GLASGOW, Scotland — All the telltale signs were there: nappy
braids, purple Muppet-fur shoulder bags, and “McShit”
T-shirts. Time to put away the G.O.P. geriatrics, kids; Michael
Moore’s in town.
But it became clear to the capacity crowd at the Clyde
Auditorium that the best-selling author and Oscar-winning filmmaker
wasn’t merely preaching to the converted this time. On an
international promotional tour in support of his latest book,
“Dude, Where’s My Country?,” due at Royce Hall
for two shows this weekend, Moore proved in Glasgow that
there’s more to him and his followers than meets the eye.
In addition to the safety-pinned cannabis patches and
demonstration flyers, for example, were off-the-rack suits and
knitted caps. The young professionals and the elderly pensioners
who dominated this crowd might not be the first castes typically
associated with the uber-liberal sentiment of “Bowling for
Columbine,” but they are indicative of the changing political
climate on both sides of the pond.
It seems that Moore’s infamous Oscar speech, on a certain
“fictitious war” and “fictitious
president,” are ringing truer now versus six months ago, as
more Americans and Britons are keen to his message. “Dude,
Where’s My Country?” currently sits atop the New York
Times and the Amazon U.K. best-seller lists, and has sold a million
U.S. copies in just three weeks, according to Moore’s own Web
site.
But when Moore finally appeared on stage at the Clyde
Auditorium, in his trademark baseball cap (Ohio State this time),
the book was the last thing on his mind.
“You don’t have to buy this book,” he said.
“Steal it somewhere. Take it out of someone’s
hands.”
He may have been only half-joking, of course, but Moore had
bigger fish to fry, spending his entire presentation talking about
the war, the war, and finally, the war. However, he tailor-made his
presentation for the Scottish audience, dishing out as much on New
Labour and U.K. apathy toward Tony Blair’s war push as he did
on George W. Bush and his fellow “stupid white
men.”
Then came Moore’s typical controversial histrionics.
Instead of reading from his book, the political activist sang
rousing renditions of “The Sound of Music” and
“The Impossible Dream,” at the request of one audience
member.
But the tone quickly turned somber, or more precisely,
pseudo-somber, as he read off a list of the 53 British soldiers
slain during the latest Iraqi conflict, dramatically punctuating
each name with the word “dead.” Moments like these fuel
his detractors’ fire: even those who agree with Moore’s
stances do not necessarily agree with his techniques, which can be
as manipulative, distracting and inexplicable as those of his
favorite targets.
Despite his questionable tactics, the audience responded
enthusiastically to Moore all night, using words like
“courageous” and “inspiring” to describe
him during the Q&A. They could have left with the usual
“religious high” and a signed hardcover, but in a
surprising turn, Moore had a few moments of genuine human
weakness.
Looking down at the lectern, raising and lowering the bill of
his cap, Moore admitted that he was “just another confused
American” on such issues as the resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or which candidate he would endorse
in the next presidential election, citing as many faults as
positives in the current front-runners. He even doubted his own
fierce optimism about the outcome of the election and the end of
the war, confessing that he might just be a
“Pollyanna.”
The evening may have ended with the expected standing ovation
and Dixie Chicks exit music, but at least people took away a more
human picture of Michael Moore.
With no real political bite to go with his bark, he may not be
the ideal spokesman for the anti-war, anti-Bush camp, but as the
international sold-out crowds testify, Moore’s fostering of
positive collective action and political debate cannot be ignored
or discounted.
It appears that Moore’s controversial actions are working
on a global scale, and that is perhaps the best surprise of
all.
Michael Moore will speak in Royce Hall on Nov. 22 and 23.
Tickets are sold out.