I interviewed the Chris Bell, the director of “Bigger Stronger Faster” on the eve of the world premiere of his acclaimed steroid documentary last night at the Sundance Film Festival. There are a lot of interesting comments about anabolic steroids. But I thought readers of the Steroid Report would be particularly interested in Chris’ observations on Rep. Henry Waxman, the Congressman behind most of the steroids in baseball hearings:
So I go into someone’s office who is a congressman and I’m a 33-year old kid at the time and I’m walking into his office… I’m really nervous. This guy is going to know it all – he’s going to have all the facts down, he’s going to be a politician, boom, boom, boom!”
But when I realized after the first or second question that he really didn’t know what he was talking about, then it was game on. It kind of became fun. Ok, let me ask him the really hard questions. And on every single question, he stumbled on. It’s interesting they’re going to have another congressional hearing into steroids in baseball and Henry Waxman is the guy who’s calling these hearings; it’s going to be interesting what people who see the film are going to think about him in the hearings. He really does not come off well in the film. He really doesn’t have an idea as to why he’s pressing this issue. The only reason he is pressing the issue is he knows in his heart that steroids are illegal and he doesn’t want your kids to get them. The idea of being the politician who saves the children it always looks good.
It’s disconcerting to hear about that legislators spearheading action of steroids in professional sports are pretty ignorant about the topic of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs.
Well, yes of course it concerns me anytime you see something like that going on. You know, what if they are that dumb about Iraq? And about terrorism? And about things that could really affect our lives every day? So, it does concern me to see them not be able to figure out how to legislate things. But it was enlightening in a way. I always thought these congressmen were so perfect. It was interesting to see them in a different light. But it is good to see that they don’t know everything especially when you’re dealing with politics and the upcoming election. It makes you think twice about politicians. What do they really know? Are they really just controlled by what they are told? Is it something that someone just comes in and hands them a piece of paper and says here is your briefing today, steroids are bad.
The entire transcript of my interview with steroid documentarian Christopher Bell is now online at MESO-Rx. He discusses various issues as well as the people he interviewed, including Henry Waxman, Donald Hooton, Gary Wadler, Dick Pound, John Romano, Rick Collins, and William Llewellyn.
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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