Saying Goodbye to Bear — SF673

What this episode is about

In this discussion, Russell Brand and his guests explore themes of corruption and truth in journalism, contrasting perspectives on faith and skepticism. The conversation touches on societal issues while blending humor and provocative commentary, ultimately urging listeners to critically examine the motives behind mainstream narratives.

Key takeaways

• In a world of chaos, is Russell the unlikely hero of true journalism or just a confused bard?
• Bear symbolizes change; even a dog can remind us that personal growth often requires radical life shifts.
• Like Freya's myth, many pursue false gods; modern media thrives on spectacle over substance—glamorizing ignorance.
• Love, laughter, or a blunt 'Hail Satan'—conversations around pain often veer toward absurdity in Russell's world.
• A dog can anchor a wild life; pets make the best therapists, teaching us about loyalty and love.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Russell Brand (Host) · 26 min speaking
• Jake (Guest) · 2 min speaking
• Dave (Guest) · 4 min speaking
• Massie (Guest) · 2 min speaking
• Joe McCann (Guest) · 4 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Russell Brand, Bear, Angel Massie, Joe McCann
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Bear, Angel Massie, Kent, Ricky Gervais
3. 15:00 – 20:00: Russell Brand, Laura Laura
4. 30:00 – 35:00: Rumble Premium, Russell Brand, AA
5. 35:00 – 37:45: Joe McCann, Chris Dave

Notable quotes from "Saying Goodbye to Bear — SF673"

• There you awakening wonders. Thanks for joining me today for stay free with Russell Brand. It's Friday. It's a wonder why day. It's named for the goddess Freya, a pagan goddess. Don't.

  about Russell Brand · at 0:15

• Yeah, I love you. And over there is my beloved friend Massie, who has to cut this together. So, ultimately has final authority. He can just take out whatever he wants. He could just have me say,.

  about Angel Massie · at 1:08

• Well, I think what Bear meant, Bear was a symbol of family and of change. Like I bought that dog. Before I bought that dog, I was coming from a life, I reckon, where I'd been probably primarily.

  about Bear · at 2:42

• Going to get a German Shepherd, but will I ever find one that's special like that dog? And we did find one. Travelers actually, in the UK, a lot of travelers do a lot of dog…

  about Kent · at 6:07

• Unless you can find another way. As the great AA speaker, God rest his soul, Sandy Beach said, when his daughter was murdered, he knew he immediately had to forgive the person that did it. He had.

  about AA · at 8:41

• Spiritual devotion that he wouldn't qualify as being that because I'm assuming because he's an atheist. And I think I maybe when I've interviewed him once maybe put that to…

  about Ricky Gervais · at 9:33

• For the way that I expressed my concern there. I'm in a state of deep grief. And my wife Laura went, Russell, you've got to give yourself some grace in this moment. You're in a…

  about Laura Laura · at 30:19

• SUPPORT me and support Rumble Premium.

  about Rumble Premium · at 32:22

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Russell Brand — Person · Host / main speaker · 4 mentions · first at 0:18
  Leads the episode, frames the discussion around grief, faith, and personal recovery; moderates the panel and narrates the story of his dog Bear’s death.
• Angel Massie — Person · Editor / in-studio panelist · 2 mentions · first at 1:10
  Introduced as the person who cuts the show and has final edit authority; later gives a reflective response about grief and the intensity of death occurring in one’s arms.
• Joe McCann — Person · UK reporter / panelist · 2 mentions · first at 1:49
  Introduced as a reporter from the UK; asks questions, provides framing, and is credited by Russell with persuading him not to shoot the dog himself, shaping the euthanasia decision.
  De demonic vessel of the interests of the state. And to get as far from that image as possible, there's our reporter all the way from the United Kingdom, Joe McCann. You all right, mate? How you doing, Russell? Right.
• Chris Dave — Person · In-studio panelist / friend · 2 mentions · first at 1:04
  Participates in the conversation as a supportive friend; offers a recovery-oriented lens (amends, resentment) and reacts to Russell’s account of the euthanasia and aftermath.
  Tryre reborn.com. Get over there, you sick pedos. Dave, thanks for coming. How are you, mate?
• Dr Jake — Person · Producer / in-studio panelist · 1 mention · first at 0:52
  Introduced as the producer; provides brief commentary and emotional framing (intimate space/security) around Russell’s grief and boundaries during the dog’s death.
  Flammable fluid and burn them. Not out of cruelty, in preparation for what awaits them. Jake the producer be with me. You all right, Jake?
• Laura Laura — Person · Referenced family member (Russell Brand’s wife/partner) · 2 mentions · first at 3:08
  Appears in Russell’s narrative as his spouse and co-griever; her comments are used to model self-compassion and to show the family impact of Bear’s death.
• Ricky Gervais — Person · Referenced celebrity (example of atheist animal-lover) · 1 mention · first at 9:24
  Used as an illustrative example: Russell cites Gervais’s love of animals to argue that compassion can express a spiritual devotion even in atheists; Russell notes he interviewed him once.
• Justin Trudeau — Person · Referenced public figure (comparison/aside) · 1 mention · first at 3:58
  Mentioned briefly as a rhetorical aside during Russell’s story about past relationships; used as a throwaway comparison and then partially retracted/apologized for.
  Like that would make more sense cuz I can only imagine that the dudes a massive melt now. Like we're so like what Bear was. Bear was I don't mean that. I take that back. That was out of.

Products & tech

• Bear — Product · Personal pet · 3 mentions · first at 2:05
  Russell Brand's deceased dog, symbolizing family and change, discussed extensively for its emotional impact.

Concepts & topics

• AA — Concept · Referenced concept · 1 mention · first at 30:21
  Mentioned in the context of recovery and dealing with grief, referencing a speaker's approach to forgiveness.

Places & events

• Kent — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 6:10
  Mentioned as the place where Russell Brand acquired his dog Bear, contributing to the backstory.

Sponsors

• Rumble Premium — Product · Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at 32:22
  Promoted as a subscription service supporting free speech and content creators, including Russell Brand.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:05 Ladies and gentlemen, Russell Branduss Russell conspiracy theorist trying to bring real journalism to the American people. There you awakening wonders. Thanks for joining me today for stay free with Russell Brand. It's Friday. It's a wonder why day. It's named for the goddess Freya, a pagan goddess. Don't know really what she was up to. She might have been all right, but she ain't the one true god. That I will tell you. Joining me today for a fantastic conversation and look at the corruption that seems to have consumed our world like a cancer are some great men. Some of them Christian, one of them atheist.

0:40 You can stare at their faces, choose the atheist from among them, and then we will chuck them down a well filled with flammable fluid and burn them. Not out of cruelty, in preparation for what awaits them. Jake the producer be with me. You all right, Jake?

0:55 Good to be here. Nice hat. Thank you. Where could a Where could an N-word like me buy such a garment?

1:02 Tryre reborn.com. Get over there, you sick pedos. Dave, thanks for coming. How are you, mate?

1:07 Doing great. Yeah, I love you. And over there is my beloved friend Massie, who has to cut this together. So, ultimately has final authority. He can just take out whatever he wants. He could just have me say, "Massie is great." You're so I might as well say anyway. Massiey's great. How you doing, mate?

1:22 Hail Satan. I'm good, mate. Chill. Oh my. Oh no. I would have wished that. I rebuke it. I rebuke it.

1:29 If that BBC lady would have just said, "Yeah, I hissed because I don't like Jesus."

1:34 Yeah, I respect that. Just own it. I would respect it. I don't like Jesus. I worship false gods. I'm a di diabolical de demonic vessel of the interests of the state. And to get as far from that image as possible, there's our reporter all the way from the United Kingdom, Joe McCann. You all right, mate? How you doing, Russell? Right.

1:55 Got a lot of feelings. I've got strong feelings. I've got strong feelings, Joe. I've got strong feelings and we'll be talking about them. We might as well jump straight into it. So, my dog Bear died devil day. And um I suppose it's been like the I feel like it's the most pain I've ever experienced in my whole life. And just to let you know, I've had quite a painful life. Maybe it's not as painful as yours. I don't know. You might have had one of them. truly truly really really bloody awful lives. But mine I've mostly for the vast majority of the time been on the very edge of suicide. Just to give you some context, that's like generally how I felt most of the time. That's my baseline.

2:36 Give some context of what bear meant for you guys. I mean, it's not just you, it's your family, too.

2:42 Well, I think what Bear meant, Bear was a symbol of family and of change. Like I bought that dog. Before I bought that dog, I was coming from a life, I reckon, where I'd been probably primarily consumed by self. I'm not saying that I'm not consumed by myself now. Of course, I blaps into that a lot. But I recognized around the point where we got Bear, I knew the game was up. You know, it's like, ah, I'm going to I want to getting married to I knew I was going to marry Laura. I knew we would have children. I moved out of cities. I was over like the type of relationships I used to like I used to only really want to get with women if they you know I mean in a relationship sense I don't mean in a promiscuous sense uh there was a very low threshold there's a pretty expansive movement let me tell you luckily there's been no downside to that way of life and but like when it came to relationships I only liked very sort of

3:36 basically quite hostile and difficult women and not to say that objectively some of the very famous women that I went out with when I was younger were themselves difficult, but they weren't sort of people they probably be people that'd be better off adjusting Trudeau. Like that would make more sense cuz I can only imagine that the dudes a massive melt now. Like we're so like what Bear was. Bear was I don't mean that. I take that back. That was out of order. Sorry. I'm just imagine he's gentle probably Justin Trudeau. I'm a lot to deal with. You know what I mean?

4:04 I'm you know I'm a lot to deal with. Anyway, so like we got better when we like we moved to the countryside. I really really wanted a German Shepherd because my previous girlfriend Jamaim Khan who I'm totally in love with who was frankly a lot to deal with but again I brought a lot to the party. Like she had this German shepherd white German shepherd and like normally in the old days you know if you're when you're a dating guy when you're a lethario you're getting with women maybe the woman's got kids maybe the woman's got a dog. You know what you got to do? You got to charm the kids. You got to charm the dog. You've got everyone's got to love you. That's just life. That's just being charming. That's part of the game. Part of the gig. This woman I didn't bother with that dog. I was more concerned about the kids frankly because they were like Iran Khan now jailed former president of Pakistan and former

4:45 Pakistani cricket captain's kids and I thought these kids could go off at any time. So I was like they were like young teenagers. So I was mostly buying them weapons to tell you the truth you know from like fishing shops. This is UK. You can't get guns. Bug on BB guns and knives. I thought I'd like that sort of stuff. Didn't really think about the potential long-term consequences but I was I was not so smart in those days. Anyway, this dog I didn't try and make it like me the dog. I didn't sort of go, oh, you know, like uh as good as it gets, give it a treat or none of that. I sort of ignored it, right? But this dog liked me and I fell in love with it so fast like immediately. Like we would we go for a walk. She lived on a massive massive country estate. Massive acres, right? And I go like romping all over this estate. It was mental. There's cows in it and stuff like cuz farmers use it.

5:30 I didn't restrict that dog's actions at all. I just let it do what it was wanted to do. cows ganging up on us and [ __ ] like it's funny because if if you're getting ganged up on by cows and it's just you and a dog you've got you and the dog have got to work that out like we were in a corner by a brook in a corner of a field I was like oh mate this is not good we [ __ ] up what are we going to do and it was we had to climb I had to lift him and anyway so then when that relationship broke up understandably and and certainly I'll take responsibility because I'm as I say not an easy dude to be with certainly not then I'm getting better by the grace of God um you know I really loved the dog. I loved the dog. So I was like, I'm going to get a German Shepherd, but will I ever find one that's special like that dog? And we did find one. Travelers actually, you know, in the UK, a lot of travelers do a lot of dog breeding. Went

6:16 out to Kent, got this dog like an from the get-go, this dog was meant to symbolize family and domesticity, but it's like no one ever told the dog that. The dog's crazy. He's a crazy wild broken dog. He's killing chickens. He killed sheep. He killed a walabbee. He bit my mama out wedding. I didn't marry my mother just to clarify. I'm not doing that again. Like this dog was a nutter. Like but beautiful as well. But he had to have his hip replaced and stuff. And it was so lovely. You know, it's like when you love a dog and the dog loves you. It's just you and them. It's just you and them. There's no like and with a dog you don't wear a mask. Your dog, you're just yourself. And that's kind of like God. is a portal to God because you're being your authentic self and you realize that you are lovable whilst you may be broken as you are. So he was my mate. I loved that dog so much. Then I had to go through like the dog got

7:09 paralyzed. So he was no longer this virulent wild corroing crazy wolf creature bounding about in my car next to me like Han Solo and Chewbacca hanging out the whole time. he became a [ __ ] but like you know, so he's in a wheelchair and I'm carrying him around and all that kind of stuff. So my like I had to reconcile the part of me that egoically enjoyed that my dog was powerful and recognize no he's vulnerable. I still I love him in his brokenness and I've been shown through him a kind of acceptance of a different type of love.

7:45 And what I mean by that is that when people talk about Jesus loves you so much he'd die for you. I find it hard to embed that notion into my belly and heart. Cuz I don't think I've ever felt loved like that. I don't think I've ever felt loved like that. That's not to say that I haven't been loved like that. I might have been. I'm just saying that for me on some level I probably think about being able to manage, control, mitigate or otherwise influence my relationships with people because I don't know maybe like you I don't want to get hurt you know I'm afraid to get hurt but over the course of relationship with this dog a deep deep deep deep deep profound love emerged a wordless imagine that from me a wordless love emerged with this dog and so to lose that dog was like I knew it's like losing like anything If you have a deep relationship with somebody, then all that's invested in that relationship, it goes with them.

8:41 Unless you can find another way. As the great AA speaker, God rest his soul, Sandy Beach said, when his daughter was murdered, he knew he immediately had to forgive the person that did it. He had to immediately accept that now on, from now on, his relationship with that daughter was going to be a different thing. It was going to be through memories and prayer and meditation, and it was going to be a spiritual connection. But actually the deeper truth is it always was spiritual anyway because why would it be that some animals you eat other animals you ignore a million dogs died that day but only one broke my heart. So it sort of shows me that there is something beyond the material, something profoundly spiritual. And like that other great animal loving atheist, one being Massie, I refer to Ricky Jves. I always thought that Ricky Jves's deep love of animals was an indication of an not an unmet

9:30 spiritual need, but the expression of a spiritual devotion that he wouldn't qualify as being that because I'm assuming because he's an atheist. And I think I maybe when I've interviewed him once maybe put that to him. I can't remember the answer cuz I was probably thinking about what I was going to say next. Who knows? But like the truth of the matter is is that animals bring something out of you that may otherwise be unrealized. And that is to the point of Christ. The thing is you can only know him through faith. And I think like in that adage as I said I posted something about this like we all know that thing there's a man in the flood on the roof of the house. God help me. God help me. and he sends a lifeboat and the he goes, "No, you're right. God's got me." Then he sends a "No, you're right.

10:13 God gives me drowns." He says to God, "Why didn't you help me?" And God goes, "I sent you the lifeboat. Send you the helicopter." Now, so the point of that allegory presumably is to say that God will communicate with you through events and through human or material or natural means. That's the point of the allegory. And of course, it gives us the example of salvation, literal salvation. And then I think you might lose some of the subtler details because of it's an extreme situation. So, and what I'm saying is is that I am receiving even in my pain and my grief and my sorrow.

10:46 Jesus wept. You know, like as someone pointed out, Father, the brilliant father Mike Schmidt in a recent YouTube video, I think his last sermon, he said like Jesus wept is just before he resurrects Lazarus. He knows he's about he don't, as Father Mike himself said, he didn't go, "Don't worry about it. Death ain't even real. we're only on this material bandwidth for a little while. I can resurrect Lazarus like that. He didn't do none of that. He weeps. He weeps cuz he feels it and he loves us and he loves them and so and he loves me and he loves you. And I know it's sort of really hard to do that because you've been conditioned to think of it as a sort of fairy story because folk myth has comparable and similar codes in it without the redeeming component of the actual Christ. It's like a myth and a reality combine. The reason that the re the myth and the reality combine is because reality has a

11:42 myth within it. It has as you know spirit in bodies matter. You know that. And like what I want to from atheists really is for them to acknowledge the faith required to get you over the hurdle of what was happening on the Tuesday before the big bang. Where does consciousness emerge from? How does consciousness emerge from biological processes? What are these extraordinary you know goldilocks laws of thermonuclear dynamics etc etc. All these questions at some point and none more than the questions of the double slit theory and quantum physics in the end ask of you faith and one set of faith is would you look we just want you to have faith that the world is nihilistic self-contained and meaningless and one is the other the other version you know the non natural self-contained argument is we want you to have faith that there is a creator that there was a cause to use the um terminology that Joe reminded me that

12:42 acquire minus used. Now just for a moment step to one side and consider this. What are the most powerful forces on this earth? From a scriptural perspective, it's Satan, the devil. From a materialistic and financial and economic perspective, it's what? The biggest corporations in the world, the biggest global bureaucracies. What do you reckon they'd prefer you to believe? That you are beloved and lovely and inherently connected to God. Or do you think they might want you to believe that nothing means anything? It's all just rushing around. You can choose what to do. Cut your [ __ ] off. Do what you want. Nothing matters. Because when you're there, you're you belong to them.

13:24 They own you. But when you go, I don't belong to you. I don't belong to this system. Now, I know there are some people that are um not Christian that are saintly and maybe even saints. I do know that. Like I've got teachers, I've had teachers that are powerful [ __ ] you know, and they do not accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior and the one true God. But I had a realization that some people might be able to handle that. I can't. I need a person. I need a person now to a cross. I need it. And even just try to think of it if you can geometrically because whatever God is, it can't be put in words. It can't be put in words. Whatever God is or isn't, it can't be put in words. So try to look at the images because images is one step more pure than words. Think of that bit in inside out when it all breaks down into more and more simple geometric forms because of the complexity that evol where evolution presents God's

14:18 creation in ever more complex uh imagery is um difficult to determine and discern. So like so take the the image as a building block component a molecular building block component of discernable readable signified reality and you see the difference the cross obviously has the vertical axis and the horizontal axis and the vertical axis is the divination the antenna that's why you can't have the poles all those poles of false antenna receiving false signals and the horizontal is it's relational like the triune relationship of the father son and holy spirit and the great paradox of that that you three persons, one God. That difficult theological proposition even for people that have been in the Christianity l for a long long time. So I suppose what I'm saying and what I'm feeling is is that all things are God and all things give you access to God. The people that see God in nature and believe in supernatural

15:14 power beyond nature are able somehow to contain and hold it seems to me some of them are like I can think of two or three people that I know that don't believe in Christ but believe in great power and those people are able to handle the image of a bridge that there is a connection between the external and the internal that is manageable but then I don't think everyone's like that and I know that I'm not like that I know that I need this. And what is my claim? My claim of truth as a Christian is that there is the objective truth and it's as described in scripture. That's my claim.

15:48 Um, but I'm interested in different ways we might interpret, translate, convey, debate, discuss that so that as many people as possible as quickly as possible get in the [ __ ] lifeboat because there's a serious serious serious war coming. And I don't want people to be vulnerable to the counterfeit measures that the system will impose ultimately by telling you that you are the supreme authority in your life. That you are the supreme authority in your life. And and another thing that the death of bear does is it it stops me thinking I'm the if I can be hurt so much by the death of this dog, I'm not I'm I'm not strong, you know?

16:26 Like I'm not [ __ ] Vlad the Impaler or Genghis Khn or someone THAT COULD JUST GO LIKE I'M LIKE WHAT IS the dog? Oh my god, I love him so much. I don't think I want to be here anymore. Like it's so it's introduced me to a lot of truth which can sometimes be a difficult introduction. Dave, you asked for context.

16:50 I got it. That was some context. Yeah. I mean it it really affected your whole it wasn't just you two. I mean Laura was

16:57 just me just Yeah. Laura Laura was crying for a better part of a week. You know,

17:04 we still are like which actually brought us a bit close together cuz we've sort of you know what is he really? He's the animal in the house. Now the animal in the house is gone and the now the animal in the house has to become incorporative and uh what do I want to say? Relational. So it's

17:18 the beautiful thing and honestly really sad thing too is it's like it's job was done you know like he brought you guys together.

17:26 I told him that you know I told him you've done your job mate you can go now stand down mission accomplished cuz he wouldn't die like he was like I will not die. It's like someone that was just like a Monty Python sketch like limb by limb. It was like keep going keep going. It's like such a beautiful attribute. I think he also pulled out your ability to love. Like he loved you, but you've you've cared for that dog over this last year when when he couldn't do all the things that maybe drew you to him originally.

17:57 He couldn't walk. You had I mean I watched you pick him up, carry him, clean him. Those are real loving things. That is what love. So, not only the ability to feel unconditional love, but to also

18:12 give unconditional love. It's weird, isn't it? Because you'd think the children would be better at that, but they're very annoying. You know, like I've started to think like um that you guys are sort of like have got a carry like agreement like the movie Carry of like listen, if we keep talking about this dog, he will break down and cry really badly. So, let's just keep the subject of the dog going and eventually this dude will crack. I know that that's not true. I'm just saying that to

18:38 generate an atmosphere change. But if you did, it would be okay. It would be okay. Believe me, there has been some like there's been like part right. Okay. Now, the stuff, let's get Joe going. Right.

18:49 And I don't mean crying. Right. So, the thing that so the thing that's happened that's sort of you know how there's consequences in life. So, we like the funeral was intense like because it was sort of both spontaneous. Well, it was primarily spontaneous. It was like, "Okay, we're finding someone." But I didn't want to put him down. Like, I was I didn't want to put him down, but I knew he had to die because I was like, "This is now I get it. I get the mercy uh scale. Like, it's time for mercy, right?" So, like, you know, but I was like, I'll shoot it myself. I'll shoot it myself. I don't want the brokerage.

19:23 And it was funny enough, it was Joe was the person that in the end convinced me that that wasn't the right thing to do because Joe said, "Hold on. If it was me and like I was like someone was coming to administer a euphania, I'd want you to be with me like doing a rosary, not like you're shooting me in the head. That's a good that helped me understand that what my role was. Dave on the other hand was like, well, listen, if you need someone to come and like help you shooting, I'll do it. Dave,

19:58 I wasn't going to enjoy it, but I mean like you would do that for a friend. Yeah.

20:04 Yeah. So like that's sort of like So anyway, so we do the funeral. We like we just realize I'll just bury him in the front of the house because like there's a good space to bury him and it seemed very ceremonial to do it there even though before we'd fought like in the yard. So we see this space and it was only decided moments before let's bury him there. Look, I was thinking that last night. Let's do it. So we take him out there and like put him there and then a couple of like people come and dig a grave including my mate Kyle who like Kyle who would survive the apocalypse. Like the way I watch that Giza dig a hole, mate. He dug the [ __ ] out of that hole. That's all he done was dug that hole. He turned into some sort of hole digging beast that had no other aspect to his nature.

20:43 It was like amazing. Hole was like 5 foot over 5 foot deep by the end of it. I've done like the first foot of the hole. Established the basic terrain. Yeah, that's how it works. And then the other people took it deeper. And then like um like this our mate Sam Brown like he come around. He bought a coffin for Bear that his family had made and the kids are painting. Guys, I'm not putting him in a box cuz I want him straight in the dirt. I want him straight in the dirt, you know, cuz we're planting a magnolia tree on the top of him and everything. Then like because the check this [ __ ] now this is one of the contested area. Now we're getting now into the nitty-gritty of the argument. Joe, the vet who was coming to bang him up was late and so like and I was trying I knew I was very vulnerable to emotion obviously cuz I'm in a sort of a spasm of grief at points I'm laying on the floor in duh there's points where

21:29 and because it went on for quite a long while about 1:00 they went there I don't know like 5 or something I can't remember late by that time I'm not playing at the beginning I'm playing like Leonard Cohen Suzanne Takes you down and and Morrisy um Sing me to sleep. Sing me to sleep. But by the time like the vet shows up, I'm playing like Prodigy. It's gone a bit like mad. Like I'm like like the sort of shamanic, like the death of my familiar, the death of my totem, the death of my spirit animal. It's starting to come out in weird ways.

22:06 Now, I've already established with the vets, I only want the administration of the hard stuff. I don't want This is the legend of our time now. No [ __ ] No [ __ ] I don't want [ __ ] We don't take [ __ ] here. So if you're administering the bed the death drug, just come administer the death drug. I don't like need no paraphernalia. I don't need no he's gone to a better place. I don't need no mortgage secondhand sentimentality or cliche. I don't need none of that. I'm happy by God's holy grace to deal directly with the source. I don't need brokerage.

22:38 Right. Now the thing is with the vet role is it's embedded in it as well as its practical uh role is a sort of a ceremonial role like a doctor with a bad bedside manner. You know it's like you go to doctor and it's a good doctor and they give you some if you've been doctors before and they've just told you flat out cancer like oh wa. So you know it's doctors and people dealing with death do need protocols. Funeral directors you know again we deny the spirit and we deny all the paraphernalia and all the [ __ ] around it. If you're actually a spiritual person on a spiritual path, you will not like brokerage there unless it's brokerage you've appointed. I have mentors, of course I do. I have teachers. I have pastors. I'm in a church. I submit to secondary authority other than God. I'm not like I'm just Elijah now. Let's [ __ ] go. Like I'm dealing with secondary, you know, sources of authority. However, when but

23:30 I'll, you know, by my submission to you, Lord, not by just anyway. They turn up late and I'm like, "Come on, let's just get I just I don't want that to be the defining bit, the administration of the drugs. I just want to get that in, get that done, get it over with." And I felt that I was not in my compassion when they were there. I felt that I was but I was in the death of my beloved [ __ ] dog. So like they come and I'm I did first of all say, you know, cuz two of them came. Is it heavy that syringe? That was the beginning of I'm on the front foot. I suppose I suppose I'm on the front foot. cuz they have you that syringe, right? Well, just one of you then. Hey, like cuz I don't it's not it's not also look can I just tell you when you're famous and that there's some [ __ ] to deal with because people are aware of it you like what about the people that go oh what about the people go um hey I don't know who you are but

24:23 my friends tell me that you know oh it's so [ __ ] [ __ ] everywhere people pretending you know I'm not saying I know pretty [ __ ] full well that everyone likes me I've got that [ __ ] message gotcha I also know that not everyone knows who I [ __ ] am I'm aware I've been around [ __ ] other famous people and I I've [ __ ] been on Joe Rogan. I was married to Katy Perry. I know that there you know I know that there's degrees of fame. I do not give a [ __ ] That's my [ __ ] position. So like I don't want to deal with noviceses interpreting what they think fame is and what fame isn't. So I have to wear a constant prophylactic of awareness of that there's going to be some [ __ ] and I have to detect real people from fake people and I've learned them skills by God's grace. So like anyway, when they come over, I'm just like, you know, let's just This is one of them things like when I'm with my kids, I've not got

25:13 the bandwidth for [ __ ] When I'm not with my kids, I'll sign anything. I'll do any photos. I'll, you know, I'll be nice or if someone calls me a [ __ ] I'll have it out. But like, you know, but when I'm with my kids, I'm a dad. And when I'm with my dying dog, I'm the priest handling the death of my dog. I'm not involved in [ __ ] So I'm not saying they wanted they didn't want any of that but they wanted something that was not the only thing and the only thing was dog must die now put opioid in dog then put kill chemical in dog that was it you could write it with chalk right so I don't want anything except that now that's intolerance from my perspective as a recovering

25:53 I think what people a lot of people I mean I for sure don't understand it but I've observed it just being your friend. It's like you have you have to have levels of security and intimate space, right? And that's your home, right? And so like even when me and Francesca came to drop y'all's kids off later, even us were like, "Okay, hey, we're not going to stay long. This is their family time. This is, you know, Yeah. You drove in slowly. You didn't bring the car up to the [ __ ] grave." They first of all drove in, right? And what it was was the unconscious presumption that their role is the pivotal and defining role of the event. That's what it was. And you can never tell people their unconsciousness.

26:35 That's the price you pay for being clever. People don't [ __ ] know. If they knew, they, you know, you wouldn't have to deal with this [ __ ] In fact, you don't have to deal with it with other people that are switched on. So, like I'm like, "No, no, no, no, no, no. This is where the dogs dying. He's next to a grave. There's candles everywhere. There's flowers. There's pictures of him. There's music playing at that music. Weird techno music from the 1990s. But still it's a ceremonial space and you are secondary participants in the ceremony akin to someone holding a chalice in a Catholic service or you know like doing a tech at a church in like you know one of the churches around here. You're not the head priest in this situation. We don't need that here now.

27:16 In fact that would be sacrilegious. In fact you'd be blaspheming against this moment. So like I'm like no no don't bring the car in. And then I say that sarcastic thing about the is it Evie that thing that was wrong. Now DL as well that I should mention was that um we got it through our friend Rob. Rob's mom was the like the vet tech that had gone and I didn't realize they regarded it as some sort of favor but we paid them. I didn't know that they considered it to be a favor like to come and they would normally have to have filled in a bunch of forms or something like that.

27:46 There were about four or five different people that could have done it. We decided we wanted it done on Friday at a certain time. So that they were the people that could do it Friday at that time. Right? So even though it's a very significant event, their role in the significant event was procedural and bureaucratic and pragmatic. That was it. So anything on top of that was going to be seen as a sort of an offense and indeed like so then she done the thing and then she put the killer chemical in and she blew out the vein. right now she like her version of this to give due uh credibility to their perspective would be well that's because we needed the vette and you wouldn't permit the vette to come in but I would say this no when I goes to you after you'd administered the chemical thing cuz I remember this moment cuz I'm in high high alert state I'm like um hey is um is it good after she'd administered it at that point all

28:37 I've been is clear and firm right that's all I've been clear and firm we're just here to kill this dog It's [ __ ] agony for me. Let's get it done. Like, so like, you know, she's administered that and she I go, "Is it all right?" And she went, "Yes." And got up and went away. When what she should have said is, "No, I've blown his vein out. It's not gone into his vein." So 15 minutes later when Bear's still alive and we're just like, "We don't know how long it's going to take." And I'm like literally I'm crying on the floor in the dirt putting his tongue back in his mouth like broken in grief. Right. They come over and go, she goes, "The vein blew out. I'm like, why didn't you tell me that when I asked you if it had gone all right? Now, this is the bit where old Russ don't cover himself in glory. I go, from now on, how how am I to take anything you say seriously because when I asked you a

29:29 clear question, you've lied to me. All I know about you now is you turned up half hour late and you didn't do your job correctly. Now I don't know in retrospect whether I used any exploitives like I might have said [ __ ] up instead of didn't do your job. I might have done because I was in intense grief. Now I think if your job is you kill animals for a living as part of your gig like what have you never encountered everyone else has been fine you know like what like you know so there you go man. Anyway, so after that point, after I'd made clear what the boundary was and what the expectation was, she came over. I held the vein and all that kind of stuff and done the uh you know, and she done it and she got third times a charm. Managed to kill my dog on the third time of asking. And during the interim period, I said things like uh please uh I accept my apologies for the way that I expressed my concern

30:21 there. I'm in a state of deep grief. And my wife Laura went, "Russell, you've got to give yourself some grace in this moment. You're in a lot of pain." That conversation sort of took place. Anyway, so they leave and all that kind of stuff. And they're like, "Oh, she wants to pronounce him dead." And I goes, "He's dead. Do you need me to sign something?" Like, cuz that's what it really means. I need you to sign something. That's what it really means. Like everything with your car insurance. Do you think the car insurance they want to help you and all that? No, they don't. They just want to make sure that they can get as much money from you as possible without being liable for anything. You think that when there's a sign up saying be careful of that, you know, the wet floor or no one gives a [ __ ] about anything. All they're trying to do is avoid paying you money. Now, I'm not saying that about these

30:59 particular vets. I'm just saying the systems, if the systems are not about anything except bureaucracy and legalistic protections. You know, the Sabbath is made for the man, not the man for the Sabbath. Then don't be surprised when people that are tuned in don't want to live in your crazy bureaucracies. Anyway, so now dear old Rob, who made the connection, he's gotten a resentment because his mom, stepmom, who was the technician that I didn't allow onto the property to have a supporting role in the death of my beloved dog, has cpped a grievance from the situation. So, like when Rob came in and expressed his thing, I was like, "Mate, I got to tell you, after everything I've been through in the last few years, the false rape allegations, the kids heart disease and open heart surgery, triple heart by, you know, all of that, the moving to another country, the ongoing pressures, and now the death of Bear. I just got no more

31:49 room for [ __ ] And part of that is pretty good because I now feel like I'm ready to go to trial. I'm ready to go to trial and face down a lot of because I see, you know, I see things more clearly. So anyway, so the bit that like is a contested bit is like how do I I suppose reconcile and remedy the intensity that I've caused through my grief and with that I open it to the floor. We'll be back after this important message. Do you want TO SUPPORT ME? NO, I DON'T. YES, YOU DO. SUPPORT me and support Rumble Premium. You won't only be supporting me, you'll get additional access to Mug Club, that's Crowder's gig, Tim Cast, that's Tim Paul's racket, and Glenn Greenwald's additional content. Join us on Rumble Premium. We make content every single week through Rumble because Rumble support free speech. When I was under attack from the British government and the British media, Rumble stood firm.

32:43 Yes, of course, there's crazy people on Rumble. There's crazy people everywhere. There's a crazy person living under this hat. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have the right to speak freely together. By supporting Rumble Premium, you're supporting me and content creators like me. You get additional content. And what I will say even more, drink down deep on the delicious irony in this one. You get an adree experience. If you want an adree experience of Rumble, get Rumble Premium. And in the meantime, stay free. Welcome back. And Messi, over to you.

33:11 I think that that when anybody dies, it's obviously the most difficult thing we go through. But how often do you have somebody die in your arms? That's I mean that is pretty intense in terms of loss dying in your arms. And then to say that it's been prolonged because of bit of negligence, whatever you want to call it. Um, I think that, you know, as Jake says and as as Laura said, give yourself a bit of grace there because that is a high pressure situation with insane grief unfolding live in a way that you've never had to experience before.

33:49 And it's more difficult with pets as well sometimes because of the um you've never had an argument with a pet, have you? You've you know, maybe you have, but it's not like with a person like [ __ ] you and they got an opinion about you. So, look, I just think given a bit of time, everyone will realize, and I think they probably do already realize that that's a crazy intense situation. You had your dog there dying in your arms with everyone around. Um, what what lower point can you get be at? So, you've got to give yourself a bit of um a bit of leeway there, I think.

34:22 Go an intro and then we'll do my mates in the room. Yeah, there's a lot going on here. So I mean first of all she administered the injection now missed the vein. Was she aware that she missed the vein initially? Why wait 15 minutes or did she was she not sure?

34:40 I think she was overwhelmed by the circumstances and part of that circumstance was that it was outdoors. part of it there was a famous person and I think she didn't

34:50 want to just go listen as you know I didn't have my vette to the limb so the um the vein it's not gone in the vein but she did know it had not gone in the vein when she said yes it had gone in the vein so it's I think you can forgive even though it's annoying ineptitude and error if we didn't forgive ineptitude and error we would all be in some serious trouble wouldn't we but it was the fact But in that moment, she didn't say, "Listen, I've not got the vein. Either you're going to have to help me find it, okay, or you're going to have to accept the tech." Now, that's obviously takes her sort of a very strong person, but I would say falls within the remit of the role. So, that that's my take on it.

35:31 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, she should have been straight up there, but I guess she's acted out of fear cuz she's trying to sort of contain your feelings as well. And really when someone's doing that role, oh great, they want to be nice and compassionate, but you want to be efficient in what they're doing as well. Um, but then I suppose the nature of your wrongs, it don't sound like you did. Look, you were emotional. That's it. That's it.

35:56 Did you cause her offense? Was she, you know, did you cause direct harm? Probably.

36:03 Maybe a little amends then just for the way that you spoke initially and then I guess with the Rob thing. So he's upset cuz that was his stepmom who was the technician who weren't allowed in and that. Now that I'd say that's his inventory then cuz he's the one with a resentment. Maybe he's being, you know, selfish, self-seeking. Oh, they were great. They did such a good job. Well done, Rob. You're the best.

36:27 The expectations of how that was to go have not been met. Now he's got a grievance. But yeah, I can't take his imagery, but that's how I think about it.

36:36 That's a good good analysis there. It's like a a sport, isn't it? It's like resentment commentary. Go ahead, Dave. And then you take us home, Jake.

36:44 I think I think you nailed a lot of it. Uh just from the recovery aspect. I look I look at it and I think, hey, man, this is a great opportunity. He's new in recovery. So, man, you're going to make a you're going to go to make amends and not keep that resentment. When he came and talked to me about it, I said, "Hey, talk to Russell. Just share how you feel. Don't hold the resentment.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Saying Goodbye to Bear — SF673"?

Russell Brand (Host), Jake (Guest), Dave (Guest), Massie (Guest), Joe McCann (Guest).

What is "Saying Goodbye to Bear — SF673" about?

In this discussion, Russell Brand and his guests explore themes of corruption and truth in journalism, contrasting perspectives on faith and skepticism. The conversation touches on societal issues while blending humor and provocative commentary, ultimately urging listeners to critically examine the motives behind mainstream narratives.

What is mentioned in this Russell Brand episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Russell Brand, Bear, Angel Massie, Joe McCann, Chris Dave, Dr Jake. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Saying Goodbye to Bear — SF673"?

The episode runs 38 min; the transcript is about 7,656 words in 69 timestamped sections.

More from Russell Brand

• All analyzed episodes
• People mentioned on Russell Brand