Because the man himself is so ungainly, it is easy to overlook Michael Moore's voice. Where his body seems ungovernable and a source of embarrassment to him - he often can't bear to watch himself on screen - his voice is confident, almost suave. There's a moment in his least known movie, The Big One (1997), where he launches effortlessly into a gravelly imitation of Dylan singing 'The Times They Are A-Changin'' before reverting, with a chuckle, to his own spoken voice. In his films, his physical appearance - in flannel shirt and outsize jeans - represents Moore the underdog, the champion of regular working folk.

LRB 1 November 2007 | PDF Download