Bill Maher on Mel Gibson, the Dems and Hef’s place|Bill Maher’s a premium-cable kind of guy. On HBO he can say what he wants, using language unacceptable elsewhere on TV, and not worry about how many eyeballs are watching or wonder whether a sponsor will pull its advertising support.
In 2001, when his “Politically Incorrect” was on ABC, Maher angered some viewers with comments about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Houston radio talk-show host Dan Patrick was one of those offended, and a campaign he launched helped kick Maher off ABC.
Patrick may have done Maher a favor, because “Real Time With Bill Maher” is a much better fit.
In addition to not having to be concerned with advertisers and ratings, being on HBO works for him creatively too. “Real Time” (9 p.m. Fridays) gives the host a bigger canvas to work with. An hour vs. a half-hour format allows the show to continue to be political discourse and lets Maher vent and joke and question using more than a panelists’ forum. He can do a longer monologue. He can do skits. He can have special guests.
Q: In between weeks of the TV show, you do stand-up, but are there times you wish “Real Time” were on every week so you could vent?
A: The weekly show I did this summer on amazon.com was a bit of an outlet. But yes, especially when things like Mel Gibson and Hezbollah go up, you get very anxious to get back.
Q: Now that you brought it up, does Mel Gibson have a second life?
A: Absolutely. He’s been forgiven already. … A little anti- Semitism in America? First of all, half of America doesn’t even understand why it’s a problem. Second, Mel’s got his movie money. He made a billion dollars on “The Passion of The Christ.” When he makes “Passion of the Christ II: Resurrection Day” he’ll make another billion. He doesn’t need anybody.
Look, he should forget about ever winning the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, but I do think he has a life in movies.
Q: The Democrats haven’t been in a better political position in years. Do you see them messing this up or what?
A: It is kind of the question, isn’t it – how will they blow it? I read something encouraging the other day, that the Democrats are going after the Republicans on national security, which I think is a good idea. Take a page out of Karl Rove’s book and go after the opponent’s strength. Not that national security should be a strength for the Republicans since they bollixed it up so badly in the view of so many people. But go after that because the Republicans are able to scare people about things that aren’t even scary, like flag burning and gays getting married. The Democrats can’t scare people about things that are really scary, like the environment and the poor state of homeland security.
Q: Is it time for a new second party?
A: I think this should be the Democrats’ last shot. If they can’t put somebody up this time who appeals to the 79 million Americans who didn’t vote at all last time, then we should throw our allegiance to another party. The Hillary Clinton technique – which is exactly what John Kerry did and Al Gore before him – is to go after these swing voters, who apparently are Republican voters because Hillary Clinton is pretending she’s against flag burning; she’s coming to the right on abortion; she’s against violence in video games. You know, going after the NASCAR crowd is never going to work for a Democrat.
Q: We know you have writers on your show. Do you have to buy into someone else’s political joke before you can deliver it?
A: Absolutely. I turn down very funny jokes all the time because I don’t agree with the point of view of the writer. For example, I really never did Michael Jackson little boy jokes, because I don’t know if it’s true.
I knew it was true that O.J. Simpson killed his wife. The blood was in his socks. So I did a million O.J. Simpson jokes.
Q: Do you run into people who want to give you lip?
A: It’s very odd because I know there are millions of people who don’t like me. It was those radio guys in Houston who got me kicked off ABC who started that whole thing. But it’s funny; the people who don’t like you, they never come up to you. It’s incredibly rare when somebody comes up to you and says you suck. I know people are thinking it. But it’s misleading; the only people who approach you are those who like you.
Q: It’s well-known that you spend time at Hugh Hefner’s mansion. What’s the secret to being a player?
A: First of all, you’ve got to want to be. … We are attracted to women with good looks and youth because that says to our biology, ‘Ooh, mate with the healthy one; you’ll have good offspring.’ And a woman’s biology is looking for someone who can protect the nest and ward off trouble and take care of things when bad stuff happens. So for a woman, it’s confidence.
