David Foster Wallace interview on Charlie Rose (1997)
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- Опубліковано 27 лис 2018
- David Foster Wallace talks about David Lynch, dealing with fame, and the essays in “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again."
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Infinite Jest: geni.us/RwhKG
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I knew who he was, but by the time I actually read him, he killed himself a few years later - his commencement speech at Kenyon college was 1 of the best I've ever read - he was clearly VERY hard on himself, was so brilliant & interesting & down to earth - never read anyone 'share' about recovery like him, of which I have decades of personal experience - it's tough for many people to realize that one has to chop wood/carry water & one has a SERIES of awakenings & learns to give oneself away & realize the ironies, have enlightenment & realize 1 has to chop wood / carry water - possibly his genius was too much of a burden to carry, idk. Infinite Jest is on another plane, real genius, hilarious, JIMNSHO.
Homeboy grapples with every single word, and every single idea, and drags it from the pit of his soul. Watching him grimace after answering questions is strangely compelling and also devastating. Wish DFW was still around.
great post. nothing really to add to that.
absolutely agree with this
He fell into a lifestyle overthinking and over intellectualising.
Dont over-value affectations
h e w a s j u s t
s m a r t e n u f f
t o f i n d t h e
o f f b u t t o n ?
“I could never rock the bandana, but I learned a lot while watching him wear it” - Bill Burr talking about being a student of David’s at Amherst College
Didn't know DFW taught Bill Burr. Thats a crazy connection.
Looking into this, it doesn't seem that Wallace and Burr ever knew one another, though it's probable that they crossed paths on campus or whatever. Nevertheless, I choose to believe that Bill did that bit about becoming a dictator and curtailing the country's population by sinking cruise ships because of A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. Lol
Also pt anderson
@@scottv8124 was he a student of david?
@@nomecognome8737 yes
This dude was like a conduit for pure thought, logic, empathy and feeling. RIP
Beautifully accurate description. It’s like his brain was on fire 24/7. Rest In Peace indeed.
@@wilhelmvg9978 Explains how he went. Poor fella.
I could listen to him all day long.
... and wish there were 48 hours in a day.
he wouldve cringed at this statement, and rightfully so
Around the 19 minute mark it reminded me of this footnote that appears in a physics text book: "It could be avoided if equations could be written in three-dimensional arrays, but unfortunately publishers are as yet unable to provide such a service. A novelist, or the writer of any work for that matter, will have encountered a similar problem many times. Ideas are linked to one another in complicated patterns but in expressing them one is forced to string them out in a line, sentence by sentence." - Bryce DeWitt
Fitting to give an erudite footnote to a DFW interview :-)
Are you sure that wasn't a footnote in a DFW novel!? :)
Love this
Makes metaphysical sense
damn thassa good quote
Wallace seems to be so hard on himself in this interview. His facial expressions show a high degree of disgust at his answers
totally, very accurate comment. NEVER seen anyone as self critical as him in any charlie rose interview.
Was about to write a separate comment then saw this. it's like he continuously eats his own words. But the man produced greatness. Sometimes being tough on yourself to the degree of feeling disgust from your own actions, speech, comments. Sometimes that's necessary.
"Most of the things that are leaving my mouth seem to be mean"
12:17.
It's funny to think that when a person becomes so unbelievably anal retentive, analytical and intelligent in their own regard. When they pass, their prominence is always further analyzed, poked and prodded by those of the general public wishing to continue in greatness and in excellence.
Its an interesting observation, I think it stems from a sort of fierce integrity. Its a characteristic we see in our finest artists.
Yes, Sylvia Plath had the exact same trait. Both committed suicide. Both graduated summa cum laude from college too. Her at Smith and him right nearby at Amherst.
many of rose's questions were disgust inducing
That someone was THAT brilliant AND empathic and had genuine humility as well....very, very rare person.
I probably have watched this 2-3 times a month. It’s incredibly hard to watch, as not a day goes by that I don’t wish David was still with us. Listening and watching him speak, is incredible. I can’t think of anyone else who was so incredibly articulate, yet chose his words so carefully with such ease. Watching him have such disdain, or what seems like disdain, or embarrassment regarding his answers, his gritting teeth, his constant doubt, apologizing, you can tell he was deeply depressed. One of the most brilliant human beings, gone way too soon. There will never be a DFW, but his work will live on forever, and Infinite Jest will forever be a highlight among the music, film and literature of Generation X, and the 1990s.
Good observations but I do not think how he acted means he was depressed. It seems to me a sign that he was humble and self aware. He commented, for example, of how intimidating it was to be on TV for the interview.
It *is* hard to watch, while still being fascinating. His anxiety is palpable, and, yes, anxiety tends to go hand in hand with depression. His irritability is a sign of depression as well.
Reading infinite jest I can't stop thinking about how much I wish he could see the world now. Not even that he could help but I think he'd find it hilarious and mind blowing
This is an amazing gem, you don’t see things like this anymore, this is intense sincereity, absolutely wonderful to watch, so present and real, genuineness in the world today like this is unseen. This kind of engage reinvigorates my life force, it’s beautiful.
Rip brother, after watching this I feel a kindred sense of spirit, a strong yearning for something that matters, and that thing that matters is just a feeling in yourself that brings you to life and is mysterious but draws you forth.
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Marcus Tullius Cicero
Cicero came a very wealthy family and was consul of Rome - so that is kinda like Bill Gates saying all you need is $127 million house and a Veyron and you have everything you need.
@@JamesJoyce12 - You should consider changing your username to "WikipediaStupid12yearold."
Cicero was my guy
@@cassiusdio6844 - You know what's real. One of the greats of human history, I am always pleased to be able to use his words with attribution. Then some clueless jackass pulls Bill Gates out of his ass as analogous.
Of course 2 millennia ago there wasn't much more on offer for the roman gentleman of leisure. I suppose you could always amuse yourself by beating your slaves or by deciding which torture techniques engendered the funniest faces...
My best friend Billy was a mathematical genius. He taught me advanced calculus at 21. Sadly he drank himself to death at 41 . He would have gotten along great with this guy . RIP David Foster and Billy G . 🙏🏼❤️
It's the guys that are really good in this world that go through it the worst
@@Kryptdegen lol
By advanced calculus you mean introductory real analysis, correct?
I really want to rip your comment apart for being pretentious or just incorrect but that would also rip apart the authentic bits as well.
Please post positive proof pronto
He's such a perfectionist.... and he thinks so fast... and layers the thoughts...
Sylvia Plath was the exact same way -- both committed suicide and both were valedictorians of their college. The colleges were right near each other and both became writers.
So am i, but no one cares. LOL
@@ModestCasanovaa Prove it then, and people might start caring.
Meds.
@Jim McCracken *he's a perfectionist in what he thinks matters*
Happy?
"Is that anything like an answer?!?"
I've never seen someone hate on themselves so much while literally being praised
Kanye west
"quit worrying about how you're going to look and just be"
"you confront your own vanity when you think about going on tv"
they both were right
but it's not about being right, it's about being healthy and happy. Sure, you confront your own vanity when you think about going on TV. That's not wrong. I can't imagine being asked to go on TV for the work I've done. What a challenge that would be to my ego. But you know the irony is that if you had done it 100% for yourself to begin with, you wouldn't have any fear of seeming pretentious on TV because your work had NEVER been about bragging rights anyways. Fear of seeming pretentious. wouldn't be a thought that would cross your mind.
I think it's a good thought experiment for anyone to do. Just imagine going on TV and being asked why is it that you're so awesome at your job. Find out if that would make you feel a rush of meaning being ascribed to your work. "Who doesn't want to be respected" he says early in the interview. I'll tell you who: healthy minded, independent, self confident people who don't give a fuck about anything but love.
That part was palpably painful.
I mean, yeah, neither advice is bad, but telling DFW to stop worrying about how he's going to look is pretty much asking him not to be DFW.
Also, in hindsight, Charlie Rose should've maybe spent a little more time worrying about how things he did would look, in general...
History has placed a pretty tragic aura around this interview.
Charlie Rose's response was a bit harsh imo. "Just be". Lol. DFW's reply was awesome.
@@alexobed4252 May have been a bit harsh but his job is to pull from his guests and we wouldn't have heard Wallace's frank response otherwise. Personally watching Wallace in interviews almost pains me, as at times he seems near arrest giving answers, and at times even grits his teeth an winces at (I'm guessing) regret at how he sounded.
“... no apologies, but that’s an explanation.”
👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻
I can't even count how many times I've watched this. I find it simply mesmerizing.
It’s really, really good.
Can Music save Your Mortal Soul ua-cam.com/video/-uexjy4sWu4/v-deo.html A great watch!
It's the only interview I can say the same for. DFW is an otherworldly figure -- I mean this as a complement. In an age where the influence of high-minded intellectualism and academics seem to be waning, something about a modern torch-bearer for the movement of literature creates a fascinatingly strange person. I think when considering Thomas Pynchon's mysterious persona and his equally as epic legacy, DFW seems even more otherworldly and mesmerizing. This observation is hard to explain, but I have faith I made myself clear.
My favourite moment was when he accelerates in speech with "..have I got news for you"
Dang that last line is haunting and kinda scary
Probably the best, most real, interview I've seen thus far.
This man is such a national treasure. Reading infinite jest right now. DFW is an absolute genius. This interview is amazing. Thanks for posting.
his nervousness and uncomfortable nature during the interview becomes his charm so to speak...such a fascinating person. Such tortured brilliance.
3:17 A few minutes a day writing and the rest of the day worrying about not writing. Hits way too close to home
The constant lament of a writer.
the artist’s way!
The way he goes 'no no no' when confronted with the definition of postmodernism... I felt that!
im just glad dfw got to see Mulholland Drive
;(
It may well turn out to be the case that he'll have seen every feature film that Lynch ever makes.
He makes nerdiness, eloquence, deep-thought and creativity cool.
“The normal incentives to get out of bed don’t apply anymore.” Jesus; that hits home hard.
There’s an incentive: Jesus
@@TheBenevolentDictatorship that's a lame incentive :P
@@vincentmadden6112 Well it worked for people for a couple centuries, keep in mind religion isn't just a belief system, it also works as a way of giving people purpose and community. I may not be the most religious person, but I would take living in a time where everyone is unified by a belief and you could easily find friends and partners who would stick by you and understood you rather than the jagged and uncertain times of today.
"you're seriously asking me my opinion on The English Patient?"
Minute please?
@@danielroman9310 10:00
@@GreenMorningDragonProductions thank you!!!
Why do you think he responded like that?
And the pause right before it where he takes a sip of water before firing back with that line. Lovely.
He is my favorite artist along with Elliott Smith. They both have a way of describing the way we percieve life that is so icredibly nuanced and fascinating that I could spend hours listening to them and hear their thoughts on things. Its so incredibly tragic how it ended for both of them. I really hope they rest easy now where ever they are. Love you both Elliot and David.
Edit: I know that they both obviously had a similiar tragic end to their life but beyond that I think especially Wallace was exceptional at describing how reality feels to so many of us that he transcends allot of traditional artists. Even Elliott. The reason I listed Smith besides Wallace was simply that he was a very unconventional artist who, pretty much by luck broke into the main stream just like Wallace did. Both extremely shy and without any kind of superiority in them. Hope that clears it up a bit.
I’ve always associated those two with one another. It might be largely because they physically resembled one another and both died by suicide. But I think there are also less superficial commonalities.
I was thinking about that. They had very similiar voices too!
@@ZachJenkinswas Elliot Smiths death ever confirmed as suicide?
@@49dwalin55confirmed -- no. i know there is controversy surrounding his death. my understanding is that it's the accepted story by most friends, family, and fans.
@@ZachJenkins Yeah I agree. Very strange though
I'm going to try this look at work tomorrow.
Scott Taylor do it.
White Collar Axl Rose
How'd it go over?!
i could listen to this man speak forever.
Me too
What an interview. The frankness with which DFW expresses not his writing process, but all the more important things that go on behind it, I find incredibly valuable as an aspiring writer myself.
He's not a writer to aspire to be like. His prose is inauthentic, pretentious, and is desperate to "sound" literary. Read the first chapter of The Pale King and you'll see what I'm talking about.
@@abesapien9930 Is that what they're teaching in MFA's these days?
Can Music save Your Mortal Soul ua-cam.com/video/-uexjy4sWu4/v-deo.html A great watch!
Every month I come back to this interview.
Charlie Rose enjoyed talking to him, you can tell.
Charlie Rose is finally getting to speak on par. Its never been so apparent to me before...how often Charlie Rose had to Pander
@@Leghore Rose was usually out off his depth talking to people of importance and intelligence. His show later on just became a hollywood roundtable were he had dumb actressses on he wanted to fuck.
From this alone, I don't really understand why Rose was held in such high regard as an interviewer. The question about respect was just... useless.
@@bobobandy9382 amen!
Kept wishing Charlie would stop trying to complete his fing sentences!! Let the man talk!
this guy was such a gem, so intentional, it makes perfect sense why his works are considered genius.
Self-conscious of the fact that he's self-conscious, which he explained at one point here. Thanks for posting.
His depression was so clear and palpable.
@@_v7t okay sure but he blatantly displays his emotions on his face and discusses it at length. It's not hidden
@@lucasmurphy740 so it was, like he said, clear and palpable.
@@NASkeywest the guy I replied to deleted his comment
I just want to hear dfw's opinion on everything
Why would you want to view the world through the eyes of someone who took their own life?
@@abesapien9930 Have you read Infinite Jest? It's fucking brilliant. dfw killing himself takes nothing away from his brilliance.
@@abesapien9930 you sound painfully sheltered
People will really use any platform they can find to pick a fight, huh?
@@abesapien9930 You'll never know.
I believe we all have warmth and humor.
I believe we all have intelligence and an aptitude for concision.
It is a fact that it's difficult to showcase them all at once. I think, to borrow Wallace's own example of an ideal situation, it requires an evening over supper, with little time constraints and a relaxed atmosphere.
Television demands this balance to be struck immediately, and sustained, in an atmosphere that is completely counter to comfort.
Nearly every moment he's funny he quickly tries to rebound with intelligence.
Every moment he is analytical he worries about pretension and the hurting of others feelings. He's fighting himself, to be himself, as quickly as possible.
He feels he cannot explain himself accurately, whether it be through warmth or intellectual rigor, and for a person who likes choosing long-format writing with 300 footnotes to express themselves television is the worst situation to be in.
He feels he doesn't have enough time. At the end of every topic you see a mind in agony, and that's when his tics are most pronounced.
Clearly concision isn't my strong suit either. If you read all that I appreciate it.
TL;DR
I felt a very acute pain every time I saw him grimace like that.
Well said
He was so very raw here.
this was incredibly well worded. put into words what i could not
@Regular Joseph digging hard is exactly what a thinker does. Only authority, and those that make apology to ensure their buttressed station in support of authority, diminishes an independent thought. “Don’t think about it” doesn’t serve the greater good. Without challenge, the moral compass is obscured by selfishness, and gathered as dominance.
@Regular Joseph Word. Washing your face + proper skincare is severely overlooked
David Foster Wallace: Show me somebody who doesn't like to be respected...I am not more hungry for respect than the average person.
Super response.
Thankful for David and the work he shared 🙏
“If that was going on it was going on at a level of awareness I do not want to have access to”
I like how Rose takes on this almost fatherly role with DFW. "Stop worrying about what you look like!" He seems to have a lot of affection, as well as respect, for DFW.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched this, and I cry every time. God, I miss him so much.
Why cry?
@@invisibot6602 you....... don't realize he had a tragic death and a ton of people miss him being in the world?
@@DanielBoonelight yeah I know
Imagine this guy reading mean comments all day.
Damn, I wish Wallace was still around. So insightful on this postmodern world and where he saw it heading
He wouldn’t care.
23:07 David being highly self aware he knows he is the interviewee, he checks Charlie making sure David is being understood, and not simply being glossed over to the next subject. Amazing.
i can listen to him for days.
his brain is gorgeous, his mouth is fast, his hair is the best! we miss you so much DFW! (weeping)
When the imposter complex renders genius insecure.
Humility and insecurity is a less successful base for creativity, but it allows a more empathic one
Pee pee poo poo
He's a charlatan.. lolol
@@sucemaindex236 you write like a poet ❤
I am not an intellectual by any means and would have been intimidated to be in the same room as David Foster Wallace, never mind talk to him. This man was an extraordinary person who left a huge void in my world when he chose to leave it. I remember crying when I heard that he committed suicide. Infinite Jest is an astounding novel, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have read it if not for the fact I was living abroad and feeling alone and bit homesick. I shared an apartment with four expats and spent entire nights reading Infinite Jest in the bathroom while trying to stifle laughter. Despite what DFW says, the novel is fucking hilarious. We get that it's sad, DFW, but don't try to say it isn't funny.
I think he's not explicitely telling people to think that it's not funny, but rather that he's surprised by the reaction because it wasn't was intention to write a funny book.
I understand you on the crying thing, though. I still do, sometimes, when I read some of his work and shed a tear or two, knowing that such a unique mind is no longer with us. It's rarely the content of his works that makes me sad (quite the opposite) but the loss of the person behind the words and the thoughts and the blending of it all that gets me.
Yes!!! Remember that line 'That man stole my heart!'
Knew him as a teen when I was in my early 20s in Urbana. Took a LONG time to "get over" this -- not that anyone ever does. No words.
@@l.w.paradis2108 how was he as a teen?
@@muratisik6956 Brilliant, intense, very sweet, very personable, hanging out at the Illini Union with grad students, especially the radicals majoring in the hard sciences and math (yes, an unusual niche all right), engrossed in his Latin homework, and extremely unassuming in spite of all that. If you had asked me whether he would grow up to be a writer, I would not have been able to tell you yes or no. I would have been taken aback by the question.
I have never been more captivated by an interview. Wow! How am I not aware of this extraordinary mind? Wow. Sucks knowing that he never found that brass ring.
Wallace was a highly under appreciated genius. It hurt me to see his inner turmoil rise to the surface in this interview.
oh come on. i like DFW but he's easily the most highly rated author of the '90s
Thanx for this post!
“ ‘Am I happy?’ Is a question that dictates its own answer.” - DFW.
Really helpful and entertaining interview. He is really honest and clear.
I wish he was still here with us. One of the most interesting interviews on Charlie Rose
No thanks
can listen to him talk for hours upon hours upon hours.....beyond special
At 16:19 you can see him start to genuinely smile and then he catches himself smiling and his facial expression does a complete 180, almost as if he was disgusted at himself for allowing himself to smile and be happy, if for a brief moment.
That's some overintellectualization right there
Or his smile just faded away which is the logical subsequence of smiling. Ugh.
I think that was more a snap realization that he felt he was saying too many “mean” things. He said as much later.
He seemed troubled.
never met you but i miss you, wish you were still here david.
First time listening to David, I like him a lot. Rest in peace.
Highly intelligent with obsessive compulsive - a dangerous combination because nothing ever feels right/complete.
dude - he had a lifetime of depression that was self-medicated - nothing to do with OCD
@@JamesJoyce12 right, because there's never any overlap with psychiatry. When in fact, phenomenal overlap is the domain, funtion, and definition of the psyche period. This is the reason why a recent study was published about the imprecision of the DSM. If I can quote Hannibal Lecter from the silence of the lambs "You think you can dissect me with this blunt little tool".
@@karlhungus5436 lol - I have no idea why you think quoting a fictional character in a movie has anything to do with anything.
There is a biography or two written about DFW - I read Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story - it explicitly documents his mental health history from a young age - no OCD - so - no dissection - just modest empirical fact - you know - from real Psychiatrists - but let me guess - you play one on TV - or maybe the movies?
@@JamesJoyce12so sorry, I figured you were intelligent enough to draw the connection between Hannibal's utterance and the formulaic nature of saying 'he suffered from depression and he took drugs for it...end of story.' It doesn't speak very well of your grasp of one of the greater minds of our age that you invested the time to read a biography about him and that's all you have to say on the matter.
@@karlhungus5436 I adjust what I "have to say on the matter" based on the intelligence of the audience - quoting movies and clearly not having read anything on the SM places you in the shortbus group - but go ahead - hit me with a Pulp Fiction quote.
“Where do you wanna go?”
“Not exploding.”
what a shame. we need men like him right now...
@@wesfloyd8708 please elaborate, I am interested in this idea
@@ehm7651 lol honestly idk really know what i meant specifically. But I wish DFW was still around, he would clearly have something insightful to say about the current state of the world. I really relate to that quote J A put up, about "Not Exploding". Everyday i do what I supposed to do I think it's just more and more maddening. I'm more and more convinced we live in a world of insanity. I think i know what he was talking about, as much as a stranger could.
@@wesfloyd8708 I agree that it would be great having him around, yet I assume he thought well about his decision.
Ah now I see what you mean. Societal wise I would love to read essays of the now by him.
@James Stackhouse dude, replying in public to a 3-month-old comment by a person you clearly don't know, for the sole purpose of shaming them for naïveté, while making fun of the topic of conversation and adding nothing of substance to it- is exactly the kind of nonsensically destructive behavior that leads to an insane world like ours. I hope you're in a better place in life than you were a week ago when you chose to do that.
This interviewer was brilliant. I wish that DFW had had some peace and had been able to receive the praise he was being given. The old man and the young man motif was here in full force, and really DFW needed to hear what was being said. I don't think he understood how much people loved him.
I was ten years old when DFW killed himself.
I'll never know what the world was like, the world that he was writing about when he composed Infinite Jest.
But I am desperately covetous for those of you who got to. The world pre-9/11, and the world that gave us Apple and Microsoft, a new international, global economy with every new horizon and opportunity available.
The twilight between the advent of the internet and the invention of social media seems particularly romantic and infinite. Hearing DFW talk and watching these old interviews takes me back to some nostalgia for something I never got to know. I'm just perennially devastated that I no longer live on a planet with such a brilliant and insightful mind.
You still do and it could be you, plenty of smart brilliant people out there.
I’m just imagining David Foster Wallace on Joe Rogan lol
Jamie pull that up
Jesus Fried Christ lol
Dude! I was just thinking this thought about 5 minutes ago. Chill
Alex Conn “waaaoooowww”.
Taco Bell Valet a buddy of mine used to be on antidepressants. Have you ever tried jiu jitsu?
“Quit worrying how you’re gonna look and just be”
Fran Lebowitz & David Foster Wallace & nothing else! Thank you.
My god what an original genuine genius! I have often had this daydream of DFW and John Kennedy Toole hanging out and having these frenetic exchanges filled with wit and profound insight….
I was literally thinking the exact same thing! ;-)
I’ve watched this interview so many times, but it’s still so sad.
Fantastic man. I like people who use their brains to think deep and healthy thoughts. This man seemed to do it. Humble about his talent. It is rare to see people like this in public these days because stupidity is now a priority.
True that.
I could listen to him talk about films for hours
Yes, but what a shame that Rose asks dead-ended questions that should be embarrassing for a 13-year-old.
I so miss interesting interviews with interesting people conducted by an informed individual.
God damn I love this interview, I cannot express how sad it makes me that we cannot hear what this person has to say about the development of society, his unbelievably predictive ideas of the world are more relevant today than ever before.
I can say with confidence that he is our modern George Orwell, in a more developed manner than possible to describe in a YT comment. This man is responsible for helping me understand that I am not alone in this world, that other people share my opinions, and that there is hope that eventually more people will understand then take action against whatever abstract seemingly undefeatable unnecessary nonsense we're all subject to.
I know he's just another human being, but metaphorically speaking if someone wanted to pretend to be a time traveler for attention, David Foster Wallace could have pulled it off better than anyone else I'm aware of.
much better than orwell
Bless
21:15 This is the minute everybody is looking for... Talking about postmodernism and the necesity to overcome it
Wow. Jason Segal's impression was really good. Subtleties.
Segal was outstanding, and that movie is probably the most underrated film of the century.
A blessing and a curse. Keen insight and the eloquence to be able to express it however no off switch for the mind running a mile a minute.
Exactly
Love DFW. We could certainly use his humanity and perspective today.
I rewatch this interview often for self reflection more than anything. DFW is one of the Greats.
W/r/t the endnotes: I read somewhere an observation that having flip back to reference the endnotes, then back to the text, then back to the endnotes, &c, over and over again while reading IJ simulates a kind of literary version of playing tennis.
That right there feels like digging too deep, making too much.
It also might be a good representation of the self-critical voice.
this and its annular fusion
Cortazar did it in Hopscotch
eh
Really interesting how he explains the structural intent behind his infamous end notes.
I love this man, I can't find better words
I picked up Infinite Jest not long ago without knowing anything about who he was, and just out of curiosity stumbled upon this interview. What a fascinating human. It's a shame our brightest minds are sometimes so tormented.
They do it to themselves but it's also not their fault.
Maybe there is a link. Maybe they are tormented because they are bright and able to see the world in ways we cannot?
"Where do you want your brain to go?" DFW ; "not exploding would be a good start". Notice how he already has his brain bandaged. A brilliant troubled mind.
As time goes on, I can't help but feel that David would be more and more appalled with the state of all things. As much as I know we miss him and all that is lost by not having his mind in this world, he probably got out at the right time.
Samantha Penner Yes, During the interview, I had some side thoughts about how dumbed down we are now in 2020. But what is even more sobering is how defeated we are - we don't even entertain the thought that he couldn't he have changed the world rather than abandoned it.
I'd give so much to have him still be around to hear his thoughts and have him help us makes sense of all of this insanity. Pretty sure he'd be pretty deeply disturbed by the last few years
it’s even crazier to think about how he saw so much of this coming. what a wise man.
such a trite POV. maybe he would have been thrilled with the state of all things. who are we to make such assumptions.
@@tzazella751 lol no way, he’d have an entire essay about how QAnon exemplifies the extent of our dependence and vulnerability to media. This is the kind of stuff he’d been writing about television for years. A passing familiarity with his work and you’ll see that our current world is the extremist version of his fears about technology and our relationship to it.
I loved this so much.
I think there's a lot to unpack about how irony and dissociation combined with narcissism ruined our lives
Church.
Are you being ironic?
Care to elaborate?
I am not confident that you know the actual philosophical definition of irony
@@JamesJoyce12 I am not confident that there is zero voodoo in your diaper
Wallace is the man - forever missed
A pure soul, fragmented fragile heart.
I listened to Infinite Jest on Audible. It was over 56 hours long. I enjoyed every minute of it.
wonderful. just wonderful.
I know he s cancelled and everything, but charlie rose is a top tier interviewer
Wallace's piece on tennis in the "Fun Thing" book is the greatest thing I've ever read about tennis.
Oh please expand on that a little..
Mike Phalen his piece on cruise ships and cruises is the best thing ever written about cruises
both the tennis thing and the account of the cruise ship are absolutely pedestrian. everyone seems to have taken the same DFW drug that says he is the greatest. he's already forgotten.
I love growing with this film.
„Quit worrying about how you’re gonna look, and just BE…“
What a beautiful thing to say to someone. We all need to hear that.
Wish DFW was still with us…
DFW was, clearly, an absolute genius. All of his essay books are quite interesting.
The voice of an angel
Heyyyy youuu
An angel...that killed itself?
@@abesapien9930 yeh
Why glorify him? He was human.
@@Monkeighz I guess but who to glorify other than humans?
this makes me so sad. and so happy
That part at the end with the brass ring, and getting up in the morning. 😭
You can see the moments where he cringes at himself. Where he feels that he didn't quite say what he wanted to say. It's like a painful wince. He expected so much of himself, but he was more than any of us could have asked for. Wish he was still here.
This was magnificent, one of the most fascinating characters I've come across, what a dreadful loss, RIP DFW x
Very interesting thank you.
wish I could give him a hug. What a wonderful human