Nick Cave has delivered a pithy three-word verdict on Russell Brand's conversion to Christianity, responding to the former comedian's new book with the phrase: 'Good for atheism.'
Cave's Scathing Assessment
The 68-year-old Australian musician, renowned for exploring religious themes in his work, was asked about Brand's book How To Become a Christian in 7 Days in the latest edition of his Red Hand Files email newsletter. Cave's succinct reply has been widely interpreted as a dismissal of Brand's religious turn.
Brand's Awkward Bible Moment
Brand has faced widespread ridicule after struggling for over 90 seconds to find a Bible passage during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored. The former comedian, who became a right-wing podcaster in 2021 and a Christian last year, was promoting his book when Morgan asked him about taking a Bible to his court hearing in February. The religious text was confiscated by a dock officer after Brand began reading it in a London courtroom.
Morgan asked: 'Can I go back to asking you a question about your Bible? Is that the one you took into court? What was your thinking of taking it into court and you were seen looking at some passages – what were the relevant passages?'
Brand replied: 'It was this from Isaiah,' before searching through his Bible for more than 90 seconds of excruciating silence. After almost two minutes, he admitted: 'I can't actually find the verse that I had that day but this is good enough. This is Isaiah 12.'
Online Mockery
The moment has been widely mocked on social media. One user wrote: 'This is so painful to watch. Piers Morgan asked Russell Brand to read the passages that were relevant to him when he brought his Bible into court.' Another described it as 'one of the most painfully awkward exchanges' of the week, while a third tweeted: 'There should be a class act lawsuit against Russell Brand for making anyone suffer through this awkward moment. 2 mins of my life I will never get back.'
Brand's Legal Woes
Brand faces trial later this year over allegations of rape and sexual assault made by six women, which he denies. The allegations date from 1999 to 2009. During the interview, Brand spoke about a previous relationship with a 16-year-old girl, stating that he now believes his actions, while legal, were 'morally and spiritually wrong.'
