Russell Brand’s monologue was by far his best act of the night, and it was nice to see the SNL writers showcase his comedic abilities outside of acting like a ridiculous rich Brit with the gift of golden vocal chords. Bet you didn’t know he does an American accent that manages to hit every harsh consonant in our language with perfect accuracy.
The monologue covered several key elements of Brand’s public image, starting with the tight pants, which he not only called trousers (giggle) but argued that, in Britain, are a sign of true fame (See, the more famous you get, the tighter you wear your trousers. That’s a better explanation than in America, where the younger your female teenage fans are, the more clearly your pants outline your scrotum).
Considering that the first question about Russell Brand that jumps to most peoples’ minds these days is what is it like to be married to Katy Perry, Brand took this chance to address our curiosity, saying it was nice to be married at all. He loves the normalcy of married life, especially in comparison to his past, where a knock on the door meant the police were there and he needed to flush the drugs down the toilet. The audience laughed because they weren’t entirely sure that was a joke.
And then of course, we had Chris Brown, who chose to “perform” in an entirely black outfit with a bedazzled white bowtie. The definition of ‘perform’ is a little shaky here, because although Chris Brown is technically a singer, he chose to emphasize his dancing skills. Don’t get me wrong, his smooth hip-hop dancing certainly served its purpose by momentarily obscuring my memory of Rihanna’s bruised face, but the fact that we heard his recorded voice more than his actual voice was obvious. The song was fine, a new one that could have easily been an old one. Overall, at the end, I just wanted someone to tell him if he’s going to rebuild his music career, he might want to focus on the music.
One of the top skits of the night didn’t feature Brand, and it’s doubtful anyone noticed his absence because the reoccurring city correspondent Stefon is the definition of hilarious. Constantly ignoring Seth Meyers’ request for normal NYC activities, on Weekend Update he tells us about New York’s hottest new club, which features attractions that you wouldn’t see in your craziest acid trip. A romantic V-Day gift suggestion from Stefon is a human suitcase, which is a when a midget on roller skates wears all your clothes as you pull him through an airport. I couldn’t make that up if I tried.
Russell Brand was an inevitable choice to host SNL, and he brought a uniquely British perspective to American comedy. Chris Brown was neither an expected guest nor a unique one, but he did provide a nice segue to the Old Spice commercial. But considering that the next Saturday Night Live features Miley Cyrus, maybe I should just shut up and appreciate the good comedy while it lasts.
