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Michael Moore will speak and have Q&As in UCLA’s Royce Hall Saturday and Sunday night.<

GLASGOW, Scotland -- All the telltale signs were there: nappy braids, purple Muppet-fur shoulder bags, and “McShit” T-shirts. Time to put away the G.O.P. geriatrics, kids; Michael Moore’s in town.

But it became clear to the capacity crowd at the Clyde Auditorium that the best-selling author and Oscar-winning filmmaker wasn’t merely preaching to the converted this time. On an international promotional tour in support of his latest book, “Dude, Where’s My Country?,” due at Royce Hall for two shows this weekend, Moore proved in Glasgow that there’s more to him and his followers than meets the eye.

In addition to the safety-pinned cannabis patches and demonstration flyers, for example, were off-the-rack suits and knitted caps. The young professionals and the elderly pensioners who dominated this crowd might not be the first castes typically associated with the uber-liberal sentiment of “Bowling for Columbine,” but they are indicative of the changing political climate on both sides of the pond.

It seems that Moore’s infamous Oscar speech, on a certain “fictitious war” and “fictitious president,” are ringing truer now versus six months ago, as more Americans and Britons are keen to his message. “Dude, Where’s My Country?” currently sits atop the New York Times and the Amazon U.K. best-seller lists, and has sold a million U.S. copies in just three weeks, according to Moore’s own Web site.

But when Moore finally appeared on stage at the Clyde Auditorium, in his trademark baseball cap (Ohio State this time), the book was the last thing on his mind.

“You don’t have to buy this book,” he said. “Steal it somewhere. Take it out of someone’s hands.”

He may have been only half-joking, of course, but Moore had bigger fish to fry, spending his entire presentation talking about the war, the war, and finally, the war. However, he tailor-made his presentation for the Scottish audience, dishing out as much on New Labour and U.K. apathy toward Tony Blair’s war push as he did on George W. Bush and his fellow “stupid white men.”

Then came Moore’s typical controversial histrionics. Instead of reading from his book, the political activist sang rousing renditions of “The Sound of Music” and “The Impossible Dream,” at the request of one audience member.

But the tone quickly turned somber, or more precisely, pseudo-somber, as he read off a list of the 53 British soldiers slain during the latest Iraqi conflict, dramatically punctuating each name with the word “dead.” Moments like these fuel his detractors’ fire: even those who agree with Moore’s stances do not necessarily agree with his techniques, which can be as manipulative, distracting and inexplicable as those of his favorite targets.

Despite his questionable tactics, the audience responded enthusiastically to Moore all night, using words like “courageous” and “inspiring” to describe him during the Q&A. They could have left with the usual “religious high” and a signed hardcover, but in a surprising turn, Moore had a few moments of genuine human weakness.

Looking down at the lectern, raising and lowering the bill of his cap, Moore admitted that he was “just another confused American” on such issues as the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or which candidate he would endorse in the next presidential election, citing as many faults as positives in the current front-runners. He even doubted his own fierce optimism about the outcome of the election and the end of the war, confessing that he might just be a “Pollyanna.”

The evening may have ended with the expected standing ovation and Dixie Chicks exit music, but at least people took away a more human picture of Michael Moore.

With no real political bite to go with his bark, he may not be the ideal spokesman for the anti-war, anti-Bush camp, but as the international sold-out crowds testify, Moore’s fostering of positive collective action and political debate cannot be ignored or discounted.

It appears that Moore’s controversial actions are working on a global scale, and that is perhaps the best surprise of all.

Michael Moore will speak in Royce Hall on Nov. 22 and 23. Tickets are sold out.