# Exploiting Anthony Bourdain? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 11, 2022, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639 "2022-04-11T03:06:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/1 "2022-04-11T03:06:13Z")
I loved Kitchen Confidential and when I first read it I sought out most of Bourdain’s other writing. I liked his travel TV. I was saddened when he died. I’m watching Roadrunner on CNN. Lots of people loved the guy. But there must have been half a dozen books since his death. It seems a little much. Anyone agree? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/2 "2022-04-11T03:18:13Z")
I was just thinking the same thing today when I noticed that almost every time I go to CNN’s website there are multiple articles about him and videos of or about him on the front page, as if he’d just died a few days ago. How long is it necessary to keep eulogizing one man? ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/3 "2022-04-11T03:52:17Z")
No, I think he just left a really, _really_ enduring legacy. Bourdain’s personality, his narrative voice both as a writer and as a show host, and the interesting content of his shows and books, really connected with people effectively. Maybe it’s a cynical cash grab to still be releasing Bourdain’s works, but they wouldn’t be doing it if the demand wasn’t there. He was much beloved and is very missed. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/4 "2022-04-11T03:52:21Z")
Gotta promote CNN+ even if it means a _Weekend at Bernies_-style puppet show of one of their former top celebrity personalities. If Anderson Cooper kicked the bucket they’d probably resort to animatronic animation of the corpse. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/5 "2022-04-11T04:23:43Z")
There were books. Another cookbook. A “World Travel” book of hotels he stayed at. A book of quotes. An ultimate autobiography. A memorial book. I hope his kid or causes he felt worthy gets a good share of the profiteering. Sure he was a fascinating guy. “Young. Old. Gay. Straight. Black. White. Undocumentef immigrant. Country of origin. Who cares? Only one thing matters. Can you make an omelette, or not?” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/6 "2022-04-11T19:16:58Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > If Anderson Cooper kicked the bucket they’d probably resort to animatronic animation of the corpse. I expected something like that to be done to Lenin. Technology has expanded in a hundred years. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/7 "2022-04-11T21:05:36Z")
Can’t be long before a recording of Bourdain singing his favourite punk songs? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/8 "2022-04-13T01:47:45Z")
Or a theme restaurant? ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/9 "2022-04-13T03:42:16Z")
Maybe they could serve bread to represent his body and wine to represent his blood. And have lots of iconography depicting his death on the walls. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/10 "2022-04-13T04:30:47Z")
After all the hagiographies have been written, perhaps someone can write a hatchet job about how his whole persona was fake etc They could call it “_Exploding Anthony Bourdain_” Which is what I keep reading every damn time I see this thread title. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/11 "2022-04-13T13:31:48Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > there must have been half a dozen books since his death This happens with every celebrity where there is profit potential. After musicians die, producers find unreleased recordings that the musician thought were too shitty to publish, even rough demos, but after they die the hardcore fans will buy anything. The same thing happens with writers–they dig up unfinished works and have **[another author complete them](https://www.waterstones.com/blog/books-finished-by-others)**. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/12 "2022-04-13T13:32:14Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > perhaps someone can write a hatchet job about how his whole persona was fake etc Care to elaborate on your viewpoint on this? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/13 "2022-04-13T14:01:09Z")
It was merely a setup to a lame joke, plus also perhaps a comment on the way the celebrity industry likes to exploit people by lionising them, then exploit people by tearing them down. I wasn’t intending to suggest that his persona actually was fake. I liked the guy and found him very genuine. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/14 "2022-04-21T17:07:15Z")
I guess parading the corpse of Bourdain around didn’t make their shitty paid streaming service successful after all: > **[CNN+ will shut down at the end of April | CNN Business](https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/21/media/cnn-shutting-down/index.html)** > > CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most significant developments in the history of CNN, will shut down on April 30, just one month after it launched. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/15 "2022-04-21T18:59:06Z")
I’m pleased to see other people offended by this, and now to hear CNN+ is a failure too. Sometimes the world can recover from temporary instabilities. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/16 "2022-04-21T19:24:01Z")
I never checked it out. There does not seem to be a dearth of streaming services. It is unfortunate, since _now_ if you want to enjoy past episodes of Bourdain you are limited to the mere eight daily hours on CNN - when they reshow episodes back to back. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/17 "2022-04-21T19:47:12Z")
I guess those “Subscription for Life” CNN Plus deals I saw were a bad investment. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/18 "2022-11-30T02:56:02Z")
Yet another book coming out on Bourdain. Having read a couple by his crew, and seen the documentary, that is enough for me. I like the guy. So did millions - Bourdain’s one of these shy guys, though he improved greatly over the years, with deep thoughts and an interesting background who went to some genuinely difficult and conflicted places. A very good writer, he was able to find common threads of humanity anywhere he ventured, appreciate some local food, discuss places and their politics and history with nuance and compassion and without condescension. Obviously this had some costs. Unlike Trump, he really did often say things that others would not. He put cooking on the map. Kitchen Confidential is a masterpiece, his other works almost as good. His cookbooks are a combination of winning recipes, and some pretty terrible ones. Previous works interviewed all his friends and co-workers and painted a pretty full picture. Sure, the new book supposedly contains more negative aspects. What good to dwell on them now? People loved the Herriot books too. Reading his biography provided a little insight, but not much light. Is yet another book really needed? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/19 "2022-11-30T03:15:09Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Is yet another book really needed? It was certainly “needed” by the new author who hoped to cash in, yet again, on Bourdain’s name recognition. Sad that that is all the reason needed, but I fear that it is. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639/20 "2022-11-30T03:36:25Z")
True. But that is the only reason. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploiting-anthony-bourdain/962639.md?page=2)