The thought of watching somebody fishing is, to me, the height of existential folly. As Estragon says in Becket’s Waiting for Godot, “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.” Thus was my apprehension great when faced with the task of watching 147 minutes of men fishing. However, my delight was substantial when I found myself completely captivated by this series of fishing trips, culled from the early 1990s television program, Fishing with John.

Noted jazz musician and occasional actor John Lurie (Down by Law) is our guide to this romp through the world’s marine stomping grounds. Along for the various rides are Jim Jarmusch, Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe and Dennis Hopper, while documentary specialist Robb Webb provides the wonderful narration. The premise of the program is simple: get to the fishing hole (whether by car, plane, horse, canoe, foot or tugboat), toss your lines in the water, and record everything, in the hope that you might catch some interesting conversation. (Barnes & Noble)

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Originally produced for the Independent Film Channel, John Lurie’s idiosyncratic take on the classical fishing program places the genre in entirely alien terrain–and that doesn’t just refer to the strange and exotic locations. Best known to filmgoers for roles in Stranger Than Paradise and The Last Temptation of Christ, Lurie is also a composer, a saxophonist, the leader of the jazz group the Lounge Lizards, and a painter.

Fisherman, however, is nowhere to be seen on his résumé, so this city-bred hipster’s foray into rod and reel country is obviously another kettle of fish. Reeling in buddies Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, and director Jim Jarmusch to join him on his fishing trips to such faraway locales as Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Thailand, Lurie takes his show completely out of the “how to” realm: imagine a talk show defined by its contemplative silences.

Fishing with John teaches nothing about fishing. Instead, John simply enjoys the company of his buddies as they venture out into unfamiliar territory and drop a line in the water, tossing in a current of absurdist commentary (dryly intoned by Roy Webb) and surreal speculation for good measure. This is the ultimate fishing show for people who could not care less. (Amazon)