Louis Theroux's View Of Andrew Tate

Summary

Louis explains how starting his own production company forced him out of his comfort zone, though his wife pushed him towards it. He discusses his anti-materialism, wearing an inexpensive Casio watch and not caring about flash cars or clothes. This contrasts Andrew Tate's brash displays of wealth. Louis attributes his interview style to natural curiosity about different people and not wanting to berate guests, even those with extreme views. He aims for a win-win, assuming the honesty of guests and seeking shared understanding.

Takeaways

• 😊 He doesn't care about flashy displays of wealth and actively avoids them
• 🚘 His wife encouraged him to start his own company despite his hesitations
• 📺 He felt odd not owning the TV shows he was making after hundreds of hours
• 🎥 Finds pleasure in the craft of creating TV - being on location, feeling it go well
• 🤝 Connects with people through natural curiosity about why they do what they do
• 🧠 More interested in people's inner thinking than confronting or attacking them
• 🌈 Sees interviews as potential win-wins rather than trying to catch people out
• 🙇 Comes from a place of humility, open to others having it figured out more
• 🔍 Loves bumping up against and exploring odd or extreme perspectives
• 📝 Key is not going in to 'get' the guest but to understand their world

Q & A

Why was Lewis initially reluctant to start his own company?

He was comfortable working for the BBC, enjoyed the steady salary and security, and didn't want the stress or risk of running his own business. His wife encouraged him to start his own production company.

What does Lewis mean when he says he wants to be the 'anti-Tate'?

He doesn't care about flashy displays of wealth and ostentatious cars and clothes like internet personality Andrew Tate. Lewis purposefully wears an inexpensive Casio watch instead.

How does Lewis derive happiness and fulfillment?

From the simple pleasures of his work - being on location, feeling connected in an interview, the craft of editing and putting a piece together.

How does Lewis connect with and understand people he interviews?

Through natural curiosity about why people do what they do, getting out of his own way, and not coming from a place of wanting to berate them or be confrontational.

Why doesn't Lewis tend to interview politicians?

He feels they often have their guard up and are too focused on being risk-averse instead of revealing something genuine, which he isn't as interested in.

What is Lewis's approach to interviews?

He comes from a place of shared inquiry, assuming the truth will come out, and that the other person may have valuable insights he lacks. He aims for a win-win dynamic.

How did the positive Times review make Lewis feel?

It gave him a nice sense of validation that people appreciate and value the work he does.

What does Lewis think is key for connecting with interview subjects?

Approaching without judgement or confrontation, and instead seeking to understand their perspective and motivation.

What interview tactics does Lewis avoid and why?

Beratement and heavy confrontation that would make the guest defensive and unlikely to reveal deeper truths.

What mindset does Lewis try to have during interviews?

Immersed but thoughtful - asking probing questions while also being attentive and non-distracted, aiming for a revealing encounte.

Outlines

00:00

😕 Regret over not having a company and relying on BBC

The paragraph discusses how the speaker regrets not starting his own company earlier and instead relying on working for the BBC, feeling like it was infantilizing. He was content as a creature of habit but his wife pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap. He's glad he did even though he has an antagonism towards flashy displays of wealth.

05:02

😌 Simple joys like cooking bring happiness, not materialism

This paragraph suggests most people, like the speaker, find happiness in simple intrinsically fulfilling activities rather than material possessions. He enjoys the craft of his work interviewing people and connecting with them out of natural curiosity rather than confronting or berating them.

10:03

😊 Assume others might have insights to share

The speaker explains he doesn't approach interviews seeking to berate the interviewee or catch them out, but rather assumes they might have valuable insights to share. He aims for a win-win exchange built on curiosity and assumes the other person might understand something he doesn't.

Keywords

💡curiosity

The speaker emphasizes natural curiosity as a key part of his interviewing approach, wanting to understand why people do the things they do. He is genuinely curious rather than confrontational with guests, even those with extreme views, because he wants to explore what led them there.

💡connection

The speaker talks about feeling connected in a good interview, when things are flowing and it feels revealing. He aims to connect with guests by assuming a shared position of openness rather than critique.

💡understanding

Rather than berating guests, the speaker seeks to understand them, even those with objectionable views. He believes understanding builds bridges, while confrontation puts up walls.

💡disarming

The speaker's relaxed, curious approach makes him disarming to guests. He's not intensely serious or confrontational, which encourages openness.

💡humility

The speaker says he interviews with humility, genuinely open to the idea his guests may have things figured out better than he does. This creates space for learning.

💡win-win

He sees interviews as potential win-wins - positive for both parties if there is honesty and openness. He assumes guests will tell the truth rather than trying to catch them out.

💡pleasure

The speaker talks about the simple pleasures of the craft of interviewing - enjoying the process, from preparation to editing. Work is a source of happiness for him.

💡self-sabotage

He is particularly interested in interviewing people involved in angst-filled or self-sabotaging situations, wanting to understand their inner world.

💡confrontation

While some interviewers use confrontation, he sees that approach as counterproductive in most contexts, making guests defensive rather than forthcoming.

💡openness

Openness is a key theme - he tries to approach interviews with openness to the guest's viewpoint rather than critique, which he believes enables greater honesty and connection.

Highlights

I don't want a flash car I don't want to, flash clothes I don't want anything I, want to be anti-flash right

when I finally went outside the BBC and, set up a company three or four years ago,

it was, my wife who pushed me to do it and so,

that was a case of me needing to break, out of whatever I was doing and say do,

I'm the anti-tate, when I finally went outside the BBC and,

last night my wife said it might, be time for a new watch I've got to, embrace I'm trying to lean into being, the guy,

so I needed to, start a company and not because it's,

oddly infantilizing after a while like, there's nothing there's nothing cool, about,

being a creature of, habit being sort of embracing or, whatever that you know your own sense of,

I needed to challenge myself, in order to discover that there was a,

you don't seem to be, compelled or, um or derive your happiness from like, the big wanky stuff

how do you, connect with people so actually I wanted,

I'm genuinely thinking like why, if it is someone like say a Neo-Nazi or,

inject life generally those who like seek to, one even on our personal relationships, and romantic relationships those that,

I certainly like well there's no there's, no reason why you shouldn't tell me the, truth,

Transcripts

I don't want a flash car I don't want to

flash clothes I don't want anything I

want to be anti-flash right he's that

guy reduced to its quintessence

unapologetically troll like ostentatious

displays of wealth and arrogance right

so I'm the anti-tate

when I finally went outside the BBC and

set up a company three or four years ago

I'm sure most of your listeners probably

have their own many of them not most but

many of them will have their own

companies or will be fully cognizant of

what it takes to make it in the sort of

the world of of a free market and

Entrepreneurship but for me that was

just absolutely not my lane and it was

my wife who pushed me to do it and so

that was a case of me needing to break

out of whatever I was doing and say do

you know what whatever you think that is

you're risky or mysterious or

um you know a bit a spivvy you know like

just a little judgment like oh I don't

want to be one of the Yuppie guys like

we just had an IPO and I've just got my

first Maserati like that because I'm I'm

antagon you know I'm completely that

whole mindset I feel like I'm alienating

maybe some of your list is like it's not

my mindset like I'm just like I I almost

valorize the opposite of that you know

to and it's probably

um an extent that's so faintly unhealthy

like like I don't want to be the guy I

don't want a flash car I don't want to

flash clothes I don't want anything I

want to be anti-flash right like my

watch you can see this my wife was

saying to me last night

um you know maybe time for a new watch

this is a Casio whatever that one is

it's a f91w these cost like 10 pounds 15

pounds you can get them at Argos have

you ever seen that watch before I have

Andrew Tate on the way here a podcast

you know who Andrew is yeah what's your

anyway it feels like he's that guy

reduced to its quintessence where he's

like if one of his catchphrases was um

people say why have you got a you know

Green Bugatti

did you know this Meme and what does he

say to them he says um well he says what

college I say to them what color is your

Bugatti

right that's him in a nutshell is like

unapologetically troll like ostentatious

displays of wealth and arrogance right

so I'm the anti-tate you can put that on

my you put that on my gravestone the

anti-tate

so I'm like I don't give a [ __ ] about

your Bugatti I think it's embarrassing

that you have one no offense no I don't

I don't have a car but you know fine you

know and that's kind of a joke like

that's I my point really is that that's

something I need to keep an eye on you

know because actually ostentatious

almost like ostentatious humility is its

own poison like like why are you so

wedded to the idea of having a [ __ ]

watch by the way it's not a [ __ ] watch

it's completely reliable and it's I've

never had it the only thing that goes on

it is the strap so so I've got one

that's got a you can replace the strap

after about five years the strap goes

I've got two of these I'm not bragging

I've got one I've got my I've got my

spare one in case I can't find this one

anyway last night my wife said it might

be time for a new watch I've got to

embrace I'm trying to lean into being

the guy

that isn't showing off about what a lack

of what a not show off he is you think

I've lost the thread I haven't the point

I'm getting to is that um so I needed to

start a company and not because it's

oddly infantilizing after a while like

there's nothing there's nothing cool

about

making like hundreds of hours of TV and

not owning any of it right that's just

me being a little bit of a chump and

partly that's you know there's a quid

pro quo I suppose like well you don't

get stressed you turn up you're making

things for a public broadcaster you're

getting a decent salary for sure

but people would say like what you know

everyone else

so who do you work for it's like well

I'm in BBC I'm on contract I work from

contract to contract three years at a

time

like really you don't have your own

company like no why not like you know

because everyone else does like Jamie

Oliver or Hugh Fernley witting stall or

or you know whoever you care to mention

any presenter

of any longevity

um would would be making their own shows

you know it's it is it's a no-brainer

and I was like I guess I just I'm fine

doing my I'm a creature of habit you

know that was sort of what I've just so

fine I don't want to mess around with it

and then having done it three or four

years ago like yeah I probably should

have should have done it a bit earlier

but it it's so so it's that thing of um

the point which is now landing on the

point sounds a bit vanilla was that you

can sort of get in being a creature of

habit being sort of embracing or

whatever that you know your own sense of

self as

um risk averse and

um conventional sometimes you know I

needed to challenge myself

in order to discover that there was a

you know a world out there that was sort

of more creative more lucrative more fun

more adventurous you don't seem to be

compelled or

um or derive your happiness from like

the big wanky stuff from like the

Lamborghini the Bugatti the bafta yeah

what colors your Bugatti the GQ Man of

the Year stuff you simply seem to drive

it from the the simple intrinsically

fulfilling things like you know cooking

listening to a thing that's

intellectually stimulating so maybe

we're all like maybe everyone else is a

weirdo and you're actually incredibly

normal I don't know I think there's more

of us out there

than you might think but maybe not

we're all trapped in our own brains

there's no way of measuring I do think

that um you know I mentioned that when I

saw that I got a nice review in the

times that gave me like as I said I gave

me a buzz you care about your work there

you really cared about well that wasn't

even about I mean I do care about the

work I mean work is a big source of

pleasure like in the sense of either

being on location and

um being aware of it going well and

getting into an almost like a mindset in

an interview of feeling like yeah this

is all good like I feel connected I feel

uh because it's a High Street in a way

I'm sure you have a little bit if you

have an interview with someone you feel

like you've been trying to book it for a

while

uh the moment comes you like the next

two hours are really important you want

it to go smoothly you want it to feel

like a revealing encounter you you want

to be probing and insightful and

attentive and immersed but not

distracted but also thinking ahead and

and all of that's going on and then it

starts and then you feel like oh it's

going okay and then afterwards like that

was a good one and then in the edit

you're putting it together and you're

piecing things in like that all of those

The Simple Pleasures of of craft you

know like it's really and it is simple

like it's no great mystery but that

that's that's a big part of um

of how I connect with

uh well my own happiness how do you

connect with people so actually I wanted

to ask you this for my own sort of

learning you've done this for multiple

decades you've sat with people from

every corner of the world you have all

of these different experiences and some

of them are a little bit you know the

nicer sense a little bit out there I'm

glad I landed with a PC word yeah a

little bit out there I wonder what the

non-pc was

but you have um it was funny when I

asked you about the qualities you have I

think you absolutely nailed it and all

of those make you incredibly disarming

that almost like lack of intense

seriousness makes you a really disarming

individual

um

how do you connect with people how

intentional is your approach to

connecting with them in your new

interview series but also just generally

some of it is stuff that

you know I didn't I just sort of came by

by accident probably most of it which is

a thing you know Natural Curiosity which

I think you have a feeling of um

of just

just wanting to know what why people do

the things that they do right and and

sort of getting out of your own way a

bit you know in the sense because I

the question I get asked most often is

like what how do you

not get angry with some of these people

especially the ones who are sort of

spewing hate or coming out with stuff

that's really objection upon

I find it slightly confusing question

because I think that's so it's so far

from what's in my head most of the time

I'm genuinely thinking like why

if it is someone like say a Neo-Nazi or

someone involved in religious

intolerance

I'm just so curious about what takes

someone

to that place what what's in their mind

that to actually berate them

to give them a hard time

or even be particularly journalistically

confrontational that's not

that's not my default mode so

interesting because I just think inject

life generally those who like seek to

one even on our personal relationships

and romantic relationships those that

seek to understand

tend to build Bridges but if you seek to

like as you say berate yeah I get told

off on this podcast a lot on like

Twitter and in the Press like because I

don't berate people like when I had Matt

Hancock here I asked him the questions I

really wanted to know but I didn't I

didn't come to berate him no he would

have gone yeah the war would have gone

up had I done that there's other ways of

and some people use a confrontational

approach and that's fine and then I

think in general

um you know there's many ways of doing

interviews

and I think probably

you know I haven't interviewed many

politicians and it's probably related to

that the feeling that they they have

their they tend to have their guard up

they tend to be

uh follow a strategy of attempting to be

as risk averse a headline a verse as

possible and it's like those aren't the

people I'm interested in people who are

genuinely attempt who feel like they've

got something figured out or or are

involved in a in a world or a lifestyle

or just some situation that is

either self-sabotaging or filled with

angst so in the end I see it as

no I'm not trying to get one over on

people I'm not trying to I honestly most

interviews I see as a as a potential

win-win you know what I mean like I I

certainly like well there's no there's

no reason why you shouldn't tell me the

truth

um

you're involved in something that you're

relatively open about and

and I'll just assume that that's

probably the case now

obviously you're briefed you've done as

much research as you can but um

I think if you feel as though you're

coming from a position of

um sort of shared inquiry then that's

contagious

um I think also

I sort of tend to think I think there's

some part of me thinks maybe the other

person's got it figured out and I

haven't right a level of humility

so that when they say stuff I'm

genuinely thinking like well I guess

maybe or may or they say something

Bonkers I'm like well that isn't right

but I enjoy bumping up against that and

I don't go in there thinking I'm gonna

I'm gonna get this person like I'm gonna

get one over on them I sort of feel as

though you know you come in and you just

sort of try and

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