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A review by katykelly
Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times in Television by Louis Theroux
4.0
Love his voice, love his style. Too much Jimmy for me though.
I've had this in my Audible queue for ages, and finally got around to listening this week. I'm not a huge reader of biographies, but Louis is one of those 'characters' that can't help but excite interest - his persona, his reporting style, his choice of subject, and he's quite an enigma himself.
So his very honest and open look at his own life made this fly by. From early days as the kid you might expect, through to the adolescent you might not, I really liked seeing how Louis got his breaks, how he managed to forge a career doing what he does, and was impressed with the path he took, the work he put in to earning his chances in the media.
It was fun too to see behind the scenes of some remembered television, Weird Weekends were on in my own adolescence, and seeing how hard it was to get the concept right and to the screen was rather fascinating.
I would say that for my part, there was too much Jimmy Savile. He's not a figure of much interest for me, and Louis not only devotes several chapters to him, but adds an extra in the Audible epilogue as well. It was a little overkill. Maybe others will be wanting to hear about this particular subject, but I was hoping for the Westborough Baptist Church in the same kind of detail, that for me is much more Louis, much more a subculture and niche subject I'd want Louis's honest opinions on.
Louis narrates marvellously, his acerbic wit and open approach to reporting in evidence even when discussing his own failed marriage and the problems experienced as constantly travelling parent in his second. His voice was a pleasure to listen to.
A great subject for a 'celebrity' autobiography, but be warned if you don't want a lot of Savile in your Theroux that this is peppered with him.
I've had this in my Audible queue for ages, and finally got around to listening this week. I'm not a huge reader of biographies, but Louis is one of those 'characters' that can't help but excite interest - his persona, his reporting style, his choice of subject, and he's quite an enigma himself.
So his very honest and open look at his own life made this fly by. From early days as the kid you might expect, through to the adolescent you might not, I really liked seeing how Louis got his breaks, how he managed to forge a career doing what he does, and was impressed with the path he took, the work he put in to earning his chances in the media.
It was fun too to see behind the scenes of some remembered television, Weird Weekends were on in my own adolescence, and seeing how hard it was to get the concept right and to the screen was rather fascinating.
I would say that for my part, there was too much Jimmy Savile. He's not a figure of much interest for me, and Louis not only devotes several chapters to him, but adds an extra in the Audible epilogue as well. It was a little overkill. Maybe others will be wanting to hear about this particular subject, but I was hoping for the Westborough Baptist Church in the same kind of detail, that for me is much more Louis, much more a subculture and niche subject I'd want Louis's honest opinions on.
Louis narrates marvellously, his acerbic wit and open approach to reporting in evidence even when discussing his own failed marriage and the problems experienced as constantly travelling parent in his second. His voice was a pleasure to listen to.
A great subject for a 'celebrity' autobiography, but be warned if you don't want a lot of Savile in your Theroux that this is peppered with him.