Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Call of the Weird

  • Travels in American Subcultures
  • By: Louis Theroux
  • Narrated by: Louis Theroux
  • Length: 3 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,166 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Call of the Weird cover art

The Call of the Weird

By: Louis Theroux
Narrated by: Louis Theroux
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £6.99

Buy Now for £6.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Last Days of August cover art
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon cover art
Things Fell Apart cover art
From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast (Series 1) cover art
The Elephant in the Room cover art
The Men Who Stare at Goats cover art
Frank cover art
Parsnips, Buttered cover art
Ramble Book cover art
Mother American Night cover art
Sway cover art
Moguls, Monsters and Madmen cover art
Love, Janis cover art
Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries cover art
All Grown up Now: A Friendship in Three Acts cover art
I, Regress: The Complete Series 1-2 cover art

Summary

Read by the author, this is Louis Theroux's hilarious and thought-provoking journey through weird America.

For 10 years, Louis Theroux has been making programmes about off-beat characters on the fringes of US society. Now he revisits America and the people who have most fascinated him to try to discover what motivates them, why they believe the things they believe, and to find out what has happened to them since he last saw them. Along the way, Louis thinks about what drives him to spend so much time among weird people and considers whether he's learned anything about himself in the course of ten years working with them. Has he manipulated the people he's interviewed, or have they manipulated him?

From his Las Vegas base, Louis revisits the assorted dreamers and outlaws who have been his TV feeding ground. Attempting to understand a little about himself and the workings of his own mind, Louis considers questions such as: what is the difference between pathology and "normal" weirdness? Is there something particularly weird about Americans? What does it mean to be weird, or "to be yourself"? And do we choose our beliefs or do our beliefs choose us?

©2005 Louis Theroux (P)2005 Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Critic reviews

"Alternately fascinating and sad." ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about The Call of the Weird

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    726
  • 4 Stars
    315
  • 3 Stars
    104
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    731
  • 4 Stars
    174
  • 3 Stars
    56
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    608
  • 4 Stars
    244
  • 3 Stars
    106
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of my favourite downloads so far

If you love Louis, then what are you waiting for. I have his DVD box set of Weird Weekends at home and have always been fascinated and appalled with some of the excesses of humanity he's interviewed. Yet, I've always wanted to know...'What happened next?' Well, Call of the Weird will tell all...
This download, superbly and personally narrated by Louis, is HIGHLY recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Why did he do the accents?

The book was fairly interesting but what was really strange is that Louis put on voices for all the people he spoke to rather than just quoting them. It was a bit annoying.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Louis listing "weird" Americans he once spoke to

no real content at all, seems like a quick money maker and not up to his usual standards

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fan of the show

Would you listen to The Call of the Weird again? Why?

I would listen to this book again as it's very short and I love the documentary series that the book proceeds

What did you like best about this story?

The book rounds up and more or less concludes the random 'weird' people Louis has met whilst recording his documentary with additional side stories throughout!

What about Louis Theroux’s performance did you like?

Louis accents are performed well and are not cheesey, luckily as I had doubts.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's not a book you need to sit and listen to in one go as the stories are seperate and each to their own. Like the episodes. They are not related other than Louis is documenting their activists and asking them about what they do and why.

Any additional comments?

If you're a fan of the shows then the book is worth while. If you've never seen the shows, either go watch them, or don't but this as you will have absolutely no idea who he is referring to. Even if you had heard of a few of the characters you'd need to have seen the show to fully appreciate the follow on, which is, this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Call Of The Weird

This book only loses a star rating because it's abridged, but I think that it's a fantastic listen and complements Theroux's earlier documentaries. I particularly enjoyed the odder elements of the text.

Theroux really performs the book throughout and his different American accents are a pleasure to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This book does not disappoint!!

It's everything you could possibly want from a Louis Theroux book. PLUS, it's read by the wonderful man himself!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nice follow up on Louis documentaries

Nice to catch up with some old subjects of Louis Theroux and hearing his reflections on them. And who is the best to read it than the man himself:)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Louis

Louis holds back giving his thoughts until quite near the end, but he is well worth a listen when he is in his flow, picking up gold from the rubbish.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I love it but could have done with a bit more!

I really enjoyed this book and Louis is absolutely brilliant at performing it but it was just a bit short for me in order for me to give it the full 5*s

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Top form from Theroux

Louis Theroux goes back to finish what he started and catches up with the weird and wonderful characters subject to his late nineties/ earlys 00s "Weird Weekends" documentary. Theroux looks to tie-up loose ends, ask the questions that were left unanswered and provide a "where are they now?" analysis of alien hunters, pornographic actors, survivalists who were anticipating the end of the world in 1998 (who are subsequently still alive and well) and Tina Turner's abusive ex-husband Ike.

Fans of Theroux's work will welcome the nostalgia of these personalities, and an element of closure is offered. However, Theroux does his bet to pry but there is always more to be learnt. This is not a criticism of the author - especially given the complexity of the webs he is seeking to untangle! The trademark delivery of the documentaries is retained.

Not that long of a read so good for those in a hurry!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful