Brand view.

I bloody love Russell Brand. You could hear a pin drop when he spoke at a How To: Academy event in London this evening to promote his new book, Mentors – How To Help And Be Helped.

I do struggle with all this God, consciousness, higher-self malarky, but when it comes from the mouth of Russell, well, not only does it sound incredibly cool, it also seems like the only way, the sane way. He makes you believe that anybody who isn’t actively trying to transcend the ego, is as mad as a skip full of frogs.

His new book is basically what it says on the cover. Russell had to turn to others to help him recover from his addictions, which were many – drugs, alcohol, sugar, sex, adulation etc. It is well documented that he went through the 12 step programme and is now a mentor to others who are trying to overcome their addictions.

A mentor he says, is somebody who embodies the qualities you are trying to attain for yourself. It made me think about Marion. She is the perfect mentor for me as she’s achieved the inner calm and levels of love and kindness that I aspire to.

Anyway, Russell’s talk was so inspiring, I really didn’t want it to end. There were too many good bits to list, but here’s a quick recap of my favourite moments –

• Russell revealing that he chewed Eckhart Tolle’s ear off after getting hold of his phone number. I mean, who wouldn’t?
• His joke about dark chocolate being like something you might find in a back room boudoir. You had to be there I think.
• Discussing how he took his wife to a marriage counsellor on their second date. Okay, he did admit that he’d put a bit of spin on this for book purposes, but there is truth in it.
• His story about how he felt so much love for his swarm of 60 bees, he refused to eat their honey. ‘I thought, let ’em have it and I bought some at Sainsbury’s’ only to discover that they fucked-off and found a hive some place else.
•  Explaining that he has done so much forgiving, it started to sound like an ansaphone message. “If there are any more transgressions, please leave them after the beep.”
• His most magnificent beard.
• Watching him hug people and tell them he loved them as he signed books afterwards.

I hope somebody recorded it as I’d like to watch it all over again. I am sure it will crop up on YouTube and when it does, I urge you to tune in. Big thanks to my brother-in-law who bought me the ticket, which also came with a copy of Russell’s book. I did join the throng at the end in a bid to get it signed, but I didn’t get a whiff of Russell or his pen. Still, there’s always next time.