Lions Gate and the Fellowship Adventure Group released an interview with Michael Moore today, in which he comments on the film's success, the conventions and Linda Ronstadt. The compete transcript, as provided by Lions Gate, follows...
MICHAEL MOORE GENERIC INTERVIEW ON "FAHRENHEIT 9/11" BOX OFFICE DNC & RNC PLANS LINDA RONSTADT
INTERVIEW DATE: JULY 22ND, 2004
INTERVIEWER
First question. First question. You’re going over a hundred million-dollar mark (STAMMERS) for the first time in the history of any documentary. What, tell us about the audiences who are going to see this movie?
MICHAEL MOORE
You know, what's incredible about the audiences going to see, uh, Fahrenheit 9/11 is that they're, they come from all walks of life. They're young. They’re old. They're White. They're Black. Uh, they're Democrats and they're Republicans, and they're Independents, and a lot of them are people who have never voted before. Um, and the mail I'm getting is just incredible. Um, um, incredible responses from people saying that, uh, they're planning on voting, or the movie changed their mind, or whatever. It's, uh, uh, it's been very encouraging.
INTERVIEWER
Okay, um, Michael, do you think the movie is having an impact on the country in a different way than most other movies ever?
MICHAEL MOORE
Uh, I think that this, uh, movie has, uh, sent people out of the theaters wondering why the heck didn't I know about this stuff? How come I never saw this on TV? Why didn't anybody tell me this? And, uh, I think it's what's most stunning to people. They go into the movie not really knowing what they're gonna see, and, uh, and they see scene, after scene, after scene of things that have never been shown to them.
Uh, not just about the Bush Administration, but also what's going on in Iraq, uh, uh, the whole Patriot Act business, all this stuff. It's, and, uh, people I think are, are quite shocked. I was on Howard Stern this morning and, uh, he said it's the greatest horror movie ever made. (LAUGH) That was a pretty apartment, uh, uh, uh, description, uh, of the film. Uh, I think people are upset because they, they want the questions to be asked of those in power.
And the media has failed to ask these questions, by and large. And so along comes this movie asking the questions, and people are happy to I think (STAMMERS) to see that, uh, being done. Um, uh, this is, uh, this is a movie that is squarely on the side of our troops, uh, because if you're for the troops, the best way to be for them is to never send them into harm's way unless it's absolutely necessary.
They offered to go into the military to defend us, to protect us, and to maybe even give up their lives in doing so. The very least we can give them is the promise that we will not send you off to war unless it really is, uh, for our self-defense. And, uh, I think we've let them down in a very, very, very bad way, and, and, um, uh, I hope this movie, um, helps to turn that around. Certainly some of the best mail I've received has been from soldiers and their families who are very happy that somebody is telling the truth about what's going on.
INTERVIEWER
Excellent. (BACKGROUND NOISE) Michael, what's your reaction to the treatment of Linda Ronstadt in Vegas?
MICHAEL MOORE
I couldn't believe that. I heard the story, uh, (STAMMERS) on Saturday night. Uh, Linda Ronstadt dedicated a song to me in the, and about a quarter of the place went crazy and threw their drinks in the air, and got upset or something. And then the people who own this Aladdin Hotel then had their security guards escort her out of the building, and they wouldn't even let her go to her room, uh, (STAMMERS) for dedicating a song?
That's what it's come to in (STAMMERS) , in America? (LAUGH) That you better not even open your mouth to dedicate a song to somebody, uh, or, or you'll be banned? And, and that's what the President of the Aladdin did. He banned her from ever playing there again. Uh, but this morning, we just got the word that the new owners of the Aladdin who are taking over in September are going to apologize to her, and, uh, they're going to invite her back. And they've invited me to come and sing on the stage with her, uh, which I, I, uh, I'm going to take them up on that offer.
INTERVIEWER
Great. Okay, Michael, here it is. The conventions. (SOUNDS LIKE) This week's Democratic Convention, and we hear you're going to be attending the Democratic Convention.
MICHAEL MOORE
Uh, I'm, I think the Red Sox are playing the Yankees. That's the only reason I’m going to Boston. Uh, (LAUGH) (STAMMERS) oh, I am going, yeah, I’m, I'm, I'm not delegate or anything. I'm just, uh, I'm going to Boston because, uh, you know, the Congressional Black Caucus, uh, has invited me there. Uh, they said they want to give me an award or something. So I was very honored by that. And, uh, and then, uh, the, one of the largest unions in the country is gonna have a free screening of my movie. So, uh, I'm going there as their guest also.
INTERVIEWER
Going to New York?
MICHAEL MOORE
Uh, well, I will, I will definitely be in New York, uh, for the Republican Convention. I'm covering it, uh, and writing columns for USA Today, uh, each of the days of the Republican Convention, so, uh, I've actually got credentials, uh, to, uh, wander around the, uh, the convention floor amongst all those Republicans. Damn, is that the dumbest thing I ever decided to do. (STAMMERS) Now that I've actually heard myself verbalize it, you know, (CLEARS THROAT) ...
INTERVIEWER
(STAMMERS) Okay. Michael, you have about, uh, two minutes left on the satellite. Anything you want to say right now, you might as well do it. And then we'll take another break and, uh...
MICHAEL MOORE
Well, the thing I was thinking about, you know, about (STAMMERS) people trying to censor my movie, or stop people from seeing it, here's the big difference between my side of the political fence and the other side. Um, uh, my side believes that if we don't want to (STAMMERS) see something, we just don't go see it. The other side believes if they don't want to see something, they don’t want to (STAMMERS) , they don't go see it, and they don't want you to see it either.
And they’re gonna stop you from seeing it. Uh, (STAMMERS) I just don't understand that. It just, it just seems to go against, uh, the, the things that we believe in, uh, as Americans. Um, the, the response to film, uh, there really hasn't been anything like it. Uh, you know, before Bowling For Columbine, the previous record for a documentary was, like, seven million dollars in the box office. Seven.
And Bowling For Columbine did 21 million, and nobody thought, well, that'll never happen again. You know, it's, uh, and now this is going over a hundred million, uh, this weekend. And, it's, uh, it's just, it's, it's, it's an amazing historic moment for the art of cinema, for documentaries, and, uh, also for the desire of the American public to have a discussion about politics and what's going on.
You know, Hollywood often sells the public very short. They think that people out there don't have a brain, and all we gotta give them is a bunch of senseless, dumb ass things, and, you know, they'll be happy with it. That's not true. Uh, the American people are much smarter, uh, than they're given, uh, credit for, and much more tuned in to what's going on. And I think this movie has, has proven that.
I mean, we have grosses, uh, you know, I mean, that are gonna beyond Dodgeball. (LAUGH) Okay, thank you very much. Thank you. Mm hmm. Actually, I saw that last night. It was hilarious. (BACKGROUND NOISE)
