Anthony Bourdain Documentary

Anybody planning to watch it? The director deliberately didn’t include Asia Argento in those close to Bourdain who were interviewed for the project. In fact the inference from it is that Bourdain’s time with Argento didn’t help his downward drift into his depression.

Cranky, insecure hipster. Not surprised he offed himself.

I went back and forth on Anthony Bourdain for a few years. He overplayed the bad boy act, made me hate the idea if chasing authenticity with jets, but now and again had some beautiful turn of phrase, some observation that didn't feel at all times to show how special he was, and once in a while I saw genuine warmth and appreciation.

There was a Parts Unknown episode centered on Andalucīa and Granada in particular, with a side focus on his cameraman, and American who married into a Granada family and it's a gorgeous and glowing portrait of a place I love. I've pushed the episode on more than a few friends.

I just heard an interview with him on NPR that made me sad. He was very well spoken and so talented. What a waste!

R3. I saw that great episode as well. Everyone should watch it before visiting Spain.

He was a rare talent and I do miss his take on different parts of the world he could have provided.

[quote] Anybody planning to watch it? The director deliberately didn’t include Asia Argento in those close to Bourdain who were interviewed for the project. In fact the inference from it is that Bourdain’s time with Argento didn’t help his downward drift into his depression.

Bourdain came from a privileged background. He lived his life they way that he wanted live. He ended his life the way that he wanted. No one is to blame for his mental health issues.

R6 I never said she’s to blame for his suicide, do you have a reading comprehension problem? Depression and suicide are rarely due to one thing or cause, same is true for Bourdain. For people in such precarious mindsets, sometimes even luck, the smallest things, a conversation, so on, can tether them back to wanting to give life another shot. Saying that relationship with Argento didn’t help and may have worsened Bourdain’s depression is not “blaming”, but putting things in perspective. He chose to be with her knowing that it wouldn’t end well.

I’ll probably get attacked for saying this, but he always seemed like he was hiding in the closet to me. There are many reasons for why he gave off this vibe, and if you look at the butch women in his life it only confirms it for me (Asia is openly bi). I only bring this up because it was my first thought when I heard about his suicide. He seemed so sad. I loved his shows, he is greatly missed.

He had chronic depression from childhood. No level of privilege can ease that.

[quote] [R6] I never said she’s to blame for his suicide, do you have a reading comprehension problem? Depression and suicide are rarely due to one thing or cause, same is true for Bourdain. For people in such precarious mindsets, sometimes even luck, the smallest things, a conversation, so on, can tether them back to wanting to give life another shot. Saying that relationship with Argento didn’t help and may have worsened Bourdain’s depression is not “blaming”, but putting things in perspective. He chose to be with her knowing that it wouldn’t end well

You didn’t say it. You implied it.

I want to see it. I liked his camera persona. Don’t know the person - so it shocked me when he killed himself. He always said he would do heroin again if he was dying - I found it odd he killed himself instead of just doing heroin or some kind of drug to temporarily alleviate the sadness.

[quote] he always seemed like he was hiding in the closet to me. There are many reasons for why he gave off this vibe, and if you look at the butch women in his life it only confirms it for me (Asia is openly bi).

His wife was kind of butch. Asia just seemed like an opportunist. Bourdain was always trying to be younger and hipper than he really was and latching on to Asia was his own decision.

CAN’T WAIT. I am rewatching every episode of his series to prepare. It’s going to be a gut wrencher

Leave it to illiterate DL to find him distasteful.

His mother worked in publishing and he tried to make it as a mystery novelist before the chef thing.

I think he was so handsome.

Remember when his wife went off on Twitter about a bad steak at a famous eatery in Vegas.

He pursued Asia. In an early show of his, he made a comment about beautiful women, something I don't recall, and then: "well, unless Asia Argento calls me..." (he was married at the time- never bothered to divorce the lovely Sardinian woman, who wasn't that "butch").

All I really know about Asia is that she was good as Madame Du Barry in MARIE ANTOINETTE.

Me too, R15. But, I love an old punk rocker. The episode with Anthony and Iggy on the beach was heaven for me.

Apparently the documentary film makers used computer simulations of his voice for 3 crucial comments.

We’re illiterate if we don’t like this phony?

[quote]The episode with Anthony and Iggy on the beach was heaven for me.

There is a wonderful moment on the beach between them where tony asked iggy “how do you attain peace “ and iggy gives him a reply that you can see stuns tony, “be truly loved” - possibly the most honest you ever saw tony on his own show where it is clear that that wasn’t At All what he had expected

R19, yeah, people who have seen it say it creepily transitions from someone reading his words to a fade where his words are recited by “his voice”.

Nigella Lawson says they were friends, which seems odd to me. He was a good writer, maybe that's what attracted her.

likely, and very down to earth

R22 Yeah, he looked stunned, like he knew on some level people loved him yet that made no difference in how he felt about himself.

something, or he just expected iggy pop to come out with some glib response and he didn't

I can't wait to watch this (on HBO Max). His death was the only celebrity death that actually gut-punched me.

There was just something about him. I'm not sure what intrigued me about him. He was cocky, smug, arrogant, for sure; but, in his later years he seemed a lot more grounded and philosophical. I felt he never took any of his fame/fortune for granted. He often seemed surprised by it himself. I think he was a true artist, hence the (cliched?) tortured soul. I would have loved to have met him in person. He seemed so intelligent, eloquent and an overall good guy. I really do miss him terribly.

he was cocky and smug, but at the same time it was clear that he was insecure and didn't really hide it

He was just as comfortable eating food from a street stall in BFE as he was in a Michelin starred restaurant. He truly seemed to love food in all it's variations.

[quote]it's variations.

R30 He would have been most uncomfortable with your grammar (its)

He always seemed so desperate to be considered cool — the tattoos, his taste in music that he wore like a badge of honor. Aging can be particularly hard for people like that — especially those plagued by depression and alcoholism. For whatever reason, he didn’t have the capacity—or the willingness—to find or accept the contentment Iggy seems to have.

R31 what an extremely insightful contribution to this thread. IT'S much appreciated.

[quote]He always seemed so desperate to be considered cool — the tattoos, his taste in music that he wore like a badge of honor

he was, and self-admitted that he was desperate to play cool.

It didn’t belong on CNN. It would have added some welcome roughage to the FOOD network. I used to always whine:”get yo ass off CNN, white boy!” Sadly, I was relieved when he passed. He was an icky puzzle piece to the Epstein affair as well, if my Qaanon spouting brother is to be believed.

I found him so precious, going into "foreign" communities in search of "authenticity" whilst in his own home decrying the kind of food that is not of the local, fresh, in-season variety or trashily hip.

Asia Argento is a WHORE, darlin'.

[quote]Nigella Lawson says they were friends, which seems odd to me. He was a good writer, maybe that's what attracted her.

Why? They seem entirely in sync.

[quote]He was just as comfortable eating food from a street stall in BFE as he was in a Michelin starred restaurant

Kill me right now.

[quote]He was an icky puzzle piece to the Epstein affair as well, if my Qaanon spouting brother is to be believed.

that in one stroke disqualified you from further contributions, sorry, charlie

[quote]whilst in his own home decrying the kind of food that is not of the local, fresh, in-season variety or trashily hip.

his american shows were anything but, I think his shows on LA, Massachusetts and South carolina are not only a great look at the various foods he loved there but unflinching looks are social issues in the communities.

[quote]I used to always whine:”get yo ass off CNN, white boy!”

he liked it a LOT more than the network he worked with before, travel network? he joked with his CNN producers about it even

There was nothing special about this guy. I'm supposed to get excited about his stale ass American Legion hot takes on the third world just because he worked in a kitchen and has tattoos?

he was a good writer, R44, the on-screen persona was constructed for the camera, just like all of showbiz, but he wrote his shows and his books, and he was a good writer

I read the first book, it was not bad.

I just don't understand the hero worship. For someone who made his living interpreting the world for (white) people, he didn't have much more to contribute than your drunk uncle.

[quote]For someone who made his living interpreting the world for (white) people, he didn't have much more to contribute than your drunk uncle.

he cautioned travelers that world tourism isn't a key to prosperity in developing communities, and he cautioned this many times.

again, the illiterates take the scene and declare they are "ovah" someone just because they don't like the look of someone, or can't listen to someone speak for more than five minutes.

r44, that was only his first, there are better ones, and yes, his success from KC allowed him to get book deals for the others, but that is how it works.

Henry Rollins does that too, R50.

Terrible person. He’s eaten ortolan. It’s in Kitchen Confidential. Repulsive.

He was a reactionary, like his fans.

[quote] he cautioned travelers that world tourism isn't a key to prosperity in developing communities, and he cautioned this many times.

Such innovative insight. He should have been head of the World Bank.

Did I tell you about the time he made depression all about ME?

He was unique. A true artist and his travel/food shows are like no others. He is greatly missed by many hence the documentary.

I adored the episodes with Eric. To me, he and Bourdain seemed like soulmates.

So sad that Eric was the one who found him

I didn't know that, R59. Damn. I thought of Eric when I heard Bourdain had died, not Asia/the ex wife.

Yup, they were filming another episode in France together

My opinion; Boarding Gate Asia Argento's best film. Also starring Michael Madsen and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth

That poster was the best they could do? She looks bored.

The trailer is poor IMO. Doesn't seem to have much depth but I'll watch the doc and see whats on offer.

How is Asia A not in this when she was one of the most important people in his life his last year? Yes, she's loathed, but surely she could provide some insight. One can always edit the bitch to death.

I went to High School with him He was a bully. Not well liked at all, but even then he didn't give a shit. I called him "Gendarme Head"

Did you see him in the showers after gym?

From the director:

[Quote]Although Argento’s limited presence in Roadrunner raises more questions than it answers, Neville insists that speaking to her would have “been painful for a lot of people.” He tells Vulture an interview with Argento would have distracted from the story of what made Anthony Bourdain who he was. “It instantly just made people want to ask ten more questions,” Neville says. “It became this kind of narrative quicksand.”

This is poor film-making IMO.

R58 they had such deep love and respect for each other. I loved watching the two of them together. You could tell they adored each other (in a non-homosexual, platonic way).

I recall Eric weeping to the French Press after finding Bourdain's body and saying he just wanted to go home to his family. He was shattered.

If they were such close friends, like brothers, it seems cruel of Bourdain to inflict this kind of shock and grief on him. Bourdain always struck me as the kind of guy who thought of himself first, like a narcissist, and maybe he was.

Too many of the episodes were booze-fueled. And for that reason, I didn't trust his opinions.

Well, he was certainly polarizing.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

ie, he wanted to be in an open relationship so he could fuck around. But her fucking around is a bruise to his ego, because he thinks people will assume he’s not man enough to satisfy a woman.

What’s his link to Epstein?

Well he also had given her $300,000 to pay off that kid she sexually assaulted after championing her hypocritical “me too” stance. I read an interview of him taken right before he died, maybe the last one. He said they would mainly only fight over text message. And if I recall, his estranged wife was the one who got his phone. It makes me wonder if he had been arguing with Argento over text that night.

Happy people don’t spend all their time away from their children and flying around the world, seeking experiences to satiate the soul.

It cracked me up how he would orgasm over a bowl of noodles of noodles like it is a spiritual experience when it would be the Vietnamese equivalent of sausage, egg and chip in Manchester or a tuna melt in New York.

When he was taken to a foreign normal people restaurant/cheesy tourist trap he was so dismissive. He predictably would rant, where’s the culture? Where the family recipe? Where is the master stock going back 600 years? Where is that spark of of the unexplainable that - yes! - makes life worth living?

Translating the world for (white) people hits the nail on the head.

Committing suicide over your girlfriend holding hands with another man ... There was a lot more going on with AB than that. Getting shit-faced drunk (I'm guessing) didn't help the decision-making process (decision to die by suicide).

[quote] Well he also had given her $300,000 to pay off that kid she sexually assaulted after championing her hypocritical “me too” stance…

This is exactly the type of behaviour he indulged in his whole life. Looking for completion with Michelin star restaurants, in bijou street foot stalls, through travel, through TV, and then through Asia, who on the surface is foreign, beautiful, and dangerous, all the superficial things that attracted him in life, and expected that to make him happy.

Iggy Pop had it right.

[quote]When he was taken to a foreign normal people restaurant/cheesy tourist trap he was so dismissive. He predictably would rant, where’s the culture? Where the family recipe? Where is the master stock going back 600 years? Where is that spark of of the unexplainable that - yes! - makes life worth living?

You made that up out of whole cloth. I just watched the Manila episode of “Parts Unknown” and the first meal he has? And he likes it? At the chain jollibee’s a sort of weird fast food place with mascots and such, and he says straight out, i shouldn’t like this but I do.

[quote] i shouldn’t like this but I do.

Not helping your argument, boo.

It was reported AA hired the pap to take those photos. There are others. She was pissed because she wanted to direct the episode he and Eric were shooting.

They sound utterly exhausting.

They both suck and created a vortex of suck that sucked Bourdain in permanently. Someone should do a super cut of all of the times he mentioned suicide, self harm and opening up a vein etc. It was a lot.

I saw him when he did his tour. He wasn’t pretentious or snobby. He was funny, had some good stories to tell and happily answered questions from the audience. Perhaps he was a little more himself as he seemed relaxed and enjoyed talking to people.

To bring it back to dL level of discourse- I would’ve ate his ass.

Here is the interview I was thinking of. I can’t find the texting thing I was thinking about, but he talks a lot about Asia and Rose. I couldn’t reread the whole thing, it’s a bunch of self-indulgence by the interviewer and rambling by Bourdain, but it’s a look into his mind at the time in case anyone is interested. I guess I was interested enough close to his death to slog through it, but not at this point. Interesting that many of the things they chatted about are so irrelevant today.

Old men don’t seem to understand that they are no match for younger women. It only works if the crone understands and accept that his young girlfriend will have young dick on the side.

I thought crones were ladies. Maybe "codger" is the word.

Crone is now an equal opportunity pronoun

Not even at Urban Dictionary, R90.

I still don't know what he was famous for.

R39 Nigella had her coke scandal awhile back. She is whip-smart, a reader, highbrow and a party girl with a dark side. No surprise they got along well.

It was.in the aftermath of his death, so you can dismiss it if inclined, but there were journalists who had interviewed him (late in his life) and each wrote of how their anticipated difficult subject was anything but. They were surprised to find a careful listener, generous with his time, kindly, wrote thank you notes and sent follow up info (about books mentioned, etc.) The common denominator was that he was kindly, and patient, prompt, and generous -- all a bit at odds with aspects of his persona and the journalists who had done their.ahrae off homework beforehand.

For me he was a jackass and a braggart, too quick to dismiss some things and too quick too jump on so bandwagon that fit his purpose; he was also sloppy and messy and made a display if his own personal wreckage (an aspect of troubled souldom that doesn't sit well with me.) And yet I came to like him for those glimpses of generosity, the human bits where you could see he wasn't just gesturing for the camera. If in fact we do "love our friends as much for their faults as for their virtues," with TV figure Bourdain I overlooked an earlier unlikable persona for one that indeed had its faults, bit seemed to me essentially human and displaying what I saw as genuine pleasure in things that are difficult for many people to show.

His rock-'n'-roll heroin star of the kitchen thing did nothing for me, but a later version of the same man showed both a warm human side and a capacity to change (even if only his TV persona.)

"For someone who made his living interpreting the world for (white) people, he didn't have much more to contribute than your drunk uncle."

He was the best TV travel host ever! Because unlike other travel hosts, who are chipper and say everything is great, he praised some things to the sky and bitched like a Datalounger about other things. Some of the funniest moments on the show were from where he was unhappy about where he ended up, like when he got dragged into a stifling cave In, Cuba was it?

A TV travel host should be a sort of imaginary friend, someone you wish you were traveling with. And Bourdain's TV persona made the ideal imaginary travel friend, the guy who knew every chef in the world and who could get you into the best restaurants in every country, whether that restaurant was the street stall with 500 people standing in line, or a temple of haute cuisine with 3 Michelin stars. And he (or his TV persona) was handsome and funny and perceptive, the sort of person you could keep talking to for the whole trip without getting bored, AND he was hilarious when things went wrong. Things always go wrong during travel, and who better to go through the inconveniences with than the guy who doesn't whine, but gets so funny you have to laugh at your temporary troubles? He really was a perfect TV travel host.

How tiresome is r96? Should I block it?

I'm not that bad!! I don't ever block anyone, it's rude.

[quote] He was a rare talent

At what?

What was his talent??

Looks like some people are being introduced to the world outside of the Bourdain circlejerk.

The film-maker presents a film about his idea of Bourdain. People who don't care won't care. The fact he uses AI-generated speech shows his own lack of concern.

There is probably material here for a good film. But this film isn't it.

On the NPR interview on Friday, a replay of an episode of Fresh Air recorded during the promotion of a cookbook he wrote about “normal food”, I could understand how he found a group of admirers. I found his rhapsodic description of a bowl of noodles irritating, and found the interviewer uncharacteristically star struck describing Bourdain’s experience (“…sharing a bowl of Noodles in Vietnam with President Obama!”).

I tried watching some of his programs while traveling overseas by airplane looking for anything to kill time, and even then I couldn’t stay interested. I found him too much of a ponderous hipster, and found his descriptions of street food just overblown.

There was a messy self involvement in the way he described a ceremonial killing of a pig during a segment of one of his programs. It sounded like a mix of self-recrimination and hipster humble bragging. It’s tough on the stomach to hear how, between books and television projects, he really just wanted to get back to Vietnam for some realness. Ugh.

It is very sad how his life ended, though. I also know there are people whom I have admired yet who probably irritate the shit out of my friends, so “to each his own dude bro” I guess.

I suspect friends of Bourdain told the film maker they would not participate if AA was interviewed.

[quote]d!! I don't ever block anyone, it's rude.

Blocked you fucking cunt

[quote]What was his talent??

WRITER, jackass, that was his self-titled profession and he was a best-selling author, so yeah, writer, fuck head. Don’t like it? Fine.

Chef, author, TV presenter, etc. He stood out from others OK understood, some didn't like him, but he left his mark.

David Chang and others follow in his footsteps but they never would have gone where they have without his precedent

[quote]WRITER, jackass, that was his self-titled profession and he was a best-selling author, so yeah, writer, fuck head. Don’t like it? Fine.

Well, clearly it's NOT fine, given your dramatic little hissy fit.

Here's a free tip: try not to treat celebrities so personally. You'll have a happier life.

^^ troll who LOATHES Bourdain.

[Quote] Here's a free tip: try not to treat celebrities so personally

Ha!! You’re precious, aren’t you?

Go

Die

In a

Grease Fire

Anthony Bourdain is far from universally loved.

His fans are extremely vehement (as this thread proves), but many other people think he was a narcissistic asshole.

You can't stand that many appreciate his work. You're not going to change minds. And why try? You expressed your opinion. Fine, troll.

I can't believe he was interested in that crazy bitch Asia. Mind you, this girl said she was raped by Harvey Weinstein and kept fucking him after the "rape".

I recall she said he was eating her pussy during the rape too!

How is he able to stay so skinny from eating all that food?

r52 Imagine Henry and Anthony fucking. Who would be the top?

[quote]but many other people think he was a narcissistic asshole.

What you don’t get is that we huge fans also realize he was at times a narcissist and definitely an asshole

R116, indeed, must have had a very intense metabolism.

I read too that the crew ate what he ate, so a lot of the food you saw the crew got part of it

R116 R119 Your comments reminded me of this passage in the New Yorker profile:

But in France he found that he couldn’t write. His body was itchy and swollen from the rash, and he had a throbbing pain in his head. Because he looked hideous, he left the villa only after dark, like a vampire. Finally, Bourdain sought out a French doctor, who gave him a battery of painkillers and anti-inflammatories. After impulsively swallowing a week’s supply, Bourdain realized that he had not eaten in thirty-six hours. He drove to a café in a nearby town, Arcachon, and ordered spaghetti and a bottle of Chianti. He was halfway through the wine when he realized that he was sweating through his clothes. Then he blacked out.

When he woke up, Bourdain was lying with his feet in the café and his head in the street. A waiter was rifling through his pockets, in search of a driver’s license, as if to identify a corpse. Bourdain’s father had died suddenly, at fifty-seven, from a stroke, and Bourdain often thinks about dying; more than once, he told me that, if he got “a bad chest X-ray,” he would happily renew his acquaintance with heroin. Taking meds and booze on an empty stomach was just a foolish mistake, but it left him shaken.

How old is the kid and when will she start reading about how much her dad hated kids?

I wonder how many times he got food poisoning or diarrhea from eating all that street food? I saw a few episodes and they don't use gloves in third world countries.

So this filmmaker said he didn't want to interview Asia Argento because she "says the same thing in every interview"? Has she done that many interviews? Perhaps in Italy but I only know of the interview she did for Daily Mail TV in English. His story isn't complete without her because she was an instrumental part of his life towards the end. To this day, many even still blame her for his death. But he really cared about her so she shouldn't be left out completely.

Yes, she is controversial, many would say "trashy" and that her claims of Anthony paying off her alleged sexual assault victim are a blemish to his legacy. But like her or not, she is part of his story and always will be. In my opinion, the reasons for not including Asia are a copout and an excuse. If you hate her and think she's the reason for his death, then just say it. None of this "she says the same thing in every interview," "her involvement would just create more questions than answers" bullshit.

[quote] I wonder how many times he got food poisoning or diarrhea from eating all that street food?

He claimed never. And in his books said western food prep practices were far worse.

Naturally after so much travel his biome developed a resistance some of us delicate flowers couldn’t tolerate

Or he ran filthy kitchens professionally for many years and built immunity that way.

I enjoyed 'Kitchen Confidential.' One part that still is as funny and fresh as when I first read it describes an interview Anthony had for working at a steakhouse. The interviewer asked Anthony, "What do you know about me?" Anthony was prepared, and answered the question intelligently and at length. Silence. Then the interviewer says, "I said, what do you know about MEAT?"

That was the best part, wasn't it?

I saw it and found it boring. No one really seemed to know him and even he treated therapy like a joke. It’s tedious watching him have repetitive conversations on camera.

[quote]I saw it and found it boring. No one really seemed to know him and even he treated therapy like a joke.

Bourdain is the like the parable of the blind men who describe an elephant. One observer gets stuck on the heroin, another on the booze, on therapy, on the rock'n'roll bad boy image, on the arrogance, on something he wrote in his first book, on 'The Layover,' on 'No Reservations,' on 'Parts Unknown,' on his boy's club of favorite chefs, on his personal relationships... There are people who hated him because of their own issues with their own recovery, but his personality could be brash enough that a short impression became a lifetime opinion.

He's not a parable, just a typical overrated boomer.

R92 for “whitesplaining” little brown people and their food.

His travel/food shows generally gave viewers rare insights into local life. The Sicily episode, for instance, was amusing in that Bourdain was duped by a local fisherman/restaurant owner who bragged that the sea was full of magnificent squid.

The guy took B out in his boat and as B was diving for squid he realized the guy was throwing dead squid from his boat into the water for Tony to find. It wasn't a pleasant trip back to port.

he also lets locals just talk, sometimes a bit too much, but you hear memorable voices saying touching things, no tony, just them

SOOOOO!! It was the slutty child-raping. Asia tramp that killed him!! Bourdain was an ASSHOLE!! How did he fall for that Asia Fish??

One of the things that made him great, R135, was that yeah - he bitched about the bad things he experienced on his travels. For all his praising the local pork dishes of the world, he'd also say that something was awful when it was awful, like the iguana tail tamale he called the "worst thing I've ever eaten".

He really did have a fantastic way with words, there was a reason he got famous as a writer rather than as a chef. As a chef I'm sure he was competent enough, but he had a unique voice as a writer or talker - honest, witty, and well-informed. I miss him.

I miss him. I absolutely loved the show with Obama. I hope Eric Ripert is doing okay.

I enjoyed his shows, but they were hit & miss; as others have noted, he was kind a hipster wannabe try hard at times, but his best shows were when he was paired with some earnest local trying to show off their city or paired with a fellow messy drunk, like that Russian guy on a couple episode of No Reservations. He clearly was a depressed alcoholic - I watched episodes recently during lockdown (when I was kind of depressed myself) and in some episodes his sadness was so palpable, it was kind of hard to watch. I always thought his shows were less about travel or food per se and more about searching for something or trying to fill some longing or void in yourself, if that makes sense.

At the time his death was a huge shock, but in retrospect, it wasn't really surprising at all. Yes, hooking up with a crazy actress probably hastened his demise, but even without her, he would've found some other crazy drama queen as a reason to blow up his life & relationships & would've ended it anyway. Maybe she just hastened the process.

That's the thing, R140, years ago I tried binge-watching his shows, but I wouldn't advise that. In small doses he's great fun, watch him for hours and you start to get a real sense of how much darkness there was under the fun surface. And yeah, he was constantly joking about offing himself.

His death was both a surprise and not, I mean obviously nobody saw it coming, but if the first thought was shock, the second thought was "One too many nights in a lovely hotel room in a strange country". I guess I knew he was capable of it, the jokes about offing himself predated Asia Argento by a couple of decades.

One other thing I liked about Bourdain - he wasn't all about trying to sell you something; he didn't like the idea of encouraging tourism, he wasn't pitching his books and he didn't appear to be shilling for restaurants, other than promoting chefs he liked. Compare that to non-stop merching Rick Steves!

My issue was that it was endless filmed footage of him, when he was acting for the cameras. The talking heads added nothing. Even his ex-wife had no insight on him. When they cried at the end it seemed maudlin. Then it rapidly switched to a fake “happy” ending. It was completely average. Maybe his fans eat it up, but it was not a great documentary because it had no insight or perspective on him.

R142, I agree. He might have been selling himself in some way, but not as a traditional commodity.

Sorry that you didn’t like it r143

A lot of the praise he gets could equally well be applied to Andrew Zimmern.... and AZ doesn't pretend not to be a twat.

He thought people like Rachel Ray and I think Paula Deen were no talent clowns. That makes him aces in my book.

He went after Sandra Lee one time, but he said that he came to realize later that she was a nice lady & even if her type of cooking wasn't his cup of tea, other people enjoyed what she did and who was he to judge (though I believe he also made fun of Guy Fieri & didn't backpedal on that one). So while he probably was an arrogant prick, he was at least self-aware enough to know when he'd gone too far.

Hes the hipster Joe Rogan. An Everyman for the pseudo-intellect. Im gonna catch shit for this but it's truuuuu

This dude had mental health issues and his biggest mistake was getting involved with trash like Argento.

His favorite place on earth was Italy so naturally he was drawn to Italian women, but he hooked a loon.

[quote]How is he able to stay so skinny from eating all that food?

He was normal-sized: a normal, healthy weight. Have Americans forgotten what that looks like? Do you consider normal-sized "skinny"?

R146 but he also thought Asia batshit Argento was amazing.

R151, he was tall and he was skinny

Fuck Ripert, the sniveling little parasite.

I don't hate Eric Ripert, but I don't like him especially for some not quite specific reason. Maybe because he behaves like a handsome man and a charming man, neither of which I'm convinced of in his case.

I saw it last night in the theater and I really enjoyed it, the Music is sometimes a bit overwhelming and symphonic, but hearing bourdain's loves, friends and compatriots talk about him in their words was very enjoyable. the end of course is sad and frustrating, and putting the apotheosis at the very end is a bit pat, but very fine movie making

the CGI voice over was not extensive or offensive in my opinion

I'd rather watch that Michael Jordan thing, at least he's bitchy.

I never understood his popularity.

I'll watch this when I can stream it free. Asia Argento should be included in the doc but more than likely she would have lied about that last week. Lied about many things.

Some gritty film maker will get to the facts eventually.

This thread reminds me of "Play It As It Lays".

I like Eric Ripert (what I saw of him on multiple episodes of Top Chef). IMO, he's handsome and charming and doesn't unduly ride on his looks. The only time I saw his feathers ruffled was when Jamie (Top Scallop) couldn't reproduce an assigned Le Bernadin dish (the challenge). She was sour grapes about it and said it was old-fashioned cooking, blah blah blah. She got under Ripert's skin and he should have just let it slide. She looked really dumb as it was.

[quote] Asia Argento should be included in the doc but more than likely she would have lied about that last week.

she features pretty prominently at the end, but she isn't interviewed, her affect on the show is very much criticized

r162, I just watched a show with bourdain where he torments eric in Chengdu by forcing the spiciest of foods on him, Eric is a good sport but you can tell that he's a bit over his head

The documentary will never be as popular as Grey Gardens.

I'd like to feed Bourdain's stans to the raccoons.

I watched it this afternoon...Anthony looked kinda gay when he was young with the earring...Eric looked very attractive when younger too. I wonder if they took their friendship into the pleasure zone.

he had great hair, very thick for an old man.

you see him through the years...he aged nicely...without any plastic surgery or injections etc

[quote].Anthony looked kinda gay when he was young with the earring...Eric looked very attractive when younger too.

naw, that was just the look back then. Eric seems too awkward to go to the pleasure zone

Is the doc streaming anywhere yet?

Just watched Roadrunner last night & I have a question: for all you DL mental health experts, do you think Bourdain was bi-polar? I mean he was definitely an addict, of course, but I never realized his extremes that people describe, including the jujutsu and of course, his passion for Asia Argento, which seems less like a mature adult love than borderline stalking. Multiple people talk about his extreme highs & deep lows, making me think that if he'd just been medicated properly , he might still be alive.

R8 Just because they have zero interest in your flabby wrinkled cunt doesn't make em gay, bitch.

I don't think he was bipolar, just moody. If he was a bit more open about his mood swings than most of us, well, he was a TV star and could get away with being temperamental in a way that most working stiffs can't.

I wondered that, too, R173. The people in his life were definitely alarmed by his intense and adolescent obsession with Argento. He was also a depressed alcoholic.

Implication, not inference, OP.

We're 100% sure he did the suicide as opposed to 'was' suicided?

His shows always reminded me of the little kid dared to eat a bug by his friends so to be the 'toughest', baddest, he ate it. Nothing more than that.

His snark seemed to be an addict pissed off he couldn't use his favorite drugs of choice anymore since hit bottom on them.

Suicide is a frequent option for addicts when they know they are caught in the grip. Can't live with the drugs or without them.

He had no drugs in his system. What an asshole leaving his daughter like that. Did he leave a note?

Like men who commit suicide give any fucks for their families. I once worked with a girl whose father was white, Chinese mother. He committed suicide right in their home. Blew his brains out in the afternoon so his two daughters could find him like that after school. Fucking asshole. There should be a law that if you commit suicide, you have to do it way out in the forest so there won't be any evidence or body.

I may check this out. Bourdain could be divisive to some, but I generally liked his candor.

One of the more perplexing episodes of his shows was when he featured shark fin soup, and went into great detail about how inhumane it was... then proceeded to eat a bowl of it.

R8 None of his wives was butch. And neither is Asia

Never understood the lefty fascination with AB. He just seems like another entitled white dude who offed himself for no real reason. And I'm a lefty on most issues.

Asia Argento's song about Anthony Bourdain, titled "My A," from her brand new album called Music From My Bed.

No, I won't be watching it. Since his suicide, I have completely unplugged from anything Bourdain.

I've been re-watching some of his old shows & I really do think that a lot of the success of the show can be credited to his production team and the beautiful shots & outstanding production quality. Generally I liked Bourdain, but some of his better shows were when he shut up & basically turned over the reins to a knowledgeable local who was passionate about their city/country.

I bumped this thread because while his suicide was a shock at the time, watching RR made me think it was a wonder he lasted as long as he did. He was a very unwell & unhappy guy

Boursin was completely up his own ass and endlessly obsessed with himself.

There was nothing much to him, and he was too shallow to look outward or value anyone above himself.

A truly tedious and trite poseur.

Alcohol is enough of a drug to fuck you up. Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning.

Bourdain probably was moody by nature and had enough money to buy what he "needed" to mitigate whatever mood he was in. Also, people were kissing his ass pretty much all day. You get into a bubble and lose touch with simple pleasures.

His little act/persona was so embarrassing.

I just finished Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever, which was a great read about a complex, contradictory individual.

While Asia Argento is portrayed as a pretty terrible person, its also made very clear: he CHOSE her! She wasn’t keeping him hostage in a cabin, chained to a bed. He could’ve dropped her at any time.

She touched something dark and powerful in him, but he’s the one who let her screw up all his longtime relationships and friendships. He chose her over everyone else he knew, many for decades. The ‘why’ cant be answered except to note that he was an addict, and he seemed to he addicted to her.

I’m sorry he’s dead. He inspired great loyalty in many who knew him, and he seemed a nearly equal mix of light and shadow, but he sure screwed over his daughter. The children of suicides have a MUCH higher rate of suicide themselves. I hope she beats the odds.

I thought narcissists can’t kill Themselves?

I have to wonder if Asia being accused of sexual assault played a role in Anthony's suicide. She claims that he helped to pay off her accuser. Maybe he regretted doing so and thought "What have I done?" Maybe he believed that he was tricked, Asia was never who he thought she was, and that he became complicit in her alleged actions by protecting her and couldn't take the guilt. Many think that the paparazzi taking photos of her frolicking around with another man played a part as well.

But I still believe Asia loved him deep down and still does. She has mental issues herself and both were broken people with lots of baggage. Perhaps that's what attracted them to each other to begin with. But I don't think he was wrong for caring about Asia and I don't think she is the monster that many people make her out to be. She is just flawed, as was Anthony, and as are all of us. I have always been a fan of hers and hope she finds inner peace and starts hanging around the right people. Not leeches like Rose McGowan who used her for extra publicity and Jimmy Bennett who destroyed her legacy (and almost her life) for money and perhaps played a direct role in Anthony's death by doing so. People have been tricked into believing all sorts of foul things about Asia and Anthony may have been one of them. And we partially have Harvey Weinstein to thank for that.

R194 Fuck off, narcissism troll. There is no such thing.

r184 Are you blind? His wife, the one he had a kid with is so fucking butch! she's a wrestler or MMA fighter my memory serves.

[quote]I just finished Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever

So what was the story with the 1st wife? I thought it was interesting that she didn't appear in the documentary, but I thought she might say "look, he was an asshole, you might think you knew the guy, but I'm telling you - he was an asshole." Maybe she didn't want to talk shit about him that his kid would hear.

Also, I thought the 2nd wife didn't look butch when they were first together in the early footage, but in the documentary, she looked butch.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3TmqOorZ6csm%2BvzqZmraCimq6le5FxcGxoaGmCbq3NrZ%2Bopqlir7DB0Z2YoqZdmbykwcyepa2Zoq4%3D