Louis Theroux is the ultimate national treasure. I’ll go up against a lot of people to argue this, but now is not the time – now is Louis’ time to shine. On the heels of his latest documentary, Scientology, comes the newest offering for fans, albeit this time created by an ultimate fan. Titled What Would Louis Do? it’s a compendium of out-of-context quotes from the documentary filmmaker, curated/created by Mike Coley, illustrated by Aart-Jan Venema and published by Belly Kids. “Why?” you ask. "You can't watch the documentaries without laughing at Louis and his reactions. It’s a pretty safe topic to pull out three pints deep in the pub – what’s your favourite Louis... I decided to take it one step further and compile my favourites,” Coley tells us over email.
But sitting down to rewatch the entirety of Louis’ anthology turned into an art in itself, with Coley recalling, “The more I wrote the lines out of context and away from the shows, the more poetic they became.” He adds that he hopes these words of wisdom will offer a calming influence on a chaotic and crazy world. His favourite? “Jiggle. Jiggle. I like to see you wiggle.”
From “I don’t think I could say Beeyatch” to “She said there was no dick too big”, the book is 52 pages of the documentarian at his finest, out of context – and it’s yours for just £6 (shout out to @nocontextlouis for providing a digital database of Theroux greatness, too). But don’t let this stop you from marathoning it over the Christmas period – just consider this a brush-up.
What Would Louis Do? is available from Belly Kids
