Must Streams of 2019 (Vol. 5) - Anthony Bourdain's RAW CRAFT
Episode One
As many of you know I'm a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain's work. For well over a decade, before I had the means to travel the world myself, I lived vicariously through his witty commentary, travel, and culinary adventures.
His shows helped me to stay sane during my life of working in a cubicle by providing me with some kind of hope that I might someday have the good fortune of walking in his footsteps. After his untimely death in June of last year, I binge-watched the final few episodes of his show on CNN, Parts Unknown.
After this, I thought it was all over. It felt like saying goodbye to an old friend or that smart-assed older brother who always got you into trouble but was a lot of fun to be around anyway.
"As you move through this life and this world, you change things slightly; you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life--and travel--leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks--on your body or on your heart--are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt." ~ Anthony Bourdain
You can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a little known web-series that he produced called Raw Craft.
The show was never picked up by a studio or network but fourteen episodes are available on YouTube to stream for free. In each show Bourdain highlights a different craftsperson who is following their passion, pursuing perfection, and making a living with their hands. Raw Craft does a great job of convincing us that the multi-faceted pleasures and advantages of owning things of quality win out over engineered obsolescence every time.
Anthony Bourdain's brilliant and insightful commentary throughout each of the fourteen Raw Craft episodes are a stark reminder of what a great talent the world lost on June 8, 2018. I do hope you enjoy watching this series as much as I have. I'm trying my best to ration out these episodes so they last a while.
I also read recently that Anthony made a documentary about Detroit that may yet see the light of day. I'll be watching for updates about this project as well.
See you all on the other side of HF21 (gulp)!
(Gif sourced from Giphy.com)
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I was also an admirer of Anthony Bourdain. His perceptive, ironic, frontal, intelligent style was a delight to me. A real man, who was far from perfect, but admired by many. I'll try to find that program, even though the internet in Venezuela is fatal. Greetings, @eric
Oh no, sorry to hear about the internet situation there! I hope you can find a way to watch these...most are around 15 minutes long but each one I've seen has been very good.
Hi Eric, I didn't know Anthony Bourdain until I read your writing. I watched your video and I really enjoyed it. I think it's true as you say. He is very inspiring. Have a nice day, sir.
I'm glad you found his work and enjoyed it Eliana! Enjoy your day!
Huh I never got into Anthony Bourdain, though I keep hearing what an amazing guy he was (and that quote pretty much strengthens that) :) I'll make sure to see this when I get a bit of time.
I hope you're well :)
Oh man, you should try to find some of his older travel shows! A Cook's Tour and No Reservations were probably my favorites although his work got more polished by the time he produced Parts Unknown. I'm doing well. I've been busy with writing projects and traveling this summer so I haven't been posting much new original fiction here on Steemit. I hope you're enjoying these last few days of summer!
Will definitely check out Raw Craft. My partner @hanedane is shifting into the self-employed world with his company, Hane Dane Craft, and any inspiration would be helpful! And... writing would qualify as working with your hands too, right?
It's great @geke but I find myself thinking the episodes are just too short. He could have easily made a show out of this concept. Writing is definitely a craft! I hope your'e well!
all antoniean works are the best at the moment
I think in memory of Anthony we will still see a documentary about Detroit, which he made.
Man, that word said by Anthony on your post really touched me and I must that is undeniable true also
Hello @ericvancewalton, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!