Louis Theroux in Philadelphia

[matrix_22]

Though Louis was out of his dept here,some of his questions were so fuckin naive like why no-one helps with Police inquiries " Gee Louise maybe they don't want to end up with a bullet in the head like"

Yeah ^^ this - I only just watched it today and although I normally like his programmes he was asking silly stuff - could've been better.

 

[8den]

Though Louis was out of his dept here,some of his questions were so fuckin naive like why no-one helps with Police inquiries " Gee Louise maybe they don't want to end up with a bullet in the head like"

Kinda makes me think Louis watched the Wire, and thought "there would be an interesting documentary with me talking to these chaps"

Unfortunately when he got to Philly, all the Stringer Bell and Prop Joe types, didn't, y'know, exist. People who rob drug dealers are not philosophical fountains of wisdom like Omar, and frankly Bodi is about a hojillion times more coherent and rational then a real life corner boy hopper. Christ I'm sure Louis was shocked to discover that real life heroin addicts aren't streetwise but genuinely sweet and decent, like Bubbles.

The Wire is crafted out of two men's decades on the streets, and brilliant writing, if you think you're going to understand the depth and complexities of this world by standing around on corner, wearing body armour, with a couple of cops, camera and sound men, for a long weekend, you're fucking laughing.

 

[rutabowa]

Unfortunately when he got to Philly, all the Stringer Bell and Prop Joe types, didn't, y'know, exist. People who rob drug dealers are not philosophical fountains of wisdom like Omar, and frankly Bodi is about a hojillion times more coherent and rational then a real life corner boy hopper. Christ I'm sure Louis was shocked to discover that real life heroin addicts aren't streetwise but genuinely sweet and decent, like Bubbles.

The Wire is crafted out of two men's decades on the streets, and brilliant writing, if you think you're going to understand the depth and complexities of this world by standing around on corner, wearing body armour, with a couple of cops, camera and sound men, for a long weekend, you're fucking laughing.

hang on, in the 1st paragraph you're saying "real life isn't like the Wire" and in the 2nd one you're saying "The Wire is so realistic that actually going and talking to the real people isn't as realisic".

 

[Orang Utan]

Yes, that confused me also.

 

[Cid]

Though Louis was out of his dept here,some of his questions were so fuckin naive like why no-one helps with Police inquiries " Gee Louise maybe they don't want to end up with a bullet in the head like"

To be fair he was trying to get at the fact many of them had friends who had been killed or had been shot at/actually shot themselves and were fed up with police responses to that, despite the fact they outright refused to help them. Hence the counter example of the girl who had gone to the police. I agree his style is grating a bit though, it does work quite well though.

 

[rutabowa]

yes, maybe he did ask obvious questions, but they kind of needed to be asked and answered. and he did alright at getting people on both sides to talk as well, it's better he asks obvious or naive things than putting words in peoples' mouths and saying their case for them.

 

[rutabowa]

i think maybe people think they're experts on this stuff because they've seen every series of the Wire or something! when that is fiction.

 

[foo]

it had fuck all to do with the Wire why he pissed me off and i turned over.

 

[Fruitloop]

yes, maybe he did ask obvious questions, but they kind of needed to be asked and answered. and he did alright at getting people on both sides to talk as well, it's better he asks obvious or naive things than putting words in peoples' mouths and saying their case for them.

My thoughts exactly. Quite often people seem unwilling or unable to answer his simple questions, which is interesting in itself. I can see that the faux-naivete can be kind of grating, but he does use it to good effect.

 

[rutabowa]

it had fuck all to do with the Wire why he pissed me off and i turned over.

i bet you will be well relieved to know i wasn't talking about you! he winds me up sometimes

 

[rutabowa]

i was talking about these posts.

Though Louis was out of his dept here,some of his questions were so fuckin naive like why no-one helps with Police inquiries " Gee Louise maybe they don't want to end up with a bullet in the head like"

Kinda makes me think Louis watched the Wire, and thought "there would be an interesting documentary with me talking to these chaps"

Unfortunately when he got to Philly, all the Stringer Bell and Prop Joe types, didn't, y'know, exist. People who rob drug dealers are not philosophical fountains of wisdom like Omar, and frankly Bodi is about a hojillion times more coherent and rational then a real life corner boy hopper. Christ I'm sure Louis was shocked to discover that real life heroin addicts aren't streetwise but genuinely sweet and decent, like Bubbles.

The Wire is crafted out of two men's decades on the streets, and brilliant writing, if you think you're going to understand the depth and complexities of this world by standing around on corner, wearing body armour, with a couple of cops, camera and sound men, for a long weekend, you're fucking laughing.

 

[dlx1]

Louis Theroux. hard hitting questions.
But why, why would you carry a gun

Next week S/A I got mate from S/A wound what part Louis going to.
and if it show.

 

[8den]

hang on, in the 1st paragraph you're saying "real life isn't like the Wire" and in the 2nd one you're saying "The Wire is so realistic that actually going and talking to the real people isn't as realisic".

The Wire is a tv drama, and therefore corners will be cut and liberties taken, so Bodi is the personification of every streetwise smart corner boy picked up by Ed Burns. Essentially its a sort of hyper reality.

Louis just assumed if he stood around on the corner for long enough he'd figure it out. Burns and Simons spent years researching the Wire.

 

[Dillinger4]

The Wire is better. Theroux just didn't make the effort.

 

[DRINK?]

I'm in Philly now? what's the deal?

Spend quite a bit of time here as it goes, are proper rough places that we are told in no way to go near guess it is about that?

Local news today reads shooting shooting shooting....oh and something about kids not getting what they want this xmas

 

[EddyBlack]

I'm in Philly now? what's the deal?

Spend quite a bit of time here as it goes, are proper rough places that we are told in no way to go near guess it is about that?

Local news today reads shooting shooting shooting....oh and something about kids not getting what they want this xmas

It was looking at a slum area in northern Phillidelphia.

 

[EddyBlack]

You can watch it on You Tube.

http://uk.youtube.com/results?search_query=loius+theroux+phillidelphia&search_type=&aq=f

 

[Brainaddict]

Watching it now - pretty sad stuff. LT doesn't seem to show much empathy either - which is fine when he's dealing with dicks, but a subject like this seems to require a bit more sensitivity.

 

[EddyBlack]

I don't get all the criticism, he is pretty bland on purpose. He's disarming and lets you meet the charecters, who as somebody said already are allowed to speak for themselves. He almost had that heroin addict woman in tears and you heard the considered opinions of that baldy cop in the hoody as well as others. I think it was an interesting and quite well made documentary.

 

[Brainaddict]

I don't get all the criticism, he is pretty bland on purpose. He's disarming and lets you meet the charecters, who as somebody said already are allowed to speak for themselves. He almost had that heroin addict woman in tears and you heard the considered opinions of that baldy cop in the hoody as well as others. I think it was an interesting and quite well made documentary.

You think the heroin addict earning her money by prostitution needed Louis to point out that her life is shit?

I think it was an interesting subject and he did get some different points of view from people. I think it was too serious a subject for LT's style of interviewing though - he was never even close to getting below the surface of things.

The bit that really annoyed me was trying to question the woman who's brother had just been shot as she was still crying and screaming.

 

[EddyBlack]

That bit is annoying now you mention it. I think you're right, he's un-suitable for this kind of subject matter.

 

[stavros]

It was very interesting. Although not his best, it was a lot better than the game hunting one.

Is there any chance he may go back to any When Louis Met...? Or is he too well known for anyone like Jimmy Saville or the Hamiltons to do it?

 

[sim667]

maybe this program needed someone like LT to not overcomplicate things in the manner that many other documentary makers would pick apart a socio economic situation, and end up going round in circles....

Also LT's bluntness might well suit the people he's talking too, i cant imagine a lot of them are educated.

 

[Gingerman]

maybe this program needed someone like LT to not overcomplicate things in the manner that many other documentary makers would pick apart a socio economic situation, and end up going round in circles....

Also LT's bluntness might well suit the people he's talking too, i cant imagine a lot of them are educated.

Yeah but he wasn't blunt was he? just asked stupid questions like why that young geezer had a gun on him?like maybe because he lived in a violent neighborhood and prob had it as protection,Theroux's naive innocent old me sthick works well with quirky subjects but not so well with serious subjects.

 

[Termite Man]

Yeah but he wasn't blunt was he? just asked stupid questions like why that young geezer had a gun on him?like maybe because he lived in a violent neighborhood and prob had it as protection,Theroux's naive innocent old me sthick works well with quirky subjects but not so well with serious subjects.

but don't you find the justification they use as to why they have the guns part of the point of the documentary . The answers to the simple questions can often be more enlightening than if the question was "complex" .

 

[Gingerman]

but don't you find the justification they use as to why they have the guns part of the point of the documentary . The answers to the simple questions can often be more enlightening than if the question was "complex" .

He didn't actually tell him why though anyway strangely enough I think Ross Kemp is better at this sort of program

 

[stavros]

maybe this program needed someone like LT to not overcomplicate things in the manner that many other documentary makers would pick apart a socio economic situation, and end up going round in circles....

Agreed I think. He never commented on the racial make-up of the offenders, which I found refreshing.

 

[Sean]

I don't get all the criticism, he is pretty bland on purpose. He's disarming and lets you meet the charecters, who as somebody said already are allowed to speak for themselves. He almost had that heroin addict woman in tears and you heard the considered opinions of that baldy cop in the hoody as well as others. I think it was an interesting and quite well made documentary.

Yeah, I agree. He lets people talk, which is quite a rare talent, especially when everyone's got their own take on this kind of range of social problems and wants to chuck in an opinion. There's not so much of his face-twisting irony any more either, so I thought it worked well.

 

[Sean]

Yeah but he wasn't blunt was he? just asked stupid questions like why that young geezer had a gun on him?like maybe because he lived in a violent neighborhood and prob had it as protection,Theroux's naive innocent old me sthick works well with quirky subjects but not so well with serious subjects.

I don't know...why not ask a simple question and see what response you get? So many people act like they've never ever been forced to answer a simple question. Why do you carry a knife? Why are you selling drugs? Why are you such a big, diaper-wearing ginger baby?

 

[Gingerman]

Why are you such a big, diaper-wearing ginger baby?

Less of the fuckin insults mate