In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain | 
pickVitale was a longtime producer and director of Bourdain‘s Parts Unknown and No Reservations. I fell down a bit of a Bourdain rabbit hole over Christmas and decided to reread this as well as watching iconic episodes and the film Roadrunner. If you want bts info, this is a great book, but two things struck me hard on this second read.
1. Tom was one of the few people who talked to Asia after Tony‘s death. She was so roundly blamed for it ⬇️
Megabooks that she was cut out of most retrospectives. It is so hard to know what goes on in others‘ relationships. I would‘ve liked to know more how Asia felt. 2. Tony passed Tom a thumb drive when they were on location and said, “Don‘t look at this.” So Tom didn‘t until after his death. It was an unfinished memoir centered around the loneliness of his fame and lifestyle. After consuming all this media, his suicide seems a lot less surprising. 😢 4mo
Kimberlone This has been sitting on my TBR since it came out. I also have the Bourdain oral history book that I am hoping to get to this year. I‘m glad this book confronts the Asia Argento part of the end of his life. I felt like the documentary Roadrunner leaving her out entirely and implying the blame was on her for his mental health/suicide was a bit unfair without showing her side of things. Maybe they asked her to be involved and she declined but idk… 4mo
Megabooks @Kimberlone according to Asia, she was not asked to participate and cut off from all the people who were primarily his friends and co-workers. The Bourdain oral biography is excellent and draws in people from all parts of his life (brother, first wife, friends before KC, 2nd wife, all the ZPZ folks, famous friends, and even Ariane), but also addresses Asia as the boogeyman that caused his death. But I really don‘t think it‘s just her. 4mo
See All 11 Comments
Megabooks @Kimberlone he had serious mental illness problems and was in therapy and struggling with agoraphobia and depression. Could have the issues with Asia that night pushed him over the edge? Yes, certainly. But there was a lot more going on than a relationship on the rocks. (edited) 4mo
MicheleinPhilly @Kimberlone The oral history one is excellent and just flies by despite the length. Still haven‘t read this one yet though. 4mo
vivastory Adding to my tbr 4mo
Kimberlone @Megabooks @MicheleinPhilly both books are a priority to get to soon! I was a huge Bourdain fan going back to no reservations and I‘ve read all his nonfiction books, so his death impacted me a lot more than the average celebrity. The way that his death was framed always rubbed me the wrong way, since he was pretty open about his dark past and addiction issues, I always personally felt the relationship with Asia was more a symptom than cause. (edited) 4mo
vivastory @megabooks @kimberlone My impression after reading the oral biography a couple of years ago re: Argento, she definitely was unfairly cast as the villain in their relationship. I think that they probably had an unhealthy relationship, but I think that it was the demands of the show of constant traveling and all of the hours he put in that finally took their toll. 4mo
Kimberlone @vivastory loving all the discourse. I am now even more excited to read both books. I‘ll post my opinions soon hopefully! 4mo
Megabooks @Kimberlone @MicheleinPhilly @vivastory excellent point of an unhealthy relationship being a symptom vs cause. I think it was in roadrunner that someone said the interlude with Ottavia and Ariane was less in line with the trajectory of his life than the end with Asia. Dude definitely had some demons! Tom in this book said when he attended the gathering Tony‘s brother had after his death, he noted just how many people were ⬇️ 4mo
Megabooks Paid friends involved in his fame and his show. Tom said Tony would try to get him to stay near him in his hotel, but Tom also never felt on his end that they were friends. He thought of Tony as a boss he wanted to impress or maybe an older brother he was afraid of disappointing. God, he just must‘ve been so lonely. And I feel bad for Ripert, too, having to find him. 4mo
