The star of films like The Player and Bull Durham opens up about two tough years of pandemic politics, and worries society is purposefully phasing out the common meeting space
Nice to hear some are a bit ashamed of their behavior. Every vax pusher should have their tail between their legs at this point. But the human ego will hang on hard to bullshit to avoid realizing they were had. As an unvaxed RN former Green Party voter I’m ready to vote DeSantis in a couple of years. Happy to admit I e been a fool.
This is good to read. When I was a lunatic Hillary supporter I used to screech at Matt here and Tim too. We learn, we evolve, hopefully we work to repair the damage we've done. Now, I'm starting to wonder how we on the left thought it was healthy to only aim art at our side, an increasingly insular group. Everyone needs art. Everyone needs culture. Our country, our world is a better place if everyone can be brought in. Imagine an airplane and the only good art, food and comfort was only being given to the First Class passengers. I'd much prefer to be in Coach - hanging out with people who struggle every day to survive. That is what drives the best art. When you eliminate the struggle what are you - just a Royal Court with a magic mirror telling yourselves how great you are.
Belated apologies to Tim if I was ever unkind. Which I'm sure I was.
I have always been a fan of his professional output, but rarely agree with Tim Robbins personal views. I am, however, impressed with his capacity for introspection. These statements show me that he is a thinker, not an ideologue.
Excellent interview. I never thought much of Tim Robbins, but I clearly misjudged him. I'm glad there are still people on the left (an artist no less) who still want to bring us all together. Thanks for publishing this.
As a libertarian and former leftist, his quote about being "absolute about freedom" struck me hard. He arrived at that point of view in a similar way as myself. While so many were concerned about police violence and BLM regarding an issue that is a cultural problem (Police brutality), these same people were blind and tone deaf to the two-tiered society that public health officials and our government was creathng. It really shocked me and changed my personal opinion on what is important
Quite jarring to hear from a compassionate and principled progressive in 2022. I used to consider myself one of them but believed my tribe to have gone extinct years ago. Hopefully more of them start to wake up and pull themselves back from the hideous abyss of spite and malice that’s been sucking them all in these past several years.
“The revolution eats its children.” It’s nice to see a lefty (For the record, I do not consider myself a righty) defending liberty and displaying integrity. The interview avoids the profit motive to the COVID project which I view as a driving force, second to control and stripping away civil liberties, but that’s ok. This is a despotic world we find ourselves in and any disent from anyone with a paycheck and a microphone is welcomed by me.
I love theater. I moved from California to Arizona several years ago, but I have many friends and family in Northern California so visit when I can. My favorite theater there -- a small but popular venue -- I went to dozens of times over the years. I'm on their mailing list. I took my kids to their kid productions at least once a year. Then I get an email two months ago that said that you must show proof of vaccine to attend a performance. I unsubscribed and told them why. When I visit family, I won't be going to a show. I had COVID, I'm not getting the so-called vaccine, end of story. If I'm not welcome, I certainly wouldn't recommend their venue to any of my vaccinated friends either.
On a similar note, I planned to attend a specific writers conference in San Diego next year. They informed me that they will be requiring attendees to be vaccinated. I will never go to their conference again. This actually impacts my career to a small degree because as a published author I would have been on a panel, signed books, met readers, etc, but I'm not giving in. I wish more vaccinated people would refuse to "show their papers" in solidarity with those of us who made our own medical decisions.
One of the things progressives don’t seem to understand is that they are no longer the rebels. If you agree with the President, the Governor, the head of your school board, all MSM, Big Tech, the FBI, Homeland Security, and university presidents on most issues then you are a supporter of the regime. However most these people consider themselves ‘activists.’ I don’t think great art comes from a place of blind obedience to the organs of state.
Robbins comes off as an intelligent normal guy with a healthy habit of self-reflection.
Good on him.
He identifies the central problem here: "What I’ve been seeing over the past few years has been the opposite of [community building]. It’s going into a room and saying, 'You don’t have the right to speak because you don’t agree with our way of thinking.'"
Well, this sort of intolerance goes in one direction. The counterculture defending First Amendment rights is now conservative.
"Once the CDC changes policy and says basically that both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated are capable of getting Covid"
... anyone else find that an astonishing statement ? Not getting at Tim here, just the CDC - but that's not a "Policy". That's a "Fact". That's "We've known we've been pushing incorrect information for over a year now, and we reckoned that by now so many people know we're lying that we might as well quietly start telling the truth, but we're framing it as a "policy change" because that doesn't make it sound like we coerced millions of people into taking jabs they didn't want or need".
Want to know how we got here,Tim? Pull up a chair & I’ll tell you.
The path to the polarized craziness of covid policies had been paved for the previous four years. I didn’t even vote for Trump in 2016 but I was appalled at the viciousness leveled at him, his wife & family, people who did vote for him & then, finally, anyone who objected to the extreme reaction to any statement he made. The media played a major role in this relentless demonization to the point where they were perfectly fine with attacking a 15 year old boy (wearing a MAGA hat) waiting for his school bus after a field trip to DC.
When Covid hit the media turned up the temperature, presented Fauci as our savior & guiding light & then silenced, shamed & censored anyone — including Dr. Scott Atlas from Stanford — as little better than traitors & idiots if we were not in complete agreement.
I’m glad you’ve disabused yourself of some of the craziness that we all were forced to live through for two years but it’s far from over. The CDC just added the covid vaccine to compulsory vaccines to attend school knowing full well unknown risks outweigh unknown benefits.
>> What if people were no longer forced into contact with one another?
The opposite happened. People were forced into seclusion from one another. For centuries, the basis of society was people willingly meeting others. Also for centuries, we could identify a woman.
But this was an interview with an unusually intelligent and thoughtful public figure. Thank you for that, Matt. And also for showing us how there are, in fact, a few intelligent and thoughtful people in Hollywood. Oh, I suppose the distribution of intelligent and thoughtful people is similar in Hollywood to any other industry, it's just that more Hollywood people are out there saying brainless stupid shit than, say, dentists or computer salesmen. So it colors your thoughts, establishes prejudices.
I never paid much attention to Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon's politics over the years. I knew they were some variety of ultra-lefty, but I don't recall them ever saying stupid shit. Maybe they have said a lot of stupid shit, but I've never seen it. And I do remember that about them, so I always had a sort of charitable view of them, some respect. We might disagree about how we achieve this or that objective, but that's all it is, a disagreement. It's not stupid shit. So I'm pleased, so far as I can tell from this interview, Robbins really is that intelligent and thoughtful Hollywood guy I suspected he might be. And there is nothing he said in this particular interview that I disagree with. At all. That was nice.
Ralph Nader is an impressive person, I admire him greatly. I am pretty sure I disagree with almost all his political prescriptions, but I recognize a thoughtful, honest and courageous personality. I suspect we would like to see many of the same outcomes, he and I, but we disagree on how to get there. But that's all it is: I disagree with a fine man. It wasn't so long ago it wasn't weird to say that out loud.
Great interview! I worked 70+ hours a week during the pandemic without PPE. Back then us essential workers were called heroes. Then, almost overnight, we were chastised because some of us wouldn’t subject ourselves to being lab-rats. In NYC we couldn’t even get a cup of coffee without showing proof of vaccination. Even children were escorted out of restaurants, museums and other venues for not having their “papers.” To add salt to injury, many of us weren’t allowed to see loved ones in hospitals, nursing homes and even attend funerals (thanks to King Cuomo’s executive orders) yet it was ok for elitists like Obama to have 600 maskless friends at his 60th bday party. I used to be “lefty”, a Bernie/AOC supporter. I will will NEVER vote blue again. I’m proud I didn’t cave to the most expensive psyop in history. But this is not a win because some of my friends and relatives are dealing with serious adverse reactions.
Nice to hear some are a bit ashamed of their behavior. Every vax pusher should have their tail between their legs at this point. But the human ego will hang on hard to bullshit to avoid realizing they were had. As an unvaxed RN former Green Party voter I’m ready to vote DeSantis in a couple of years. Happy to admit I e been a fool.
This is good to read. When I was a lunatic Hillary supporter I used to screech at Matt here and Tim too. We learn, we evolve, hopefully we work to repair the damage we've done. Now, I'm starting to wonder how we on the left thought it was healthy to only aim art at our side, an increasingly insular group. Everyone needs art. Everyone needs culture. Our country, our world is a better place if everyone can be brought in. Imagine an airplane and the only good art, food and comfort was only being given to the First Class passengers. I'd much prefer to be in Coach - hanging out with people who struggle every day to survive. That is what drives the best art. When you eliminate the struggle what are you - just a Royal Court with a magic mirror telling yourselves how great you are.
Belated apologies to Tim if I was ever unkind. Which I'm sure I was.
I have always been a fan of his professional output, but rarely agree with Tim Robbins personal views. I am, however, impressed with his capacity for introspection. These statements show me that he is a thinker, not an ideologue.
Excellent interview. I never thought much of Tim Robbins, but I clearly misjudged him. I'm glad there are still people on the left (an artist no less) who still want to bring us all together. Thanks for publishing this.
As a libertarian and former leftist, his quote about being "absolute about freedom" struck me hard. He arrived at that point of view in a similar way as myself. While so many were concerned about police violence and BLM regarding an issue that is a cultural problem (Police brutality), these same people were blind and tone deaf to the two-tiered society that public health officials and our government was creathng. It really shocked me and changed my personal opinion on what is important
Quite jarring to hear from a compassionate and principled progressive in 2022. I used to consider myself one of them but believed my tribe to have gone extinct years ago. Hopefully more of them start to wake up and pull themselves back from the hideous abyss of spite and malice that’s been sucking them all in these past several years.
“The revolution eats its children.” It’s nice to see a lefty (For the record, I do not consider myself a righty) defending liberty and displaying integrity. The interview avoids the profit motive to the COVID project which I view as a driving force, second to control and stripping away civil liberties, but that’s ok. This is a despotic world we find ourselves in and any disent from anyone with a paycheck and a microphone is welcomed by me.
I love theater. I moved from California to Arizona several years ago, but I have many friends and family in Northern California so visit when I can. My favorite theater there -- a small but popular venue -- I went to dozens of times over the years. I'm on their mailing list. I took my kids to their kid productions at least once a year. Then I get an email two months ago that said that you must show proof of vaccine to attend a performance. I unsubscribed and told them why. When I visit family, I won't be going to a show. I had COVID, I'm not getting the so-called vaccine, end of story. If I'm not welcome, I certainly wouldn't recommend their venue to any of my vaccinated friends either.
On a similar note, I planned to attend a specific writers conference in San Diego next year. They informed me that they will be requiring attendees to be vaccinated. I will never go to their conference again. This actually impacts my career to a small degree because as a published author I would have been on a panel, signed books, met readers, etc, but I'm not giving in. I wish more vaccinated people would refuse to "show their papers" in solidarity with those of us who made our own medical decisions.
One of the things progressives don’t seem to understand is that they are no longer the rebels. If you agree with the President, the Governor, the head of your school board, all MSM, Big Tech, the FBI, Homeland Security, and university presidents on most issues then you are a supporter of the regime. However most these people consider themselves ‘activists.’ I don’t think great art comes from a place of blind obedience to the organs of state.
Robbins comes off as an intelligent normal guy with a healthy habit of self-reflection.
Good on him.
He identifies the central problem here: "What I’ve been seeing over the past few years has been the opposite of [community building]. It’s going into a room and saying, 'You don’t have the right to speak because you don’t agree with our way of thinking.'"
Well, this sort of intolerance goes in one direction. The counterculture defending First Amendment rights is now conservative.
"Once the CDC changes policy and says basically that both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated are capable of getting Covid"
... anyone else find that an astonishing statement ? Not getting at Tim here, just the CDC - but that's not a "Policy". That's a "Fact". That's "We've known we've been pushing incorrect information for over a year now, and we reckoned that by now so many people know we're lying that we might as well quietly start telling the truth, but we're framing it as a "policy change" because that doesn't make it sound like we coerced millions of people into taking jabs they didn't want or need".
Flickers of sanity in a sea of mass formation psychosis.
Want to know how we got here,Tim? Pull up a chair & I’ll tell you.
The path to the polarized craziness of covid policies had been paved for the previous four years. I didn’t even vote for Trump in 2016 but I was appalled at the viciousness leveled at him, his wife & family, people who did vote for him & then, finally, anyone who objected to the extreme reaction to any statement he made. The media played a major role in this relentless demonization to the point where they were perfectly fine with attacking a 15 year old boy (wearing a MAGA hat) waiting for his school bus after a field trip to DC.
When Covid hit the media turned up the temperature, presented Fauci as our savior & guiding light & then silenced, shamed & censored anyone — including Dr. Scott Atlas from Stanford — as little better than traitors & idiots if we were not in complete agreement.
I’m glad you’ve disabused yourself of some of the craziness that we all were forced to live through for two years but it’s far from over. The CDC just added the covid vaccine to compulsory vaccines to attend school knowing full well unknown risks outweigh unknown benefits.
>> What if people were no longer forced into contact with one another?
The opposite happened. People were forced into seclusion from one another. For centuries, the basis of society was people willingly meeting others. Also for centuries, we could identify a woman.
OMG, now Matt is interviewing movie stars . . .
But this was an interview with an unusually intelligent and thoughtful public figure. Thank you for that, Matt. And also for showing us how there are, in fact, a few intelligent and thoughtful people in Hollywood. Oh, I suppose the distribution of intelligent and thoughtful people is similar in Hollywood to any other industry, it's just that more Hollywood people are out there saying brainless stupid shit than, say, dentists or computer salesmen. So it colors your thoughts, establishes prejudices.
I never paid much attention to Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon's politics over the years. I knew they were some variety of ultra-lefty, but I don't recall them ever saying stupid shit. Maybe they have said a lot of stupid shit, but I've never seen it. And I do remember that about them, so I always had a sort of charitable view of them, some respect. We might disagree about how we achieve this or that objective, but that's all it is, a disagreement. It's not stupid shit. So I'm pleased, so far as I can tell from this interview, Robbins really is that intelligent and thoughtful Hollywood guy I suspected he might be. And there is nothing he said in this particular interview that I disagree with. At all. That was nice.
Ralph Nader is an impressive person, I admire him greatly. I am pretty sure I disagree with almost all his political prescriptions, but I recognize a thoughtful, honest and courageous personality. I suspect we would like to see many of the same outcomes, he and I, but we disagree on how to get there. But that's all it is: I disagree with a fine man. It wasn't so long ago it wasn't weird to say that out loud.
Great interview! I worked 70+ hours a week during the pandemic without PPE. Back then us essential workers were called heroes. Then, almost overnight, we were chastised because some of us wouldn’t subject ourselves to being lab-rats. In NYC we couldn’t even get a cup of coffee without showing proof of vaccination. Even children were escorted out of restaurants, museums and other venues for not having their “papers.” To add salt to injury, many of us weren’t allowed to see loved ones in hospitals, nursing homes and even attend funerals (thanks to King Cuomo’s executive orders) yet it was ok for elitists like Obama to have 600 maskless friends at his 60th bday party. I used to be “lefty”, a Bernie/AOC supporter. I will will NEVER vote blue again. I’m proud I didn’t cave to the most expensive psyop in history. But this is not a win because some of my friends and relatives are dealing with serious adverse reactions.