Russell Brand's writing feels like someone is about to shout "PARKLIFE!" at the end of every sentence. pic.twitter.com/3uio7yrOfo
— dan barker (@danbarker) November 2, 2014
Above is the tweet that sparked a minor social media movement, causing comedian Russell Brand to be inundated with responses and comments simply containing the word ‘Parklife’ in reference to the popular song by Britpop band Blur.
Brand, who has long been known for his outspoken views and loquacious manner, caused some controversy earlier this year for his take on the wisdom of choosing not to use your vote. Many have criticized Brand’s output throughout his career, but no one did so in quite such an easily replicable way as Dan Barker.
As you can see, Barker’s tweet garnered nearly 10,000 retweets, and his own findings suggest that the tweet reached at least 500,000 people by November 3 — a sizeable number of which then went on to tweet Brand with a host of minor variations on ‘PARKLIFE!’. While many would shy away from this sort of widespread mockery, Brand did the only thing that really made sense; make a music video.
Brand released his own spin on Parklife to YouTube on Sunday, and already the video is nearing a million views. Cannily turning the mockery around in his own favor, the comedian has rather artfully used the resources available to him to demonstrate that he can reach further than an offhand tweet. As you can imagine, Twitter has blown up somewhat over the video; here’s what people are saying.
I'm sorry to be repetitive but this Russell Brand/Parklife thing is potentially the Internet's finest work. https://t.co/ZCrxifyzdf
— Rebecca Tucker (@RebeccaTee) November 5, 2014
Many had nothing but praise for the gag itself, and in fact the music video — although some more discerning listeners did call into question some problems with production.
https://twitter.com/laurenlaverne/status/531894043815731201
However, not everyone was as keen on the whole situation. Dour music publication The Line of Best Fit didn’t seem to be too amused.
.@rustyrockets covers "Parklife" and kills dead Twitter joke about his extensive vocabulary in the process https://t.co/aGDTRIUSdQ
— THE LINE OF BEST FIT (@bestfitmusic) November 10, 2014
However, others chose to make their own fun, The IT Crowd alums Richard Ayoade and Graham Linehan included.
But what sentences AREN'T improved by shouting 'Parklife' at the end of them?
— richard ayoade (@RichardAyoade) November 5, 2014
The bad news is that it's fungal, and it's spreading…
PARKLIFE!
— richard ayoade (@RichardAyoade) November 5, 2014
https://twitter.com/Glinner/status/530068294821511169
In fact, the very act of ‘Parklife-ing’ someone else proved to be so enjoyable, that even Russell Brand couldn’t help getting in on the act.
“@andrewhall2468:@FinancialTimes What should worry you + yr pals is Russell is giving voice to what many are feeling & thinking.” PARKLIFE
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) November 5, 2014
What do you think of the Brand Parklife phenomenon? Is his retort video petty? Was the original tweet too catty in itself? Or is it a series of potent points wrapped up in good humor? Let us know in the comments section below, or get in touch via Twitter by following @SocialNewsDaily.
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