Episode notes
Louis Theroux is an author and television host. His new book, “The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures.” He’s been reporting on fringe groups and subcultures since he started in television, on the Michael Moore series TV Nation.
In the 1990s, he hosted the series “Weird Weekends,” which ran in the United States on the Bravo network. More recently, he’s hosted the UK-only series “When Louis Met…”, a series of long-form documentaries which investigates some of the odder corners of celebrity culture. His work is often distinguished by a very strong sense of empathy towards his subjects, which has sometimes been interpreted as manipulation for the purpose of mockery, particularly given the generally light tone of his work.
In his new book, Louis rekindles some of the relationships he’d formed in his first television series, and investigates how his subjects have changed and how the nation has changed around them.
Louis himself is half American — his father is the travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux.
Please share your thoughts on this program on our forum!
Download This Show (MP3)
Subscribe in iTunes
Review the show in iTunes
Please Donate to Support the Show
Listen to This Week’s Show
Please allow our low-bandwidth server a little time after you click “play”
Our intersititial music is provided by Dan Wally
The Sound of Young America is underwritten in part by Project Breakout
You might also enjoy these shows:
This American Life’s senior producer Julie Snyder
Worlds of Wonder with Terry Gilliam and Chris Elliott
Found with Found Magazine editors Jason Bitner and Davey Rothbart
In this episode...
About the show
Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.
Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.
If you would like to pitch a guest for Bullseye, please CLICK HERE. You can also follow Bullseye on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. For more about Bullseye and to see a list of stations that carry it, please click here.
Get in touch with the show
@bullseye
@bullseyewithjessethornPeople
How to listen
Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!
