The Call of the Weird (Hardcover)

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Review
Former Spy magazine contributor Theroux (son of writer Paul Theroux) offers ten surprisingly mild examples of American eccentricity.With some trepidation, the author embarked on a "Reunion Tour" to revisit many of the oddballs he'd encountered several years back while filming the BBC documentary Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends. He hoped that his subjects didn't think too poorly of him after the mocking way they'd been presented. He found some subjects had changed. Thor Templar, Lord Protector of the Earth Protectorate, the man who once claimed to have decapitated space aliens, had refocused his energies on debunking the Bush administration. Erstwhile porn star JJ Michaels was living in suburban Missouri with a Ukrainian mail-order bride. Former prostitute Hayley, now calling herself Tammy, had a boyfriend and was volunteering at an animal sanctuary, though she danced at a strip club to make money. Some folks were still the same, including radical Aryan Nations member Jerry Gruidl and hardcore, stone-cold "gangsta" rapper Mello T. And 12-year-old white-supremacist twin sisters Lamb and Lynx Gaede were still extolling the virtues of the Nazi-sympathetic lifestyle with their folk band, Prussian Blue, while mom April (source of the "pixie-faced" twins' racism) cooed over new baby Dresden. Theroux's account of his hard-won, unsolicited visit with the Gaede family is morbidly appealing and thought-provoking. Less remarkable are his descriptions of follow-ups with grizzled music-biz veteran Ike Turner, still artfully dodging "Tina" questions; with the founder of a now-disbanded "patriot" community called "Almost Heaven"; and with the few remaining survivors of the Heaven's Gate cult (best known for a mass suicide in 1997).A mixed bag of peculiar encounters with bizarre citizens, alternately fascinating and sad. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description
For ten years Louis Theroux has been making programmes about off-beat characters on the fringes of US society. Now he revisits America and the people who have most fascinated him to try to discover what motivates them, why they believe the things they believe, and to find out what has happened to them since he last saw them. Along the way Louis thinks about what drives him to spend so much time among weird people, and considers whether he's learned anything about himself in the course of ten years working with them.Has he manipulated the people he's interviewed, or have they manipulated him? From his Las Vegas base, Louis revisits the assorted dreamers and outlaws who have been his TV feeding ground. Attempting to understand a little about himself and the workings of his own mind, Louis considers questions such as: What is the difference between pathology and 'normal' weirdness? Is there something particularly weird about Americans? What does it mean to be weird, or 'to be yourself'? And do we choose our beliefs or do our beliefs choose us?

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18 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (8) 3 star:  (4) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.1 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   14 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, light, educational, eye-opening, 9 Nov 2005 By  Normen Maler (San Francisco) - See all my reviews This is a really entertaining book, actually very funny at times - the bit with the alien medium was hilarious. Theroux writes well - in a light and effortless to read style. While it isn't too serious, he does pause to muse on the nature of weirdness, the origins of abnormal beliefs and behaviours in his subjects, and his own motivations for covering them. This is done without pretentious psychobabble. The people covered are really fascinating and Theroux's interactions with them, as viewers of his TV series will know, are always revealing and amusing. I really recommend this book. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   16 of 18 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent debut, 17 Oct 2005 By  primitivegrrl "primitivegrrl" (Glasgow, Scotland) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    The word 'debut' seems a little weird for Louis, after all, most of the people who pick up this book will be long familiar with Louis and his collection of mad hatters from across the pond. Settling down with Louis' journey feels like rekindling some long lost friendships. I was most interested to catch up with Hayley, who I am sure had a bit of a thing for Louis - who wouldn't? Not even Christine Hamilton was impervious. Louis writes as he talks: charming, self efacing and respectful of his interviewees despite them having some horrific views. Ah...with the exception of Marshall Sylver who was a bit of a scumbag anyway. More power to you Louis and don't let anyone call you a poor man's Jon Ronson. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   14 of 16 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A funny and fascinating read!, 11 Oct 2005 By  "citrusbee2" - See all my reviews I'm a bit of a fan of Louis Theroux's TV documentaries, but I came to this book not sure what to expect. Was it a travel book, a study in weirdness, a confessional, quirky, serious? But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it and how quickly I ploughed through it. The title is a bit mis-leading - "travels through American sub-cultures" - as this isn't really a travel book but a study of ten characters who Louis has met over the course of his journalism. Louis moves to America and spends almost a year on a kind of road trip seeking out his favourite "weird" subjects. A porn performer, an alien-hunter, a pimp(!), Ike Turner and some scarey racist neo-nazis to name just a few. The chapter I found most fascinating was one about a woman called April. She's a neo-nazi and has two young blonde twins who she trains to sing nazi songs. Somehow the humanity of even the most reprehensible of these people shines through. And Louis obviously has quite a close, affectionate bond with a lot of these people. I recommend this to anyone who wants to figure out what compels people to believe outlandish things or to choose bizarre modes of life. Keep an open mind, and you wil love this book as i did! Am I the first person to read this??? BUY IT! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 18 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Great Insights, Enjoyable Romp In this book, Louis Theroux revisits 10 of the participants from his documentary series, 5 years after the series was filmed. Read more Published 1 month ago by David McGuire 4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile Read I got this book for my Christmas and have just recently got around to reading it. I loved most of it - I got a bit bored with the political stories - so skipped them but for... Read more Published 4 months ago by L. Lockhart 5.0 out of 5 stars An Addictive, quirky and thought provoking insight into sub-cultures. As a Louis Theroux fan, I will try my best to give a honest non-biased opinion on this book. Although before buying any book, I normally only read the negative... Read more Published 5 months ago by Stephen Rafferty 4.0 out of 5 stars A different America not everyone wants to know about Louis Theroux takes a interesting look at life's of some of America most interesting and dangerous people. The book is the sequel to his TV show weird weekends. Read more Published 5 months ago by Daniel Storey 4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Loved this book, very enjoyable especially if you have seen the documentaries. Full of intersting observations. Brilliant debut book. Published 6 months ago by Mr. T. Butcher 3.0 out of 5 stars Insight or voyeurism? There are some great features to Amazon: competitive prices, the chance to browse for a vast selection of books at any hour of the day, generally good service. Read more Published 12 months ago by Andrew Walker 3.0 out of 5 stars Hit and miss Louis Theroux's television persona and subject matter are always engaging, warm and interesting. He comes across as a thoroughly nice chap and treats his weird and wonderful... Read more Published 15 months ago by Paul Holland 4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant read! This book is undeniably fun and VERY entertaining! There is very little else to say. Definetly worth a read! Published 17 months ago by M. Godby 4.0 out of 5 stars Ok, not great I have to say I would give this 3-4 stars, I didn't enjoy the book anywhere as much as his series. I am a fan on his documentarys however it does not necessarily transfer too... Read more Published on 22 Jun 2007 by Londoner 3.0 out of 5 stars If you were a fan of the TV series,,, If you were a fan of the TV series, and you are interested in what happened to the people who he interviewed, then by all means this book is for you. Read more Published on 21 Jan 2007 by HenvY Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 18 customer reviews...

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