily practice.) Katy has apparently taken her music career seriously and went to Nashville for a certain amount of formal training when she was a gospel artist. Also remember that her parents have a number of attributes that Russ will certainly be drawn to – they built up a ministry that is very financially successful and well-known, they mastered the “religion as business” model and it has made them very wealthy. They are the kind of people who are successful in the way described by the motivational tapes that Russ’s father used to play for him on car trips. Also, her father sold LSD for Tim Leary and her mother dated Jimi Hendrix after meeting him in Spain. Their family is familiar and comfortable with drugs and fame, and someone with Russ’s need for fame, and former drug dependencies, will fit in well with their family. I’m just trying to be objective and not sugar coat anything; there’s some solid reasons why this relationship makes sense.
Still love you Russ. I can tell you’re changing and it feels strange to hear you proclaiming your ‘pledge’ but it’s lovely to see you happy. If Katy’s the reason, she’s a very lucky girl (but yes, of course I’m jealous!). Really enjoyed the gig at the RAH on Saturday. I saw you back in Jan the Bloomsbury and Feb in Birmingham and love how you’ve updated the show since then. You deserve every ounce of your success but don’t get too ‘celebrity’ will you…? Your real and down to earth qualities are so lovely. xx
Yep it would be a shame if he lost his “common touch” just cos he’s got an American popstar girlfriend – or indeed ANY girlfriend. I can appreciate she doesn’t want him running any “unofficial talent contests”…;)) but we loved his accessibility and the fact that he felt it was his job to make the ephemera of fame accessible. Hope this is just a temporary blip. There again, I appreciate he is getting a bit “big” now, and it’s hard for him to move among masses of fans without a minder….but hope it was his own decision rather than Katy Perry’s
I love you. I really do.
Also…I didn’t post all that to “scold” him like a child, well… maybe a wee bit! heh! But seriously, I’m also looking out for his best interest as well. I quite like Russell, he entertains my biscuit brain, puts a smile on my face, and I get a kick out of his personal philosophies, which I agree with him whole heartedly, on a ton of subjects that he’s brought up. I don’t want to see his fan base get all miffed at him, so I felt I should bring this to his attention as well. As far as I can see, it’s a two way street. Russell’s celebrity is a breath of fresh air…he broke down the wall between celebrity interaction and the common man, and I feel he needs to stick with that formula, for it’s what he’s known to do…that’s all. I didn’t post that to strike the man down! I just want him to keep doing what he’s been doing, by keeping it real! That’s all! :0)
Were the meet & greets simply a means to an end- and not the love of mankind as touted? No need to meet & greet when one has girlfriend waiting in the wings…..
I certainly appreciate that you and the Brandystrippers are feeling hurt, Elaine, and I know that some of the ladies waited outside in the cold for hours. But you have to know that this didn’t come out of nowhere, there were warnings and a clear cooling off period. At other gigs, he has told ladies he can’t hug them anymore because he’s made a vow not to. He’s been pulling away from girls who try to touch him without his consent at the last few meet and greets. He’s defending his personal boundaries and personal space, something he probably should have been doing for a while. He is living his life in a new way and he is apparently not going to be physically or emotionally there for the fans in the way he used to be. This is something everyone has to accept. The one thing I will grant you, if at some point at RAH he actually said he was going to meet fans afterward and he didn’t, that’s his fault. He needs to stop saying that because it is clear he does not intend to do meet and greets and give fans the same amount of physical contact that he used to. The fault is not the end of the meet and greets, the fault is if he said he would do one and did not. Everyone’s got to remember, like he’s said before, he’s not an amusement park ride. It’s nothing that anyone should take personally, it’s his decision. It’s not meant to hurt anyone, it’s probably meant to give his new lifestyle and his relationship with Katy a fighting chance.
Russell you are without a doubt, a very gifted person. I thank you fo rsharing your gift with us all. You ROCK!!! Love adoringly,
XXXMelodyOOO
Nicely said CJ! I should apologize for being rude to Elaine when it’s obvious that her feelings are just hurt. Kiss and cuddle?
You know, I was sensing that a certain sector of female fans would start with a backlash against Russell now that he’s in a relationship, and here it is.
First thing is, Russell has promised to come out and meet fans and then not done it many times in the past — it isn’t necessarily related to Katy. I went to a few shows on the Scandalous tour, and he promised to meet people at the end of each one, but there was only one where he actually came out. It’s just the way it goes — sometimes he does it, sometimes he doesn’t.
He doesn’t OWE that to anyone. If you bought a ticket to his show, he owes you a good performance, and that’s it. Anything else is a bonus. Sure it’s nice when you get to meet your favorite celebrity, but it’s not a given. You can’t say that because you decided to travel from a long distance, that he OWES it to you to meet fans after the show.
Russell may be changing, but that’s not the issue here. The fact is that if he’s putting on a good performance and doing his job, you have no reason to complain, and especially not to lecture him as if you have some special entitlement to his time. You don’t. Frankly, he’s probably better off without fans whose main interest to treat him like a ride at Alton Towers.
Royal Albert Hall last night was absolutely amazing, genius.
Completely agree with Heather O’reilly … don’t leave old Blighty !
Things always keep changing — maybe he has had enough of you “Brandy Strippers” and your demands of his time and energy.
I have taken heart in the fact that, after seeing this clip, even more so than ever, Russell and Katy must be a purely physical thing. After seeing her “work” over the last few years, I cannot imagine Miss Perry and Mr. Brand having a conversation even CLOSE to the Skinner interview. I am personally looking forward to the Oliver Stone film on happiness.
Lovely bit of chat with Frank there Russell cant wait to see the whole thing and am waiting to receive my o2 DVD its been dispatched , on its way as I type…
Thank You…
Love & Light x
THANK YOU SO FUCKING MUCH ELAINE I COULDN’T HAVE PUT IT BETTER MYSELF!
I WAITED FOR AGES IN READING FOR YOU, ONLY TO BE TOLD YOU SNEAKED OUT A STAFF DOOR?
Poor show. I love you Russell but you let so many fans down ):
Love, and a small, tattered, frayed, broken, slither of respect,
Imo x
Russell, I am excited that you have done this new interview and I am looking forward to watching it on the DVD.
You have given three stunning performances this week and I have enjoyed seeing you so happy. I hope the gigs have raised a lot of money for Focus 12.
I know from attending the shows that you have a lot of new and interesting material and I look forward to seeing more in the future. For many fans, being able to attend a small gig such as the Pleasance is an amazing experience and not something to be taken for granted.
I wish you well with whatever you decide to do in life. x
Imo, really it’s up to him if he does meet and greets. You have to realize that reading a post that tries to guilt him into being more accessible is likely to have the opposite effect, guilt won’t motivate him to do what you want, it will probably send him in the opposite direction. Your post would confirm he’s right to limit contact with fans.
Sheila, I understand where you’re coming from, but you should remember that Katy was raised in what most of us would call a cult atmosphere. Check out a Youtube clip you can search for called Katy Perry Has Seen Jesus Camp. She is definitely not a scholar and she’s had very little formal education as a result of her childhood, so she may not sound very intelligent, but she did earn her GED. The GED is usually looked down upon, it’s clearly not a challenge, but it does show she had self-motivation to finish it when she decided to leave school. Russ seems to not want a woman in his life who will be intellectually challenging to him (I know he used to write about finding a woman who is his intellectual equal when he was in rehab, but he doesn’t seem to seek out that kind of woman in daily practice.) Katy has apparently taken her music career seriously and went to Nashville for a certain amount of formal training when she was a gospel artist. Also remember that her parents have a number of attributes that Russ will certainly be drawn to – they built up a ministry that is very financially successful and well-known, they mastered the “religion as business” model and it has made them very wealthy. They are the kind of people who are successful in the way described by the motivational tapes that Russ’s father used to play for him on car trips. Also, her father sold LSD for Tim Leary and her mother dated Jimi Hendrix after meeting him in Spain. Their family is familiar and comfortable with drugs and fame, and someone with Russ’s need for fame, and former drug dependencies, will fit in well with their family. I’m just trying to be objective and not sugar coat anything; there’s some solid reasons why this relationship makes sense.
Still love you Russ. I can tell you’re changing and it feels strange to hear you proclaiming your ‘pledge’ but it’s lovely to see you happy. If Katy’s the reason, she’s a very lucky girl (but yes, of course I’m jealous!). Really enjoyed the gig at the RAH on Saturday. I saw you back in Jan the Bloomsbury and Feb in Birmingham and love how you’ve updated the show since then. You deserve every ounce of your success but don’t get too ‘celebrity’ will you…? Your real and down to earth qualities are so lovely. xx