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The Part (still) Unknown: my review of Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Close to the Bone’ live show

Dinner wtih Anthony BourdainJessica and I went to see Anthony Bourdain last night at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC). Though my wife is familiar with Bourdain’s show on CNN, the tickets to his Close to the Bone show were a Father’s Day gift for me. As an avid traveler, I find Bourdain’s Parts Unknown to be a richly honest and interesting commentary on the world’s people, places, and cultures. As a chef and sincere lover of food, Bourdain’s brilliance is in how he utilizes his gourmet passions to showcase the stories of those he meets in countries all over the world. In Parts Unknown, Bourdain’s raw and authentic presence is masterful in many ways, and rare, too. Bourdain entertains. Bourdain is unafraid to be educated on screen. And at times, Bourdain drops his cool and comfortable persona and gives us a glimpse of a vulnerable human who is sometimes uncomfortable in his surroundings. No other show offers such an honest picture of the world around us, showcasing how we are unique and how we are the same.

I didn’t know what to expect from an Anthony Bourdain live show. I only know his work on television. I haven’t read his books. And I only knew a few small anecdotes about his personal life. Would the stories and rants we experience in the theater be similar to what we encounter on Parts Unknown? Or would we be introduced to a more extreme version of Bourdain’s television persona? I couldn’t wait to find out…

Upon introduction, Bourdain walked casually out on stage to the cheers of an adoring fan base that consisted of college students, hipsters, culinary professionals, travel geeks, and a number of folks who looked like the kind of people who listened to NPR and almost voted for Ralph Nader a time or two.

Bourdain began by telling us how nervous he was. Which I think was true. Nashville was not only the first stop on his 10-city tour, but his first live gig in years. He told us he hadn’t been sleeping, which he said was a symptom of a medication he was taking. The meds were also giving him terrible dreams. 

And then he told us about last night’s dream, a nightmare in which Bourdain was being held captive in a foreign prison and sharing a cell with Guy Fieri, the celebrity chef who hosts like 12 shows on the Food Network. In his dream, Guy had Bourdain pinned down and was pouncing him on his back and head. And then Bourdain told us he suddenly felt creamy white stuff all over his back and head. “I think it was ranch,” quipped Bourdain, “f*ck, I hope it was ranch.”

That’s how Bourdain’s show in Nashville began, with a retelling of a dream in which Bourdain is possibly being sexually assaulted (raped?) by the host of Diners, Drive-Ins and DivesThat began Bourdain’s nearly 30-minute raunchy and passive aggressive roast of nearly every past and present celebrity chef on the Food Network. He bashed everybody from Emeril and Bobby to Paula and Alton and several more in between. When discussing Alton, Bourdain said, “It’s true; that dude eats a lot of dick. He loves it.” But Bourdain saved his most vile critique for Guy, offering the famous chef a complete tongue-whipping, one that felt like it was an inside joke and only a handful of the people in attendance were in on the joke. 

But that was one of the biggest takeaways: Bourdain loathes Guy.

Amid his rant, a long and uncomfortable diatribe that at times seemed very much planned and other times seemed to be off the cuff, Bourdain used the word f*ck no less than 100 times, as a noun, as a verb, as adjectives and adverbs. 

Anthony clearly had a plethora of f*cks to give… and give… and give again.

He used the word so often it almost came off like a tic. It was distracting and really undermined his brilliance, which was already difficult to experience considering his bitterly expressed rants about Food Network’s celebrity chefs. And too, his crass quips about hookers and anal sex and his numerous punch lines about blowj*bs often (even most of the time) fell very flat.

He tried desperately to be funny. But I wasn’t working. For instance, during a rant about how much he hates the show Man v. Food Nation, Bourdain told us that the Travel Channel show was huge in countries like Yemen, Iran, Syria (he mentioned several Middle Eastern nations), joking that in these countries the TV show was basically an ISIS recruitment promotion. That joke might have worked (MIGHT HAVE) had he not mentioned ISIS two or three more times. His delivery, especially in regards to his humor and punch lines, came off very unrehearsed, poorly timed, and worst of all, only occasionally funny.

To be honest, he sort of seemed high.

In his hourlong performance there were a couple of moments in which we saw a more vulnerable and likable Bourdain. His stories involving his daughter were sweet and human and gave us a glimpse of the 59-year-old as “dad.” And on a couple of occasions, when his stories took us to one of the distant locations that he has visited, a thoughtful, much more interesting Bourdain was revealed.

But sadly those moments were few and far between. I wanted to love Bourdain. I wanted to become engulfed with interest in his stories, experiences, and passions for food. But his negativity made that nearly impossible. I mean, the man spent 10 minutes bemoaning America’s love revolution with food. Later, during the Q&A portion, he told us how embarrassed he was to have played a role in helping our country’s food trend happen.

Despite most of the people in the room being fans of Anthony Bourdain and believing there was something really cool about the guy, Bourdain said he’d stopped trying to be cool years ago. “I’m no longer cool.” 

He said he realized his attempts at being cool were finished the moment his daughter was born. “That’s when I knew I had to stop wearing my Ramones teeshirt.” And yet, even that seemed to contradict the persona on stage donning skinny jeans.

And then he opened up the floor to questions… And that’s when we all became enthralled with the Bourdain we knew and loved. He told stories and offered behind-the-scenes tidbits about events that happened on the show. Bourdain talked about Iran and Cambodia. He dissed beer snobs and sweet things. He talked passionately and devoutly about his love of Japanese food and how Tokyo was the city where the best and greatest food was created and served. He still said f*ck like an actor in a Quentin Tarantino movie and made a couple more jokes about fellatio, but those things weren’t driving his narrative. He still offered blunt opinionated rants about a various number of topics (patriotism and gluttony included) but he also stopped talking like a bitterly spoiled brat who was deep down jealous of Guy. During the Q&A, he even spoke beautifully of Rachael Ray. During those final 30 minutes in which the conversation was driven by the audience’s curiosity to get to know Bourdain’s likes and dislikes, favorites and least favorites, bests and worsts, we all got a bit closer to a seemingly more comfortable and relaxed and interesting Bourdain.

And those last 30 minutes even offered his best line: When asked about a story he wouldn’t share in a book or put on the show, he said, “I’ve snorted coke through uncooked penne.”

But what struck me as odd was how, during those 90 minutes, Bourdain didn’t talk about himself at all. In fact, it was shocking how little time he spent discussing any part of his personal narrative. Oh, he talked about his accomplishments and his Emmy awards and his glorious experiences with foods in various geographies. But candid stories about himself involving where he came from or who he loves (other than his daughter) or about mistakes in which he learned valuable lessons were all but avoided. He told a joke or two in which he was the point of reference. But that was rare.

During those 90 minutes, I learned more about Bourdain’s hatred of Guy Fieri than I did about Anthony Bourdain. His 60-minute planned show was nearly void of anything remotely helpful, thoughtful, or personal. But perhaps Bourdain doesn’t like talking about himself. Maybe becoming vulnerable with his own story feels foreign, a place he’s unwilling to visit or share, a part of his life that he feels is better left unknown.

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Matthew Paul Turner

Author Matthew Paul Turner

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Join the discussion 22 Comments

  • MissCaron says:

    So sad. Unfortunately I had a feeling that’s what his show would be like. I saw an interview with him once and he seemed like such a douche and I tried not to let it influence my perception of him but it has… and so has this candid review. Thank you for your honesty. I hope someone in his entourage reads this and helps him to do better moving forward.

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  • Pierre says:

    Thank you Matthew,
    I saw Anthony Bourdain’s show last night (July 8) in Houston.

    I like the guy, or more precisely, I like the Parts Unknown shows on TV. What he discovers, shares and explains is most of the time very interesting and instructing.

    I am French, and I am not as eloquent as you are in your article above, but I share and adhere to most of the feedback that you provide. So I will be short in my reply. I didn’t learn anything interesting in this show last night at the theater. At some point, it was so uninteresting that I fell asleep. His speech ans his answers to questions were tasteless or very conventional.
    Again, I like the guy and what he has produced for TV. But his show “Close to the Bone” is disappointing.

  • Pierre says:

    ( in case Anthony Bourdain or his staff reads this feedback )

    Anthony,

    You have traveled the world and been exposed to the most amazing people, cuisine, techniques and environments. Share that with us. Excite us about all this. Please avoid telling us about Guy Fieri, or any other dude. We want to hear about you, your feelings, your emotions, your experience. And provide us with positive and instructing facts about what you know and what you have lived. Around places, food and cuisine.

    You lost me at your introduction part with your dream about being in jail, so if you can and if you think it is wise, change this part for something more appealing and positive. You don’t need to be extra funny. Remember, we like your style anyway, so don’t feel obliged to overdo it.
    ( on a stage appearance mode, please avoid walking continuously from right to left non-stop. I understand that it might be a way to deal with the stress of being on stage, but I am sure that you staff can help you come up with something else )

  • Nick says:

    I suggest you read his books if you want to know more about him. To be fair, I don’t think the mission of this tour is for Anthony to tell you the stories he has already told you in his books. He probably assumes you have read them, as Kitchen Confidential was really the book that launched him into the living rooms of America. If you had read the book, you would have already been exposed to the crass, Emeril-hating, foul mouthed, drug referencing man you saw the other night. I’m seeing him tonight in Austin, and look forward to getting the unedited version of Anthony that I was so enthralled by 15 years ago when I read Kitchen Confidential. I enjoy his travel shows greatly, but they are clean and edited and easily digestible. This is only a part of who he is, and I look forward to the opportunity to peek behind this persona and see his flaws, awkwardness, and vulnerability. We all have these, and I am appreciative he is willing to get on stage and share his with us.

    I appreciate your review. You should probably proofread it a bit, but it got me excited for tonight’s show.

    Cheers.

    • Matthew Paul Turner says:

      Thanks! Sorry for the typos. I think I caught most of them, so thanks for the feedback.

      And yes, I do think if I’d read his books, I would have been better prepared for the full version of Bourdain. Thanks for reading and I do hope you enjoy the show!

    • James Miculka says:

      I saw him in Austin Nick and I think you are right on in your assessment of Anthony.

  • Pierre says:

    Nick,
    I wish that you have a great time at the show this evening in Austin, and that you will experience the unknown parts that you are talking about.
    If you have time, please let us know about your feedback and on your experience. It is always good to understand what others have perceived.

  • MJ says:

    Matthew –

    Saw him in Austin last night. The show was exactly the same. I called BS immediately when he mentioned being on malaria meds and having a dream about Guy spilling some “ranch” on him in jail. The entire time I was wondering, “why is he trying to be a comedian. He is not funny,” yet I sorta expected a stand up routine from him. I’m not even a huge fan of the show but I was hoping for the Tony from the show.

    The best part was the Q&A when we actually got the thoughtful, insightful educated Tony that is portrayed on the show. Maybe he really is a Guy Fieri bashing asshole in real life, but keep it to yourself Tony. Any of us can bash Guy Fieri, it’s way too fucking easy. Tony travels the world going places none of us will ever see and we paid for 60 minutes of awful dick jokes.

    • Matthew Paul Turner says:

      Right? I really hoped he was going to change his beginning, because it really is a terrible set up! But happy you enjoyed the Q&A! I liked that part a lot, too.

  • He’s in Atlanta tonight and after months of looking forward to this, I cannot attend. So I found your review trying to get a sense of what I was missing and perhaps if I’m lucky a sense of fulfillment even though I do have to miss it.

    I’ve found what I was looking for, so thank you. Well composed (catching this post typo-fixes, lol), and insightful despite apparently not having read his books. Your summary on what makes this particular person such a refreshing and enjoyable person to watch on his travel shows is dead on, particularly regarding the vulnerable moments — when he gets angry, afraid, fearful, or realizes a new naïveté. I don’t enjoy these things because I seek negative things, rather it taps my empathy, and my affinity, when I would venture to say that all other shows of this ilk are polished so smooth, they shine with an untouchable quality I don’t think I’ll experience or would want to match in my travels.

    I’ve travelled quite a bit and it’s hard. It can be traumatizing and distressing, and very very gritty. And then there’s the glory of the found moments, tastes, and persons that make it all worth everything. I would have wanted to hear as much as possible about all of these things the hard and the revelatory.

    I enjoy a loose tongue, perhaps because I have one myself, but not at the expense of content. Clearly, having been repeated in another city, his choice of content for the evening was not due to the drugs. Perhaps he’s indulging exploring a character here, a slice of himself that he has to bury constantly because no one (including me) thinks it’s graceful or ultimately interesting to disparage an industry colleague ad nauseum.

    So in the end, if I could make tonight’s showing, I’d go anyway, and I’d think to myself, get it all out Tony. Purge that bile, then keep doing everything else you’re doing. I’ll take my inspiration from those other things, and metaphorically hold your hair back while you pray to the porcelain god.

  • Gunner says:

    I went to his show in Dallas and it was the same set up. He came out and said he was on medication. I drove from Oklahoma city which was a good drive. His show was pure bullshit! I figure he would at least be more humble or grateful for everything he has! What through me off on him was when he said the reason he uploads beautiful pictures, of beautiful food, in remote areas majority of us will never see it wasn’t to get likes on social media it was a big FUCK YOU to everyone at home on there couch or on the phone. For someone who was very broke “let him tell it” you figure he wouldn’t be such a bitch.

  • Carol says:

    I just saw his show in Atlanta. I’m a huge fan, I’ve seen all his shows, read all his books. He is who he is. Love his snarky sense of humor.
    But, I agree that the Guy Fieri opening needs to go. His handlers need to be fired and better writers brought on board.
    Not sure I got my monies worth but am still a fan.

  • James Miculka says:

    I saw his show in Austin last Thursday and from reading the above review, he somewhat followed the same monologue. I think he was at home with the audience in Austin, made up of fans, Austin’s culinary crowd, students from the University of Texas and a whole range of other folks. I think he had a fantastic show and yes there were a few sexual innuendos and swear words thrown out, but that is who he is. It was up close and personal as if he was talking to a small group of us in an Austin bar, drinking Shiner Bock beers and eating Franklin’s barbecue. There was no holding back and his take on people, foods, America’s funky food habits, personal self effacement and laughter just made the “table” seem a bit more intimate. He had the audience and the audience was his and it was a great show. Maybe it’s because he was in Austin where we try to maintain its weirdness, I’d go back and crack open a few more Shiner Bocks wit Tony and listen to a few more stories.

  • Adam says:

    I loved his show, found it hilarious and pretty much exactly what I expected as a fan of his shows and books. Also, I recall it being Adam Richman that “ate a lot of dicks”. Maybe not a major detail, but thought I’d mention it. Some of the dick jokes came across a bit homophobic, but again I think anyone who is a fan of both his books and shows recognized the progressive but non-PC-fuck-all attitude they’d expect.

  • West Coast Truth says:

    Always interested by indivuals who attend shows like Anthony Bourdain without a clue to the individual or his long established style of rants, snarkeeism and hatred of the Food Network. Really?? Do you attend Metallica shows disappointed there were no intimate ballads? Was a public persona expected to relay intimate stories of his daughter or his wife competing in Brazilian jui-jujitsu? No city is the same, nor state; hence no bumper stickers “Keep Memphis Weird”. Tony will be in Portland, Oregon Tuesday night and in a city with far more lesbians and gays and supporters of equal rights in marriage and the work place than Texas or Tennessee. We support Tony’s rants due to the fact that Food Network and other hypocritical television BS won’t be honest and acknowledge Elton Brown is gay-period! So please, know the difference between TV and real life and for all the worthless blogs-stay away from Portland-that way when we display the original phrase ” Keep Portland Weird” it means acceptance-for gays, lesbians, trans, foodies, urban commuters, our many James Beard award winning chefs, hipsters, geeks, and everything in between. Anthony Bourdain was a line cook brought into national attention by “Kitchen Confidential”- he has never portrayed to be the cool, omnipotent world traveler to provide Americans with the warm fuzzy that “we’re all alright”. We’ll leave that BS monologue to Donald Trump—

  • West Coast Truth says:

    Sad you can ‘t post honest commentary

  • Patti O says:

    Seriously needs rehab – he’s dissociated and dishonest.

  • Eric says:

    I watched his show “no reservations” and I thought it was an attempt to copy his friend on Bizarre foods (great show) but I’ll pass on listening to a New Yorker complain about everything

  • Jay says:

    I just saw him tonight in Portland, Maine. He opened with the same dream narrative. I experienced a few involuntary fits of laughter, but mostly I sat stewing in regret that I’d paid $35 for a mostly crap show. The Q and A was, indeed, the best part of the night. However, the phrase ‘dialing it in’ seems apt.