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Though Anthony Bourdain\u2019s history of depression and substance abuse was well-documented, his talent for joyfully sucking all the marrow out of life made his 2018 suicide a shock.<\/p>\nThough Anthony Bourdain\u2019s history of depression and substance abuse was well-documented, his talent for joyfully sucking all the marrow out of life made his 2018 suicide a shock.<\/p>\n
The globetrotting iconoclast\u2019s sharp wit, incisive writing style, and authenticity made him globally beloved and admired. Bourdain was aware his life appeared enviable, telling The Guardian in 2017, \u201cI have the best job in the world.\u201d Reality, however, never quite lived up to his romantic ideals. \u201cHe was always going to set himself up for disappointment,\u201d laments his friend and producer of many years, Helen Cho, in the new documentary \u201cRoadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoadrunner\u201d is directed by Morgan Neville, who beautifully explored the life and legacy of Mr. Rogers in \u201cWon\u2019t You Be My Neighbor?\u201d and fixed his lens on Iggy and the Stooges for the doc \u201cSearch and Destroy\u201d in 2010.<\/p>\n
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\u201cRoadrunner\u201d truly comes into focus around the time of the publication of \u201cKitchen Confidential,\u201d which resulted in the upending of Bourdain\u2019s life as he knew it.\u00a0Bourdain marveled at his success, ruminating, “One minute I was standing next to a deep fryer, the next I was watching the sunset over the Sahara. What am I doing here?”<\/p>\n
Watching his TV career unfold in “Roadrunner,” it\u2019s a surprise to see how shy and awkward he was during filming in Japan for the premiere episode of his first series, \u201cA Cook\u2019s Tour.\u201d We witness his comfort level grow, though, when filming moves to Vietnam.<\/p>\n
The burdens of fame become apparent over time, though. He admits to becoming an agoraphobe. David Chang shares a story about Bourdain wanting to go to dinner but realizing there was no New York City restaurant where he could find anonymity. Another friend divulges that, despite countless accolades for \u201cNo Reservations,\u201d \u201cThe Layover\u201d and \u201cParts Unknown,\u201d \u201cTony began to question who is benefiting from these shows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoadrunner\u201d features a bounty of archival footage, including previously unseen material from \u201cParts Unknown,\u201d pre-fame home movies, and various TV appearances. New interviews with friends and colleagues of the maverick chef and author offer additional insight into Bourdain, particularly his mental and emotional state the year before he died. The film features insightful interviews with his ex-wife Ottavia Busia, close friends like fellow chefs Eric Ripert (who found Bourdain\u2019s body during filming in France) and Chang, as well as musicians including Iggy Pop, Josh Homme, John Lurie, and Alison Mosshart.<\/p>\n
Bourdain\u2019s last girlfriend, Asia Argento, was not interviewed for “Roadrunner,” but it\u2019s evident here that his friends feel she holds some responsibility for his anguished final year and untimely demise. They speak of his unhealthy obsession with the actress and her undue influence on \u201cParts Unknown\u201d (Bourdain uncharacteristically\u00a0 fired his longtime cinematographer during the one episode directed by Argento).<\/p>\n
It remains frustrating that a writer as sublime as Bourdain left no suicide note. We may never find out what motivated him to kill himself, but at the very least, \u201cRoadrunner\u201d grants us more time with an unforgettable cultural icon.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain\u201d comes to theaters on July 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Though Anthony Bourdain\u2019s history of depression and substance abuse was well-documented, his talent for joyfully sucking all the marrow out of life made his 2018 suicide a shock. The globetrotting iconoclast\u2019s sharp wit, incisive writing style, and authenticity made him globally beloved and admired. Bourdain was aware his life appeared enviable, telling The Guardian in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28,25,1],"tags":[579,1314],"class_list":["post-4612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-food","category-movies","category-uncategorized","tag-anthony-bourdain","tag-biography"],"yoast_head":"\n