As someone who is committed to voting in general and to local body elections and who considered standing as a council candidate, even I could see where he was coming from in his revolutionary message - "Don't vote".
For me, Brand brought to life his point that "apathy is, in fact, a transmission problem - when given the correct information in an engaging fashion, we will stir".
He showed his personal passion and frustration with the current political system that has increased the gap between rich and poor while "defending the rights of bankers to continue to receive their bonuses".
He spoke about the need to take issues out of the abstract and make them real, even stunning his BBC host by referring to Paxman's public grief on learning of his grandmother's suffering in a TV programme on discovering celebrities' ancestors.
"If we can engage that feeling and change things, why wouldn't we? Why is that naive? Why is that not my right because I'm an 'actor'? I've taken the right - I don't need the right from you; I don't need the right from anybody. I'm taking it."
Brand interspersed the serious with humour. He wrote in his editorial on the New Statesman website - www.newstatesman.com - "As John Cleese said, there is a tendency to confuse seriousness with solemnity. Serious causes can and must be approached with good humour, otherwise they're boring and can't compete with the Premier League and Grand Theft Auto. Social movements needn't lack razzmatazz."
So we ask the question, how do we increase the numbers of people voting in local body elections - if Whanganui can lead the way with a bit over 50 per cent participation, what's going wrong?
Maybe the straggly-haired, unshaven Brit has some answers.
I've seen this fresh thinking applied successfully in an important campaign for men's health - Movember. Yes, the month of November is upon us and raising awareness and funds for issues like prostate and testicular cancer and mental illness is under way through the competitive sport of moustache growing.
I love the Movember movement - it is tackling critical issues with fun. As their website says: "Silly stuff matters" - check out www.movember.com
What happens next, of course, is that Brand gets slammed by internet critics - or trolls as they're not so affectionately termed.
Whether you use Twitter or Facebook or read letters to the editor or comments online, there are plenty of detractors out there shouting "hypocrite" or worse.
No one needs to be undermined simply because they don't have all the answers, it is enough to be part of starting the conversation.
I'm so excited by the voice Brand presents and am now nagging him on Twitter to visit New Zealand and engage his Commonwealth cousins in this revolutionary debate.
Another language warning to finish. I've just discovered this wonderful online video to keep the trolls in perspective - the chorus in the addictive tune goes: "Some might say you're a sexually aggressive, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, cowardly, illiterate, waste of human skin, but I say 'thank you'."
It's another thing that made me smile and laugh out loud. Search YouTube for Isabel Fay and thank you hater. Enjoy!
Nicola Young is a former Department of Conservation manager who now works for global consultancy AECOM. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.
