Gwen Moore still smiling after Colbert Report appearance
Washington, DC,
May 16, 2013
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Bill Glauber U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) turned down appearing on Comedy Central's Colbert Report show several times before finally agreeing to be interviewed by comedian Stephen Colbert. The results, which aired Wednesday night, were at times laugh-out-loud funny. "I was very reluctant to go on the show, I was very apprehensive about him making me the butt of the joke," Moore said Thursday. "But then I decided, 'you know what Gwen, just go in and be yourself, relax and have fun.' " "There was a lot of energy there," Moore said. "I just went with it. I think that is what made it a lot of fun." Moore said the Colbert Report first contacted her several months ago to go on the show. She finally became convinced she could hold her own after asking Colbert a question at House Democratic Retreat in February. Colbert appeared at the event, in character, as a faux conservative pundit. "I stood up and asked him a question about the war on women and which side he was on," Moore said. "I saw him sort of flounder a little bit ... I thought maybe I could stay afloat. So I decided to go on and say yes after that." Moore said the interview took place around two and a half weeks ago. The interview lasted 90 minutes and was held in a studio in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., she said. Among the bits that didn't make the show: Colbert and Moore reading poetry. "He did his poetry. I did a poem called 'Stop Job Killing Regulations, kind of a satire," she said. Moore said she enjoyed Colbert's character. "I think that he's very much like the court jesters," she said. "They're the only people who are allowed to kind of tell the truth. He's somebody, like, you know, he called me 'an angry black woman' and was able to do all these stereotypes, you're on welfare. "Everyone else gets offended when quote, unquote, regular people, raise those topics," she added. "But I think that in his role he's allowed to be himself and he's allowed to bring up delicate, fragile subjects, which, in the end, all of us are the same." Moore said on the show, "you sort of let your hair down, and you just get to be yourself for a change. You're not putting on airs and stuff. So I enjoyed it." Moore even agreed to go on an imaginary motorcycle ride with Colbert. "Well, that was his idea," she said. "I've never been on a Harley. I told him I hadn't been on it because I was scared. So, he said, 'come on, ride with me.' I just went with it." At the end of the interview, Moore and Colbert embraced. "You know what, I hug just about everybody," she said. "I kind of asked for the hug. I hug. That's a signature Gwen Moore thing. I'm a hugger." What recommendation would Moore make to fellow politicians who decide to submit to an interview with Colbert? "You've got to realize he's a comedian and this is all in fun," she said. "If you start taking yourself too seriously or him too seriously you might run into trouble." To view this article online, please click here. |