The New York Times weighs in on Michael Moore's new book, Here Comes Trouble: Stories From My Life:
To remark that “Here Comes Trouble” is by far Mr. Moore’s best book isn’t extravagant praise. He’s more concise as a documentarian; like all of his books this one is shaggy and overfilled. It’s a cabbage rather than a rose, a tangy ring of bologna rather than a sirloin. Side effects may include heartburn.
Mr. Moore’s coming of age as a working-class malcontent is, however, something to behold. It’s the story of a big lunk who learns to yoke his big mouth to a sense of purpose. It persuades you to take Mr. Moore seriously, and it belongs on a shelf with memoirs by, and books about, nonconformists like Mother Jones, Abbie Hoffman, Phil Ochs, Rachel Carson, Harvey Pekar and even Thomas Paine. Mr. Moore — disheveled, cranky, attention seeking, too eager to pick a fight — is easy to satirize. But he could nearly get away with branding his camera with the words once scrawled on Woody Guthrie’s guitar: This machine kills fascists.
I went on here this morning, "and boy", was I surprised! Don't shock me like this so early Gordy. I was one of the many people who had dealings with Moore clear back to his days in Davison. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing. The words we last spoke (personally) to each other (in 1981), could not be repeated here. I did run into him at Fisher Body's factory #1 on Saginaw st. though in 1987 (on the last day that the factory was open) but we did not speak. In his film "Roger & Me" he even got the facts wrong about that day, and then repeated them in the book "The American Auto Factory". I STILL LOVE YOUR BLOG THOUGH! I really wish he would just fade away like old soldiers do. I like the review but it should have included "CROOK, BACKSTABBER or PROPAGANDIST". I better quit venting. Whenever I see him on TV I want to shoot the screen like Elvis.
ReplyDeleteGerry, I knew this one would get to you. I should have warned you! With posts about Michael Moore and Sarah Palin so close together, everyone is getting all riled up. It made me wonder what the reaction would be if a story broke that Mike and Sarah had a fling. I might have to just shut the blog down at that point. I'm still striving to stay away from politics on the blog since there are so many other venues for it, but sometimes I just can't help it.
ReplyDeleteHey, I drove by the Buick in August.; the deer is finally gone.
My theory is, between Michael Moore's mentor, Elsie Sinclair, John Sinclair's mother, and the fact that MM was reportedly mercilessly picked on in school by students and teachers alike, it was inevitable that MM ended up with a chip on his shoulder. I have heard the same thing about various dictators throughout world history. Think about that, kids, before you pick on someone.
ReplyDeleteYou know the buttons to push. Hell maybe Moore and Palin will be in the White House someday? The way things are now anything is possible. Anyways; I was down there a few weeks ago taking demolition photos and seen the deer gone also. I have one of the workers inside (doing the demolition) sending pictures for me and will post them in the future. Hang in there Gordy.
ReplyDeleteBANG, BANG. Two of them in a row. I had to go after another cup of coffee and settle down in my chair and try to absorb this interconnected, Flint, Anchorage, Ann Arbor and points "in between" sports, politics, sex, and dead deer all wrapped up without the ribbon, package. Gordy, you still have to poke that dragon once and awhile don't you? ....Who me? I STILL LOVE YOUR BLOG THOUGH.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore is so full of himself. He's his own best friend....
ReplyDeleteAll politics aside, is that a gold "D" on his Tigers hat? If so, that is awesome. I have to find one of those.
ReplyDeleteUnclebuck, Peter Kott was in the Class of 1967 at Flint SW, the same class as Bernard Rosenberg, and at about the same time as Paul and Janiece Bowles of Sippin' Lizzard/Concert Gallery fame.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore is wearing a Davison High School baseball hat. The school's colors are maroon and gold. He graduated from DHS.
ReplyDeleteHeh. More like "This Machine Kills Places That I Claim To Like, and Innocent Bystanders; But It Fills My Pockets With Money".
ReplyDeleteThe one guy who stood up and dared to criticize GM for completely abandoning and entire city and this is the thanks he gets. So he made some money in the process, big deal. Thanks for telling the truth, Mike.
ReplyDeleteMoore did go to Davison High, but the hat is a popular Tigers version making the rounds. Not sure if it was ever officially licensed but there are lots of counterfeit models making the rounds. Wish I could get my hands on one.
ReplyDeletehttp://global.rakuten.com/en/store/onspotz/item/mctdt005/
General Motors as we knew it no longer exists. It's not just in Flint, it's everywhere.
ReplyDeleteIt is scary to look at the same things that started happening in Flint 30 or more years ago now happening elsewhere, such as vacant storefronts, not now in downtowns, but in suburban areas.
You can't really blame the auto unions, either, and certainly you can no longer blame the people of Flint for what has now happened nationwide.
Government alone cannot revive the country. We have to rebuild the private sector to sustain the public sector.
Michael Moore only saw and only continues to see the smaller picture.
Michael Moore has been a constant source of inspiration since I first met him when he was an 18 yr old candidate for Davison School Board. He at least prefers to bring things out into the open and give them a little sunlight. Although I didn't attend St Johns, I lived next to it and heard many accounts from the survivors. Moore has always said what needs to be said, and he does it with style. I loved to show the Flint/Michigan Voice to the Flint Journal Worshipers. (I was even a Journal carrier) I am only proud to have graduated from Davision High School because he attended there. That he draws so much Ire from the locals speaks volumes about what is wrong with Flint and it's unenlightened inhabitants.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame that most of you think that the socialist millionaire Moore being from Flint is a good thing. Unfortunately, Moore and people like him are why Flint is in the mess we find it. Flint was nothing until General Motors came to town. They employed thousands and actually built neighborhoods. Not being perfect, they did need a kick in the ass in the 30’s. However, since that time the power hungry Moore types (Union leaders) put unreasonable demands on GM, which made them leave town. That’s it in a nutshell. Now Moore and his buds are trying to do the same to the rest of our beloved country. Time to wise up and stop with your shop mentality.
ReplyDeleteSo, why haven't our fellow readers Shawn Chittle and Pete Cavanaugh checked in here, and not just on Amazon?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, like Gerry Godin, I am skeptical of any stories Michael might tell, based on previous experience.
Why is it that the New York Times is so enamoured with Michael Moore? Is it that he always depicts our national problems as a failure of capitalism, and that Flint is so easy to pick on? Did Michael not see the collapse of the Soviet Union, and see the total perversion of the original principles of Communism in the nations which still cling to it?
MM is an over the top liberal; so what, this is America. He gives a shit about things that others would just as soon ignore. I like to hear what he thinks about issues, even if I don't necesssarily agree. I would rather drink a beer with him that most of the self serving jerks we have sent to Washington.
ReplyDeleteI find it notable that so many people who know Mike from his Flint days have bitter memories of him. His politics aside,which I agree with more than not, he still has a large number of people who think they have been abused or mistreated by him. Now, you can write this off as envy and that certainly is part of it but I know some of these folks and you get a picture of a self-obsessed, narcissistic user when you talk with them. Makes you wonder what kind of world we'd live in if he had true power over others.
ReplyDeleteYou are wrong about the baseball hat. Moore is wearing a maroon hat, not black, and the 'D' is an Old English styled letter, unique to Davison High School, slightly different to the style used by the Tigers. I believe the hats are still being sold in the Cardinal Shop ((810) 591-3531 Ext. 402) at the high school.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, looks an awful lot like the counterfeit Tigers hats I see everywhere, which might explain the variation on the olde English "D." And unless I need a new monitor, that hat's not burgundy. And why would Mike promote Davison when the town fought to keep him out of the local Hall of Fame, despite the fact he's achieved more than every other resident of the place in history combined? Seems doubtful to me, but what do I know? I know that's a cool hat, regardless of what it represents.
ReplyDeleteAre we really arguing over Michael Moore's hat?
ReplyDeleteIn an attempt to settle this important issue, the D on the hat is definitely the Davison D and not the counterfeit Tigers D. So this may indeed be a Davison High cap. Whew!
ReplyDeleteThat Times file photo of Michael was taken a long time ago. He is much longer of tooth these days and carrying a lot of jowl that is not depicted in that shot. It definitely looks like the Davison baseball cap of yore. At one time, he was my nephew's best bud in high school and for some years after. Upon success, he severed his relationship with those homies that were considered also rans in his life. Too bad, because I liked him when he was a kid.
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