I have this wildly delusional belief that had I known Anthony Bourdain, I might have saved him. On every level, this is farce—people who are suicidal and depressed are usually beyond the reach of amendment—and yet my belief is unshaken. I’m good at listening. I have a genuine curiosity about others, can usually pinpoint a problem when asked, and never ever judge. How can I, without judging myself?
Stacy, this is beautiful. It's the first thing I read this morning. I wasn't a fan of Bourdain. My mom was addicted to watching all the travel/eating shows. So I've seen parts of a few episodes. I don't know if I saw just the wrong parts or what. But he came off to me as snide and condescending, so I didn't pursue watching more. Your writing brought him to life for me, so that I could see past the snark and see the diamond in the rough. Thank you
You weren't wrong! Not in the slightest. Bourdain WAS (at times) snide. Like most romantic idealists, he came across as world-weary and cynical. But the more you watched him, the clearer it became that these were just the posturings of someone with an enormous heart. I'm not putting a bonnet on a pig when I say that. Bourdain was too gentle to live among the wolves, only he would have rather died than have people know that. So your instincts were spot on, as always; they just weren't the WHOLE book.
YES! OMG, you, too? But Tangiers was Bourdain's jam. Big time. All his favorite self-destructive, hedonist authors lived there at one time or another. I think that's why the episode stayed with us long after we finished watching it.
I don't know that many episodes, even though I've seen a lot of them -- which is to say, there are so many episodes that Bourdain gave us, even though I've seen a lot of them, I've seen no where close to even half.
Right? I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Couldn't wrap my head around any of it. There they were, eating together in an obscure café, thousands of miles from home. One of my all-time favorite episodes. Wow!
I've never watched any of his shows, but I do have one of his memoirs... it's been sitting here for a while, but it'll get read eventually. Your wonderful essay will tide me over!
By the bye, there's a recent article at Vanity Fair about AB: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/07/anthony-bourdain-asia-argento-roadrunner#intcid=recommendations_vf-trending-legacy_42026607-c6ba-492c-85f6-1918757950b9_popular4-1
I've read ALL the damned articles. This was by far the best one. Thank you, Gares.
Stacy, this is beautiful. It's the first thing I read this morning. I wasn't a fan of Bourdain. My mom was addicted to watching all the travel/eating shows. So I've seen parts of a few episodes. I don't know if I saw just the wrong parts or what. But he came off to me as snide and condescending, so I didn't pursue watching more. Your writing brought him to life for me, so that I could see past the snark and see the diamond in the rough. Thank you
You weren't wrong! Not in the slightest. Bourdain WAS (at times) snide. Like most romantic idealists, he came across as world-weary and cynical. But the more you watched him, the clearer it became that these were just the posturings of someone with an enormous heart. I'm not putting a bonnet on a pig when I say that. Bourdain was too gentle to live among the wolves, only he would have rather died than have people know that. So your instincts were spot on, as always; they just weren't the WHOLE book.
Tangier was a hopelessly romantic episode that stuck with me long after I first watched.
YES! OMG, you, too? But Tangiers was Bourdain's jam. Big time. All his favorite self-destructive, hedonist authors lived there at one time or another. I think that's why the episode stayed with us long after we finished watching it.
I don't know that many episodes, even though I've seen a lot of them -- which is to say, there are so many episodes that Bourdain gave us, even though I've seen a lot of them, I've seen no where close to even half.
That said, when he sat down with Obama.
Right? I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Couldn't wrap my head around any of it. There they were, eating together in an obscure café, thousands of miles from home. One of my all-time favorite episodes. Wow!
I've never watched any of his shows, but I do have one of his memoirs... it's been sitting here for a while, but it'll get read eventually. Your wonderful essay will tide me over!
Love you, Staci! Let me know what you think of his memoir after you've read it, okay? I'd be VERY interested to know.