Answering the Call of the Weird

Documentary film producer Louis Theroux decided he wanted to follow up and see whatever happened to some of the people he feature in his BBC series Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends. His quest led him to America where he met with porn performers, Neo-Nazis, self-help gurus, UFO believers, pimps, prostitutes, and even Ike Turner and documented the interactions in The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures.

Along the way, Theroux also examines his own personal need to bond with these people. Part of the reason he embarked on this journey was to learn more about his subjects. To spend time with them, in their homes, amongst their family, to see the real person behind the outcast mask. But he was sometimes frustrated with the results. "Just because I wanted to know someone better didn't mean they wanted to be known better," he writes.

Regardless of whether the subject wanted to be known better, it still resulted in an entertaining read. Theroux skillfully weaves his own personal story in and out of the narrative, letting us learn about him while never stealing the spotlight from his subjects. The Call of the Weird is an interesting look into the lives of people who aren't like you and me. But who still might be more like us than we expect.

To learn more about the book and Louis Theroux, check out my interview with him at Slushpile.net.