The Call of the Weird cover art

The Call of the Weird

Travels in American Subcultures

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The Call of the Weird

By: Louis Theroux
Narrated by: Louis Theroux
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About this listen

Read by the author, this is Louis Theroux's hilarious and thought-provoking journey through weird America.

For 10 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?

©2005 Louis Theroux (P)2005 Macmillan Publishers Ltd Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV North America United States Entertainment Funny Witty

Critic Reviews

"Alternately fascinating and sad." ( Kirkus Reviews)
All stars
Most relevant  
loved louis doing the voices. funny, thought provoking, chilling at times - truth is stranger than fiction!

Louis is a legend

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If you’re a Louis fan, you’re going to love this book..

Performed perfectly and oh so detailed

Must Read

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this book is amazing start to finish.
Louis voice acting and immitaion was a highlight .
wish it was longer

Loui voice acting is Amazing!!

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What did you like most about The Call of the Weird?

The variety of people that Louis can get to open up about their lives and beliefs. The way he questions while remaining respectful

What other book might you compare The Call of the Weird to, and why?

Them by Jon Ronson. Both attempt to show peoples unusual behaviours and beliefs through their own eyes

What does Louis Theroux bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

His own voice

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The young white supremacist singers

Any additional comments?

No

Brilliant

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it was great to hear some more personal thoughts from Louis in this auido book. I just wish it was longer!

Enjoyed

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Great listening to Louis follow up for each of the subcultures in his documentary series.

Fascinating

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I have been a big dan of Mr Theroux for years. This book is another of his works to add. His thoughtful and curious outlook is an absolute delight.

Amazing

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another great listen from Louis Theroux.
thoroughly enjoyable . I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys his documentaries

great book

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Wasn't as engaged as I expected to be throughout as I really enjoy Louis' documentaries but found this book a bit boring and without any real point. Not much had changed and everything was pretty much still the same.

Interesting Book but prefer to watch a documentary

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

If you have seen a lot of Louis work (and I have) you have to sit through him setting up every anecdote through a re-telling of the stories in his documentaries. In these sections, it seems like he is retelling it based on what details ended up on screen, and adding little in the way of new information or insights. As such, its a bit light on 'new' details for the avid fan.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

There were a few updates on past characters that changed my views on the original tv documentaries. The least interesting part was (again) the amount of pages dedicated to explaining the TV series original material, which felt redundant.

What about Louis Theroux’s performance did you like?

He is a likeable guy, but this telling lacked a little of the humour that he is known for in his interviews - i think he is at his best when he is reacting to scenarios, rather than just writing alone for a reader.

Could you see The Call of the Weird being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Err.. Louis.

Any additional comments?

This book is only for big fans, and even then its a tad lackluster. I dont say this easily - I'm a tragic fan of Louis work, but I struggled to keep paying attention through this one.

Not his best work

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