The feeling one gets from reporting on how another journalist – albeit , an internationally renowned one who has made his name in documentaries – is an awkward one.
Knowing that to some degree you will need to judge a peer on how he talks about his life’s work just seems odd.
Luckily, there wasn’t a lot not to like when Louis Theroux took to the stage.
As Theroux said himself, he’s known for capturing “the normal side of people seen as weird and trying to transcend the traditional role of journalism”.
With documentaries such as Louis and the Nazis, Louis Theroux: Miami Mega Jail and Louis and the Brothel, the filmmaker took his fans through the things which aren’t always caught on camera.
What was going through his head when he entered the very revealing world of swingers or when he was in one of the US’s most dangerous prisons.
And more to the point, why it didn’t hold him back from chasing the story.
For the record, of course going into a jail where even the prison guards don’t want to enter was nerve wracking, and when he was walking around a swingers party as the only one fully clothed, there were going to be some awkward moments.
But if there weren’t those moments – the ones which most would shy away from – then it simply wouldn’t be a Louis Theroux documentary.
Like his documentaries, Theroux took a very measured and conversational approach to the night.
With Australia’s Julia Zemiro guiding the questions and what was revealed, the audience became transfixed on what Theroux had to say.
With no script, and not a lot of prior knowledge of the people he has interviewed, Theroux goes head first into his documentaries.
While his directors would have scouted out the talent, Therous is left to meet them for the first time on camera – something which he says he learnt from fellow documentary maker Michael Moore.
From there it’s all about building a rapport with someone, and in some cases – for example in Louis and the Naxis – doing this without agreeing with what they are doing.
It’s when this happens, and those he’s interviewing start to control the conversation, that Theroux gets his best material.
And that is why, for the last two decades, Theroux has become legendary in his field.
Louis Theroux Live was at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Friday, September 23.
Tour dates:
Melbourne: Arts Centre, Hammer Hall - September 25, 3pm and 7pm.
Melbourne: Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre - September 26, 8pm.
Sydney: State Theatre Sydney - September 27-28, 8pm and October 2, 4pm.
Adelaide: Festival Theatre Adelaide - September 30, 8pm
Brisbane: QPAC Concert Hall - October 1, 4pm and 8pm.
