D.C. wonks might be surprised to turn on FX and see one of their own sharing the stage with comedian (and Katy Perry ex-husband) Russell Brand. Matt Stoller, founder of liberal listserv Townhouse and a pillar of D.C. wonk culture, is the unlikely sidekick on the new show “BrandX.”
“We just have a really good rapport,” Stoller told Yeas & Nays, describing Brand as “incredibly kind and generous.” Stoller first met the comedian through his brother Nicholas Stoller, who directed Brand in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and the two reconnected at Zuccotti Park in New York during Occupy Wall Street.
“We just started chatting,” he said. “He asked me to come out to LA to take some meetings.” At first, Stoller, who currently works as a fellow at the think tank the Roosevelt Institute, was going to serve as a sort of political consultant to the show’s writers. But as the show — which features Brand prancing around onstage in skinny jeans, riffing on the news — began taping, Stoller moved from a chair in the audience to a desk onstage.
Stoller, who has never acted and sums up his on-camera experience as appearing on C-SPAN and cable news a few times, provides facts and clarifies government concepts for Brand. He describes the show, which debuted to strong reviews last week, as political with an edge, with lots of discussion about the “spiritual disorder at the heart of a lot of political problems.”
“BrandX” director and executive producer Troy Miller calls Stoller a “superbrainiac.”
“I call him Mr. Smarty Pants Know-it-All,” Miller said. “Even behind the scenes, he’s a very aggressive creative force.” He is also, Miller adds, “a big nerd.”
Stoller, with his poofy hair and classically D.C. frump suits, strikes a delightful visual contrast to the rock starishly disheveled Brand. “I have a stylist,” he explained, to make sure his outfits show up well on film. As for the D.C. wonk look, “That’s just natural,” he said.
