Unflappably irreverent comedian Bill Maher has been a force in national politics for more than 20 years, but he’s not above Googling cities on his tours, even when not much is happening. “I always find out who the [congressional] representative is,” says the host of HBO’s Real Time during a phone interview, name-checking Rep. Mike Doyle.

Though he’s reliably on the left politically, Maher has a penchant for offending people across the idelogical spectrum, as with a tweet last week — after this interview took place – in which he likened Israel’s attack on Hamas to slapping a “crazy woman.” Still, with an environment and middle class in peril, the comic will have much to rant about this Saturday at Heinz Hall.

A big issue in Pennsylvania is fracking, which continues despite scientific warnings and popular objections. As with recent Supreme Court decisions, it seems corporations always win if they have a stake in an issue. Is it possible to beat moneyed interests?

Well, we live in a democracy, theoretically, but for it to work people have to participate. … If we extract all the carbon that’s in the ground right now, which is what the Koch brothers want to do, game over for the planet. We’re already teetering on the brink, and these people want to go on making money.

I never understand what goes on in rich people’s minds. What, they’re going to buy their own air? When the oceans swallow up the cities, what are they going to do? Move inland? I guess you can do that. It just seems like it’d be more sensible, because you already have all the money in the world, to live on the money you already have — which you will never be able to spend anyway — and do right by the planet. But they don’t want to.

Bill Maher at Heinz Hall
Bill Maher

It was only a few years ago we were hearing, “Well, we don’t know fracking causes earthquakes.” Now, we pretty much do know, and the argument has moved to, “Well, yeah, it causes earthquakes, but what’s a few earthquakes?” [Editor’s note: Studies have linked underground storage of hydrofracturing wastewater to seismic activity in some states.]

Polls show majorities of Americans favor gay marriage, pot legalization, universal health care, abortion rights and action on climate change, while church attendance and gun ownership are declining. As someone who makes a living making fun of the country for being stupid, do you worry about it getting too smart?

[Laughs.] I’d be gratified if it did get too smart. I am a citizen and a patriot before I’m a comedian, so even if it did take away some material, I think it would be a great thing, and you’re right: The country is changing. It’s finally becoming more like a Western European country, and this is what’s making the Tea Party types’ heads explode. … A third of the country can get gay-married, a third has medical marijuana. Two states have regular, roll-up-a-fatty-and-watch-SpongeBob marijuana, which is pretty amazing. We have six openly gay congresspeople. We have a Hindu in Congress, two Muslims [and] a bisexual, and there’s a gay guy in the NFL. This is what’s making them crazy: This confluence of black and gay and pot and Latino. It’s a ’60s dorm room they’re afraid of.

But the rear guard is going to fight this until the end. The crypt-keeper’s claw is going to come out to grab us, and unfortunately these are the people who are the most organized. We’re entering the midterms and that coalition I was describing — the black and the young and the stoned and the gay — don’t come out. The people who come out are the ones who make farting noises when they get up. It’s the fucking 80-year-old white people who come out, and that’s why we have a Congress Obama can’t work with.

Why this shift now? Wasn’t your generation supposed to liberalize the country?

America changes, but it changes more slowly than everybody else. We were one of the last countries to give up slavery.

Should liberals mock religion as much as you do, considering in the poorest neighborhoods of places like Pittsburgh, churches are often the last institution still there and working to better things?

I have never denied religions do good work: Catholic charities feed the poor and so forth. [But] there is absolutely no reason you need to believe in a Bronze Age myth to do that when there are plenty of charities that don’t. So if you are asking me if I am going to stop making fun of religion — which does so much more harm than good —because it does some good, the answer is “no.”

This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2014.

7 replies on “A Conversation with Bill Maher”

  1. Well not that I know that much about Pennsylvania but drilling companies have been fracking or frackin for over 40 years and if anyone has ever been to Pennsylvania there has been methane in the water for over 150 years and as far as the list of chemicals they listed that are in the water, you could find the same things in a cup of coffee or broccoli or any other substance, they are there in very minute amounts….The EPA has tested the water at least 10 times and found nothing out of the ordinary….so what’s the problem… some guy named Josh something or other, made a film of lies and put a scare in everybody which was probably financed by the Russians and Putin..Russia would be the be loser if the U.S. taps into this gas field….Please research the real facts don’t just take some want-to-be’s word for it!

  2. Jeff Thetrailboss Hagelberg Have you ever been on a site where fracking is done? Ya I didn’t think so! You would know how stupid your comment is. Just saying!

  3. Jeff Tetrailboss Hagelberg. Have you ever been on or worked on a site where fracking is done? Yea I didnt think so! You would know how dumb your comment is. Just saying

  5. I lived in Pennsylvania for 53 years. You cannot eat fish from the rivers or lakes. No one does as the fish are toxic. I don’t know about fracking. I do kniw that air quality where I lived in Bucks County was below federal standards many days of the year. The governor has not made an effort to clean up the environment. Both the governor and my fed rep Fitzpatrick disagree with my push to legalize or decriminalize marijuana. Thus many pennsylvanians go to jail for smoking. Growing your own plants will put you in jail and is a federal offense. In southest PA, poverty is high while the we have the extreme rich. The dicotomy and disparity of the extreme rich and extreme poor is stunning as you drive from Bucks County through Philadelphia County. Perhaps most reflective of today’s political environment of the way we accept poverty, is the way Pennsylvania schools are funded. Much of school funding is not shared equally through the state. The wealthy suburbs have higher school taxes and most of these schools are strong in academics, technology and sports programs. The inner city schools are severely underfunded and the results have been catastrophic. There is no democratic philosophy applied in Pennsylvania when it comes to opportunity. I could talk about the decline in the proud city of Philadelphia but no one cares and there’s no money. The rich moved to the suburbs, the population is half of what it was in 1960. The Republican governor could give a shit. He has never set up any programs to reduce poverty.

  7. i wonder if some of these jackasses got paid for their comments? how does working at a fracking site give you insight that fracking is good? facts are facts douchenozzle lol its comments and attitudes like this that keep us dependent on fossil fuels.

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