Overview
He’s hung out in Nevada brothels, suburban swingers’ clubs and high-security gaols in Miami. Does Louis Theroux have what it takes to survive Q and As across Australia? We’ll find out when the fearless filmmaker, journo and social commentator heads our way this September for a national speaking tour.
In his first visit to the Great Southern Land, Theroux will be joining ABC’s Julia Zemiro for big chats in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. You’ll be hearing all about how he’s survived dens of iniquity all over the planet without losing his sanity or moral sense. He’ll also be reminiscing about time spent with a nasty neo-Nazi gang in the United States and recounting his brief stint as a rap god on New Orleans radio.
“For me, making my programs is quite a private process,” Theroux said. “They are about forging a human connection with people whose lives are at the outermost edge of what we as people experience: the most forbidden impulses, the most frightening lifestyles, the most traumatic turns of events. To get inside the lives of those people — criminals, sex workers, people with mental illness, ultra-committed religious believers — is a kind of high-wire act.”
Theroux is looking forward to sharing the ins and outs of the filmmaking process with his listeners, while telling all the bizarre stories that didn’t make the cuts. In between talking, he’ll be screening footage from Weird Weekends, his famous series of one-off investigations and encounters with various celebrities and power brokers. When he and Zemiro are done, you’ll have loads of time to ask questions of your own.
“In his documentaries, Louis Theroux finds the extraordinary in the ordinary," says Zemiro. "Through patience, stillness and rigour, he reveals so much about human nature. I'm delighted to be hosting this tour and intend to pick up as many tips as possible in the art of interviewing.”
Catch Louis Theroux at Perth’s Riverside Theatre on September 22, Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on September 25, Sydney’s State Theatre on September 27, Adelaide’s Festival Theatre on September 30 and Brisbane’s QPAC on October 1. Tickets go on sale on March 21 via Louis Theroux's tour website.
Image: Carsen Windhorst.