Russell Brand, the “Get Him to the Greek” numbskull turned contrarian pundit, will be headlining a conference at Shelter Island’s sleepy Ram’s Head Inn this week from Wednesday to Friday. The event, which is produced by The Family Office Summit* and the Free & Equal Elections Foundation, will feature speakers including Brand, Dr. Ron Paul (via video), and Joe from Texas. Modeled after the 1947 Shelter Island Conference, where Oppenheimer and co. debated quantum physics, this gathering promises to discuss “sovereignty in the age of technology.” Brand, who has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of rape and sexual assault in the UK, lives in Florida and has over 6 million YouTube subscribers.
The Ram’s Head Inn is a fixture of Ram Island, an estate-heavy extension of Shelter Island. It’s where retirees go to drink martinis and complain about taxes by the fire in the winter. Ram residents I’ve spoken to are shocked at the conference’s fringe-libertarian agenda. A few told me they’d no longer feel comfortable grabbing a drink at the hotel.
Brand is the latest boldface name to ruffle the East End. Aidan McLaughlin wrote a story for Vanity Fair earlier this month on presidential hopefuls quietly fundraising in the Hamptons. Politicians aren’t the only notable figures following the money: Gwyneth Paltrow’s much-discussed dinner with OpenAI’s Sam Altman is this weekend. A full map of the most-talked-about appearances in the Hamptons this August is for paid subscribers below. We also get into the week’s gossip, from Southampton’s most notorious water hogs to a celebrity tick PSA. And as always, the elite events worth booking a babysitter for.
