He can smile about it now, but at the time it was terrible

And so, I found Russell.

This self-styled "S&M Willy Wonka", with a passion for fame, women and Morrissey. Hopefully, not simultaneously, but knowing what I do about Russell, he probably wouldn't say no!
I'd not taken much notice of this man before. I'd seen a bit of him on the old gogglebox and laughed hysterically at him and Noel Fielding on a quiz show, where they'd dubbed themselves the "goth detectives".
Then there was the furore that surrounded "Sachsgate" and the campaign, mainly led by the Daily Mail, to have him and Johnathan Ross sacked from the BBC. Even this did not seem to have an averse effect on his career and he appeared in the "St Trinians" film and then "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Yes, he made me laugh, but still I didn't take much notice.

Enter Aldous Snow. Lead singer of the rock band Infant Sorrow and lead character in the film "Get him to the Greek". Here was Russell on the best form I had ever seen him. Camping it up as a rock star, drug addict and womaniser. This could very well have been a biopic, except for one thing; this man could actually act! No doubt, it helped that he could draw on his own experience of being addicted to heroin and then women. But, his acting was so plausible, I didn't see Russell Brand in that film, I saw Aldous Snow.
I don't know why, but I felt drawn to him after that. Suddenly, I could see what other women saw in him and why Morrissey warmed to him; he is aces!

I wanted to find out more about Russell, and unlike Morrissey, where I garner pieces of information from Google and the like, Russell has actually had his autobiography published. Two of them, in fact. (Note to Morrissey; do pull your finger out my love, I hear it's healed up nicely, so there are no more excuses)
And so, I purchased "My Booky Wook" online and eagerly awaited it's arrival. I certainly wasn't disappointed.
This was the story of a man, born and raised in Grays in Essex. Brought up by his Mum, he craved fame and notoriety from an early age. What followed, however, was not the typical path to stardom which most take. I won't go into his story too much, but I discovered a lot about Russell which I had never known. Things I didn't expect to discover and things which basically explained why, he became addicted first to drink and drugs and then to women. It was also peppered with Smiths lyrics, which would make me smile wryly, as I read them.
No real mentions of Morrissey though, for this was not the story of Russell's fame, but the journey which he took to get there. "My Booky Wook 2: This time it's personal" was ordered as soon as I'd finished the first (which was basically the day after it arrived!)

Booky Wook 2 is where the fun really begins...