Inside Michael Moore’s Head(phones)

October 5, 2004 D. H. McKee

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When all is said and done, Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” may end up best remembered for a profound silence — the seven minutes President Bush remained, after learning that the country was under attack, in front of a Florida elementary school class, quietly reading a book about a goat.
But Moore brought the noise, too.
The use of music in his blockbuster film made for pithy editorial comment, sardonic humor and memorably jarring scenes: The Go-Go’s sing-songy “Vacation” blared as Moore documented Bush’s extended postelection stay at his Texas ranch; chords instantly recognizable as belonging to J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” chimed when Moore analyzed Bush’s failure to take a military medical exam; a photomontage of Bush family and associates buddying with Saudi royals, set to REM’s “Shining Happy People,” played like an MTV video; American soldiers in Iraq chillingly shared a song they’d piped into their tank as a battle cry — a heavy-metal tune with the refrain, “The house is on fire / Burn, motherf–, burn!”
Inside Michael Moore’s Head(phones) / The anti-Bush provocateur also understands the power of music.

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As a guy who occasionally curates art shows and wrangles artists together, I often have to edit and post artist bios, profile pictures, and artwork images. This can be a problem, since many artists and writers aren’t used to selling themselves. Artists rarely know how to present their art for display in a brochure, and writers aren’t used to writing about themselves.

Writers often treat the bio like it’s an interview or something. Maybe like they’re having a conversation with you, the reader. While it may work sometimes, the most common way to write a bio is to write in the 3rd person.

I’m like those writers, and I’m talking to you directly, unlike the common way to do a bio. You should see my About page. It makes sense to me, since this is a bit which describes my blog’s website. When I get famous enough that I don’t have time to talk to you, I’ll have an intern write everything in 3rd person. Until then, you get to talk to me.

Like blogs of old, this one is a personal document of the comings and goings of me. Articles I’ve written, links I’ve posted, videos I liked, etc. Here, a first-person perspective is the way to go, at least for now. So, this is my site. I’m D. H. McKee, a sometimes artist, sometimes writer. Mostly just a guy on the internet.