You may know Louis Theroux best in his scraggly, lanky form from his Weird Weekends series which kicked off in the late ’90s, or you might be more familiar with his recent investigations into subjects like scientology, sexual assault and current worrying trends in the US. But either way, you’ve probably been won-over by the Britsh documentary maker’s disarming journalistic style.
Theroux has long been employing the technique of reaching marginalised, radical, unusual or aggressive interview subjects by being unabashedly honest and just gosh darn friendly (albeit with clear intentions to uncover an intriguing story). He investigates the taboo, often putting himself in awkward and dangerous situations. Remember his bit-part in a porno in 1998 or when he underwent liposuction in Under the Knife (2007)?
If his last sell-out Australian tour is anything to go by, we can make an informed assumption that he’ll be as charismatic in person as he is on screen. Theroux will bring more than 25 years of journalistic practice to this massive 2020 Australian and New Zealand tour, stopping off at the Plenary in Melbourne for two shows on Sunday, January 19.
RocKwiz host Julia Zemiro will be chatting with Theroux about his epic career, so it could really go in any direction: we could be in for a discussion about neo-Nazis, aggressive religious fundamentalists, porn stars, people with autism or transgender kids. You can also expect Theroux to dish about his most famous encounters, behind-the-scenes antics and wild off-camera events.
Theroux will also be accompanied on this latest Australian tour by Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of the infamous hate organisation and US religious group Westboro Baptist Church. Phelps-Roper was a central figure in Theroux's shocking 2007 documentary The Most Hated Family in America and will also feature in Theroux's upcoming film, Surviving America's Most Hated Family, due for release next year. It will explore Megan's estrangement from the Westboro Baptists and her work today as an advocate for the many groups – the LGBTQI community, the Jewish community and America's servicemen and women, among others – that she once actively demonised.
Tickets are on sale now to see this multi-award-winning journo live on stage.
