Michael J Fox/Letterman

say monkeys I meant geniuses our first guest is the star of the very popular television program Spin City please welcome the lovely the likeable Michael J Fox [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] crazy I see on the show thank you you know I would think they just like like to hear foxy lady you know this is the first time that I've had a chance to talk with the first time you've been on the show since you had your a press conference and announced that you have Parkinson's disease and I just I think folks well you know how's it been going since what was the rarity well pretty much the same it didn't didn't change I still have it yeah you thought maybe by making me announce a stance you know last chance I'm I'm way to Barbara Walters now but I know it was good it was um something that I've had for a long time like seven or eight years and I hadn't really told many people about it and people are sending me you know how could you keep that a secret I thought I didn't really think of it as a secret you know it's like who among us goes you know hi I'm Bob I have gout yeah so I and I'd mentioned and I'd mentioned the show when I'd want to talk about I did two things I did a People magazine interview and and talked to Barbara Walters because I figured you know that pretty much covers it yourself right there everybody you know like people in Zimbabwe aware of my health so um so that that was good and it was good letting people know people that you know that I work with and stuff like that so they feel confident I'm guessing that there are probably a two areas of reaction to people who you don't know who are your fans and people that you work with who didn't know who probably were stunned and immediately sympathetic maybe too sympathetic if in fact that can be applied in this case right and then there were the the the people who also share the disorder with you well it's interesting because there's a whole community that that I hadn't been a part of you know other than then obviously having a similar situational life experience but hadn't really been in touch with them and so this has been a nice process for me kind of getting to know different groups and what they do and how I can help it's also touchy too because because of what I do and because of because of the things that I have in my life and the things that are available to me it may look a little easier than it is for other folks that are there in the same situation that I'm in so I don't we see on television shows and you look great you're funny everything's fine so when I say everything's cool with me it doesn't necessarily mean that someone that you know it may be in the same situation that that there being a jerk if they say they're having a hard time because you know it's not necessarily a picnic but for me it's it you know I'm able to do what I do it's about it's about it's gonna say it's about timing drugs which again would refer to the band are there are there are there were there moments immediately after you had the announcement when you just thought you said geez I wish I just kept this to myself well you know there is that there was a whole like about a 48-hour period where there was nothing but my obituary I'll tell you a little weird you know because I didn't kind of know that day I mean at all you know the I didn't think it would be that big a deal I know but it was you know people calling me and saying that's on the cover of this and and then I'll get you know when you get it you're gonna get phone messages from Dan Rather you know you know you're you know something's going on dan Rather called on oh my gosh isn't so he called him back but but the second wave of it was really cool when they come when they kind of got off me a little bit and it wasn't and I didn't have to watch all like you know clips from the first year of family ties and stuff on TV and and he got into just people talking about Parkinson's and especially because I think it's like 1 in 10 or something under 40 because people think of it as something that affects older people so the fact that the disease and then also the fact that younger people are affected by it got so much attention of the press was was an immediate thing that made me feel granted I felt like well if anything if anything good could come of this it you just did and hopefully more okay can you give me a simple easy-to-understand definition of what the disorder is it's a failure of the body the system to do what to menu part of your brain manufacture something called dopamine which is like the way I describe it to my kid it's like motor oil so it kind of makes everything work it makes everything run fluidly and so when it stops manufacturing that or at least processing you're delivering it or it's not being received in the right way then things start to break then you get a little rigid you you you you get tremor you can affect your speech you can affect all kinds of things and it gradually gets worse and it's it's progressive and it's you know you usually see with older people so that so that it's a short kind of span there's not a lot of hope that things will get better sometimes with if folks are in their 70s or 80s but for younger people I really think that that I'm a you know I may not be one of the first people to get this but I'll be one of the last P you think so well good they're making that much and when you say the body is not producing or delivering or receiving the dopamine isn't is it just as simple as introducing synthesized dopamine and that's the short term solution that's what I do in a day to day basis hopefully at some point you know there's all kinds of talk I mean one of the things that they're talking about doing is funny way to put it into the brain new cells that will that will produce you know they learn how to do that and all kinds of other stuff they're doing mean it goes on and on it's all kinds of research government and you you went through an actual surgical procedure yeah that was to go they kind of fixed the part of my brain that was it was firing a lot it was causing a lot of tremor in my left side and it was really it was kind of cool you know you have your brain fixed because I was awake you know so so they go and they the only unpleasant thing is they strapped this cage on your head and they bolted in so you head doesn't move around right you're actually conscious for this yeah well you know you little loopy valium or something in a cocktail I don't know what it was but uh they're long does this last did this procedure yeah when they're actually going to get this thing put on you sit in a lazy boy kind of thing and they drill top of your head now Michael hey they don't drill in the nail gun I think they do some finesse work with one of these and then they get this this probe thing and they put it in in your brain and it goes right in the middle your brain and then they um right into the middle of your brain yeah and they have they have these machines that tell you you know if they're close because it's sending out sound waves and things like that they can pinpoint the area that is cells they find cells and then they're talking to you and and when the machines aren't doing what they're doing they're saying look what do you feel how do you feel and and weird stuff cuz you'd be sitting in office in you go and you go and you go oh man that's not fair me they're doing it something brain you know [Laughter] these days the brain will be on the other foot and it was successful yeah it helped me with that particular thing which is a which is a big trimmer hand the left side Wow it's just it's all amazing can't be cool and obviously you would have chosen not to have to go through this but you have and and and again this is probably that what you were talking about earlier the wrong kind of message you seem great to me well I feel I feel pretty good and the thing for me is again that my life has been so amazing and so many great things have having me I got a great family I've got a job that I love and in you know things are good and I have a positive outlook so you know I don't look for a letter load I just look for broader shoulders and it'll CNN that's going nice going good news now you've worked at the you've worked at ABC for a long time haven't you yeah place is run by monkeys right who would know better than this guy you worked at NBC - monkeys monkeys boy congratulations on your Golden Globe that was that was a very nice good night yeah that's good party good to have you here thank you and you know you know I don't know what to say to you because I my only see the tip of this iceberg but it's just you're a very impressive man well thank you thank you Michael [Applause] you [Music]

Channel: That's Entertainment

Views: 1,988

Rating: 4.9069767 out of 5

Keywords: Michael J Fox, Spin City, Letterman, David Letterman, Interview, Back to the Future, Parkinsons Disease

Id: ISExfhbZS_0

Length: 9min 22sec (562 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 29 2020