The Chris Moeller Archives

Al Shearer's stooge

I recommend to you a tiny... tiny little film called "Al Shearer: The Other Black Guy Running For President in 2012." This mockumentary stars former "Punk'd" cast member Al Shearer as himself, running for America's highest political office. Shearer and his producers have created a nifty little comedy in that enduring spirit of "Roger and Me," and also, they put me in it.

Shearer and crew were in Iowa late last summer to film during the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines and the Republican Straw Poll in Ames. The head of the Iowa Green Party, who lives outside the Des Moines/Ames area, called me and said the film's producers had contacted her searching for a party representative in Des Moines to speak with Al. There aren't many registered and active Greens to choose from here so I got the assignment. At the time, "Candidate Al" was considering joining a political party as part of his campaign quest. 

Now you're probably thinking at this point that the wise man would take a long pause before agreeing to speak on camera to a guy who made his bones on a hidden camera, practical joke reality show-- and you would be right. So I jumped at it. Al and I sat down to talk on a warm weekday afternoon at Smokey Row Cafe, an eatery just blocks from my house. He asked me questions about the Green Party, for which I was a state legislative candidate in 2008. Most of his questions had to do with smoking pot, which he evidently enjoys in his leisure time and also associates with the Green Party. (This is also the part of the interview that made the final cut of the film.) He met too with a local representative of the Tea Party, and a clip of that appears as well.

I've been very excited about this movie for over a year, but I haven't been talking or writing about it because I was worried about how I would appear. My plan all along was to keep my mouth shut, seek the movie out after about 12 months, watch it, and then tell people that it exists only if it passed my "embarrassment" test. If it didn't, I would take it to my grave, because chances are, you wouldn't find it on your own. There are a few things I might change if I could (I look very nervous to me, and I'm a performer who definitely needs makeup), but it ultimately passed this test. And the movie as a whole made me laugh a lot. That's a bonus.

As I told you, this was a small movie. You will not find it in a local theater, or even on Netflix. It debuted on iTunes in June, and that's where I found it. It cost me (and would also cost you) $5.99 to download, $7.99 if want to see my grill in HD (not system recommended). I warn you in advance that it is not suitable viewing at a workplace computer, at a Republican Party fundraiser, or for any eight-year-olds whatsoever. (Sadly, we will not be able to screen it at next summer's Moeller Family Reunion.) Al's hijinks on-camera include taking a transgender prostitute to a bank's corporate office in an effort to get her a financial bailout, peeing on Herman Cain's campaign bus, and passing out dildo-styled straws at the Ames Straw Poll.

My part in it (which is actually clean enough for network television broadcast) lasts about a minute and comes at about the 28-minute mark of an hour and 19 minute production. What's also a bonus is that the movie treats the Green Party as the equal to the Democrats and Republicans. For the first time in recorded media history, a Green Party representative was interviewed and didn't have to talk about whether or not the party is "viable." This was nice.

So enjoy the film at iTunes with my endorsement, and remember, it's not to late to vote for Al Shearer for President in 2012. He's the other black guy running for president.

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Warning: This trailer for the film is also not work-appropriate.

posted by CM @ 8:48 PM