Louis TherouxBorders11 OctoberFreaks. Conspiracy theorists. Eccentrics. Under the lens of Louis Theroux these anomalies become mesmerising and almost sympathetic. Theroux’s illuminating documentaries have been wildly popular in recent years, and with a new book, The Call of the Weird, and a successful and humorous appearance at Borders, he looks poised to renew his infamy, and perhaps restore a less malevolent interest in the extraordinary.Since Theroux was last in the spotlight, our culture’s fascination with the deviant, and our increasing reluctance to denounce it, has only heightened. A nation of voyeurs, we are tantalised by an unblinking focus on society’s misfits, and Theroux’s remarkable interviews afford us a glimpse into the strange, the hilarious, and often the morally dubious. Theroux’s refusal to chastise the racists and pornographers embodies a generation of moral relativists; certainly, we are more and more unwilling to condemn those inhabiting the fringes of society, be it that we are choked by the censor of political correctness or that we are simply overwhelmed by the plague of stimuli on the television screen which leave us too exhausted to discern. In his television programme Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends, the director casts a fresh eye on female bodybuilders, Ku Klux Klan members and torrid celebrities. His apparent willingness to immerse himself in the lifestyle of his interviewees invited many of them to disclose surprising details. More interestingly still, despite the distance their eccentricities afford them, Theroux’s diligent filming brought to light the humanity of guarded celebrities. The Call of the Weird delivers the same unflinching focus on fact as his television series; his chapter on Thor Templar, a self-professed bastion of alien resistance, is peppered with wonderment. Theroux remarks that the activities of this unusual man can be appreciated in the same way as “a piece of theatre”. Theroux’s voyeuristic detachment sits oddly with the empathy for which his interviews are famed. Perhaps it is merely a facade, a cynical faux candour to lure his interviewees. Certainly Theroux’s self-effacing manner coaxes surprising confessions, and his background at the satirical Spy magazine supports the theory that he adopts a persona to get the scoop. This persona was at the forefront as Theroux discussed his work; a likeable mixture of humour and bashful banter left his fans wanting to find out more of the real Theroux. This ringmaster of the bizarre will surely never allow us close enough to find out, but his appearance at Borders has certainly whet our appetites for more.ARCHIVE: 1st week MT 2005
