A
t least half a dozen peo-
plehavetriedtokillMichael
Moore. But the attempt that
really stands out in his mind is
the guy with the fertilizer bomb in 2004.
“Hewasgoingtoplantitundermyhouse
in Michigan,” says Moore. “But one night
hewascleaninghisAK-47anditwentof.
Neighbours called the cops, and when they
showed up he had all this ammo, bomb-
making stuf and a hit list, with me at the
top. He went to the federal penitentiary.”
Fewliberalactivistshaveastronger
trackrecordofinfuriatingconservatives
than Moore, whose new film,Where to
Invade Next,hits theatres nationwide on
April7th.Inrecentyears,though,the
death threats and murder attempts have
subsided – as has Moore’s once-ubiqui-
tous public presence. His last documen-
tary,Capitalism:ALoveStory,cameout
morethansixyearsago.Hespentmost
ofhistimeonlower-profileprojects,like
starting his own film festival, though he
also endured the death of his father and
divorcedhiswifeof22years.
ButMooresaysthemainreasonhe
sat on the sidelines through most of the
Obama administration is simple exhaus-
tion: “I said, ‘I want to be one of millions.
I don’t want to be a leader.’ I realised that
Icouldkeepmakingthesemoviesifwe
didn’t change the central problem, which
isaneconomicsystemthatwasunjust.”
Moore was inspired to make movies
again after witnessing the Occupy Wall
Street movement and the beginnings of
the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign.
“Ayoungergenerationnolongersaw‘so-
cialism’ as a bad word,” Moore says.
SohegottoworkonWhere to Invade
Next,inwhichhetravelsacrossEurope,
showingthatcountrieslikeFinlandand
Icelanddoabetterjoblettingcitizens
livetheAmericandreamthanAmerica
does.Hehaslunchwithpublic-schoolkids
in France, marvelling at their elaborate,
healthy meals, and visits convicted mur-
derersinNorwayhousedinprisonsnicer
than most New York apartment buildings.
“It’s a subversive and dangerous film be-
causeitpullstherugoutfrom[under]Fox
News,” he says. “I’m carrying the flag and
trying to make the country a better place.”
Moore has regained his fighting spirit
in other ways. He was one of the loud-
est voices calling attention to the crisis in
Flint, in which the city’s water supply was
tainted with poisonous amounts of lead.
Recently,hespearheadedaneforttohave
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder arrested for
failing to prevent the situation.
Moore sees the extreme right turn of
theRepublicanPartyasaclearsignthatitislosingthelonggame.“Itmusthave
been very loud and stinky when the di-
nosaurswereintheirfinaldays,”hesays.
“But it’s just that the dinosaurs were dying.
Theplanetwasn’tdying.Intheend,young
people, women, blacks and Hispanics
are going to rule this country. That’s
why I’m an optimist about the future
of America.”
In line with this optimism, Moore
decidedafewyearsagotogetridof
hisentiresecurityteamandtakehis
chances in public, bomb-wielding ma-
niacsbedamned.“Idon’tworryaboutit
anymore,”hesays.“Igottagosometime,
andI’vejustmadepeacewiththat.”
ANDY GREENEROCK&ROLL
24 | Rolling Stone | RollingStoneAus.com Photograph by Sacha Lecca
Michael
Moore’s
New Fight
After staying quiet for most
oftheObamayears,the
filmmakerisbacktotakeon
the right with a new movieDOCUMENTARY
Moore in
New York
in January