Although he tragically left this mortal plane about six weeks ago, the loss of Anthony Bourdain is still felt keenly not only in the food community, but throughout the celebrity world at large. A thoughtful, warm soul who had close friends in the film, music industries and more, his tragic suicide has led plenty of people to be more expressive about their mental health.
What's more: in the weeks following his suicide, plenty of stories about Bourdain have emerged that reaffirm his charm, and make us miss him even more. His TV show, Parts Unknown, was recently nominated for six Emmy Awards, while quotes and tributes to Bourdain are also making the rounds online.
But the latest soundbite about Anthony Bourdain came from the man himself, as he let loose in one of his final interviews before his passing. Speaking with writer Maria Bustillos for the website Popula, the interview with Bourdain was conducted in February but published this week, making it one of the last (if not the last) interviews ever conducted with Anthony Bourdain.
In this raw, in-depth interview, many subjects were broached between Bourdain and Bustillos, such as his opinions on the political journalism covered at places such as the New York Times.
"The worst thing about North American journalism is its insularity: the feeling that the United States is the world. And this is true even of the New York Times; nothing comes from the perspective of other places…"
Bourdain talked about Bill Clinton's treatment of Monica Lewinsky back in the 90s, branding the former President "a piece of sh*t". "Entitled, rapey, gropey, grabby, disgusting," he said of Clinton, while also slamming Hilary Clinton for the manner in which the scandal was handled.
“The way they efficiently dismantled, destroyed, and shamelessly discredited these women for speaking their truth is unforgivable.”
But one of the highlights of the interview came when Bourdain began to discuss the #MeToo movement, talking about sexual assault, and in particular about the man some perceive to be the biggest villain in that movement: Harvey Weinstein. Bourdain's girlfriend Asia Argento was one of the first people to come out publicly against Weinstein, and in this interview, Bourdain pulled no punches when talking about the former producer-turned-Hollywood bogeyman.
Then came the weirdest moment in the interview; Bourdain - who'd clearly thought about Weinstein a lot in the intervening months - imagined up an elaborate death scene for Weinstein, implying that this fictional demise was everything that Weinstein deserved for what he did.
"My theory of how he goes is uh, he’s brushing his teeth in a bathroom, he’s naked in his famous bathrobe, which is flapping open, he’s holding his cell phone in one hand because you never know who on the Weinstein board has betrayed him recently, and he’s brushing his teeth—he suddenly gets a massive f**king stroke—he stumbles backwards into the bathtub, where he finds himself um, with his robe open feet sticking out of the tub, and in his last moments of consciousness as he scrolls through his contacts list trying to figure out who he can call, who will actually answer the phone.
And he dies that way, knowing that no one will help him and that he is not looking his finest at time of death."
It's a grim, yet vivid and imaginative, concept of Harvey Weinstein's death, but those of us who knew about Anthony Bourdain will recognise the passion behind those words, and feel how keenly he cared for those around him. He is, and still continues to be, dearly missed.
