David Foster Wallace interview on Charlie Rose (1997)

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  • čas přidán 27. 11. 2018
  • David Foster Wallace talks about David Lynch, dealing with fame, and the essays in “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again."
    Check out these David Foster Wallace books on Amazon!
    The Life of David Foster Wallace: geni.us/7xzix
    Conversations with David Foster Wallace: geni.us/HHYcGBe
    Infinite Jest: geni.us/RwhKG
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Komentáře • 1,3K

  • @ManufacturingIntellect
    @ManufacturingIntellect  Před 5 lety +55

    Check out these David Foster Wallace books on Amazon!
    The Life of David Foster Wallace: geni.us/7xzix
    Conversations with David Foster Wallace: geni.us/HHYcGBe
    Infinite Jest: geni.us/RwhKG
    Join us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/ManufacturingIntellect
    Donate Crypto! commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/868d67d2-1628-44a8-b8dc-8f9616d62259
    Share this video!
    Get Two Books FREE with a Free Audible Trial: amzn.to/313yfLe
    Checking out the affiliate links above helps me bring even more high quality videos to you by earning me a small commission on your purchase. If you have any suggestions for future content, make sure to subscribe on the Patreon page. Thank you for your support!

    • @marcsalzman8082
      @marcsalzman8082 Před 3 lety

      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.

  • @bereaben83
    @bereaben83 Před 11 měsíci +316

    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.

    • @alllowercase6277
      @alllowercase6277 Před 10 měsíci +11

      great post. nothing really to add to that.

    • @riccardoantolinipil
      @riccardoantolinipil Před 6 měsíci +3

      absolutely agree with this

    • @grungepants
      @grungepants Před 2 měsíci +9

      He fell into a lifestyle overthinking and over intellectualising.

    • @drainel9707
      @drainel9707 Před 2 měsíci +3

      Dont over-value affectations

    • @ParabnormalExperience
      @ParabnormalExperience Před měsícem

      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 ?

  • @wilhelmvg9978
    @wilhelmvg9978 Před 11 měsíci +93

    “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

    • @grungepants
      @grungepants Před 2 měsíci +18

      Didn't know DFW taught Bill Burr. Thats a crazy connection.

    • @Willofflineonline
      @Willofflineonline Před měsícem

      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

    • @scottv8124
      @scottv8124 Před měsícem +4

      Also pt anderson

    • @nomecognome8737
      @nomecognome8737 Před 9 dny

      ​@@scottv8124 was he a student of david?

    • @scottv8124
      @scottv8124 Před 9 dny

      @@nomecognome8737 yes

  • @JimElford
    @JimElford Před 2 lety +351

    This dude was like a conduit for pure thought, logic, empathy and feeling. RIP

    • @wilhelmvg9978
      @wilhelmvg9978 Před rokem +13

      Beautifully accurate description. It’s like his brain was on fire 24/7. Rest In Peace indeed.

    • @funfun5656
      @funfun5656 Před rokem +1

      @@wilhelmvg9978 Explains how he went. Poor fella.

    • @bart-v
      @bart-v Před rokem +6

      I could listen to him all day long.

    • @bart-v
      @bart-v Před rokem +4

      ... and wish there were 48 hours in a day.

    • @alvinhaglund5811
      @alvinhaglund5811 Před 5 měsíci +1

      he wouldve cringed at this statement, and rightfully so

  • @kevinfalls662
    @kevinfalls662 Před 4 lety +736

    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

    • @markcarey67
      @markcarey67 Před 4 lety +23

      Fitting to give an erudite footnote to a DFW interview :-)

    • @Juggler4071
      @Juggler4071 Před 4 lety +17

      Are you sure that wasn't a footnote in a DFW novel!? :)

    • @nemsimic
      @nemsimic Před 3 lety +1

      Love this

    • @houseofcharm4751
      @houseofcharm4751 Před 3 lety +1

      Makes metaphysical sense

    • @alexhill4605
      @alexhill4605 Před 2 lety +2

      damn thassa good quote

  • @LL-bl8hd
    @LL-bl8hd Před měsícem +9

    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.

  • @billiondollardan
    @billiondollardan Před 5 lety +1085

    Wallace seems to be so hard on himself in this interview. His facial expressions show a high degree of disgust at his answers

    • @ShivaShaktification
      @ShivaShaktification Před 5 lety +104

      totally, very accurate comment. NEVER seen anyone as self critical as him in any charlie rose interview.

    • @jacobr9741
      @jacobr9741 Před 5 lety +66

      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.

    • @Chasstful
      @Chasstful Před 5 lety +45

      Its an interesting observation, I think it stems from a sort of fierce integrity. Its a characteristic we see in our finest artists.

    • @DexterHaven
      @DexterHaven Před 5 lety +39

      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.

    • @lucretius123
      @lucretius123 Před 4 lety +36

      many of rose's questions were disgust inducing

  • @troystreacker8829
    @troystreacker8829 Před 5 lety +371

    He's such a perfectionist.... and he thinks so fast... and layers the thoughts...

    • @DexterHaven
      @DexterHaven Před 5 lety +20

      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.

    • @ModestCasanovaa
      @ModestCasanovaa Před 4 lety +12

      So am i, but no one cares. LOL

    • @dmarcus3663
      @dmarcus3663 Před 4 lety +9

      @@ModestCasanovaa Prove it then, and people might start caring.

    • @johnsmith1474
      @johnsmith1474 Před 4 lety +2

      Meds.

    • @ruburtoe1
      @ruburtoe1 Před 4 lety +2

      @Jim McCracken *he's a perfectionist in what he thinks matters*
      Happy?

  • @wulyf4lyf
    @wulyf4lyf Před 4 lety +125

    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.

    • @Petrvsco
      @Petrvsco Před rokem +5

      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.

    • @davidhammond7724
      @davidhammond7724 Před rokem +2

      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.

    • @mattpike1465
      @mattpike1465 Před 11 měsíci +1

      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

  • @DrBill-zv5dx
    @DrBill-zv5dx Před rokem +62

    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 . 🙏🏼❤️

    • @Kryptdegen
      @Kryptdegen Před rokem +6

      It's the guys that are really good in this world that go through it the worst

    • @flawedlogic342
      @flawedlogic342 Před rokem

      @@Kryptdegen lol

    • @debrachambers1304
      @debrachambers1304 Před 7 měsíci

      By advanced calculus you mean introductory real analysis, correct?

    • @dankbank7424
      @dankbank7424 Před 6 měsíci

      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.

    • @josephambrose2852
      @josephambrose2852 Před 3 měsíci

      Please post positive proof pronto

  • @TheTempleman
    @TheTempleman Před rokem +52

    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.

  • @johnsmith1474
    @johnsmith1474 Před 4 lety +513

    “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Marcus Tullius Cicero

    • @JamesJoyce12
      @JamesJoyce12 Před 4 lety +32

      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.

    • @johnsmith1474
      @johnsmith1474 Před 4 lety +39

      @@JamesJoyce12 - You should consider changing your username to "WikipediaStupid12yearold."

    • @cassiusdio6844
      @cassiusdio6844 Před 4 lety +4

      Cicero was my guy

    • @johnsmith1474
      @johnsmith1474 Před 4 lety +12

      @@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.

    • @snidelywhiplash8399
      @snidelywhiplash8399 Před 4 lety +2

      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...

  • @timsopinion
    @timsopinion Před 3 lety +87

    I can't even count how many times I've watched this. I find it simply mesmerizing.

    • @MD-rp9nc
      @MD-rp9nc Před 2 lety +3

      It’s really, really good.

    • @sriku1000
      @sriku1000 Před 2 lety

      Can Music save Your Mortal Soul czcams.com/video/-uexjy4sWu4/video.html A great watch!

    • @trentonkrzyzowski6778
      @trentonkrzyzowski6778 Před rokem +3

      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.

    • @sportsportsport
      @sportsportsport Před 3 měsíci +1

      My favourite moment was when he accelerates in speech with "..have I got news for you"

  • @pilarboutte392
    @pilarboutte392 Před rokem +8

    That someone was THAT brilliant AND empathic and had genuine humility as well....very, very rare person.

  • @MrZombiekiller23
    @MrZombiekiller23 Před 4 lety +170

    "Is that anything like an answer?!?"
    I've never seen someone hate on themselves so much while literally being praised

  • @Thoushallshred
    @Thoushallshred Před 5 lety +157

    Probably the best, most real, interview I've seen thus far.

  • @unrulysimian3897
    @unrulysimian3897 Před 4 lety +65

    “... no apologies, but that’s an explanation.”
    👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

  • @jaivas16
    @jaivas16 Před 2 lety +21

    im just glad dfw got to see Mulholland Drive

    • @prod6mill.512
      @prod6mill.512 Před měsícem

      ;(

    • @TheBlackDeath3
      @TheBlackDeath3 Před 2 dny

      It may well turn out to be the case that he'll have seen every feature film that Lynch ever makes.

  • @Mhgogetter
    @Mhgogetter Před 3 lety +50

    “The normal incentives to get out of bed don’t apply anymore.” Jesus; that hits home hard.

  • @ChumpWumber
    @ChumpWumber Před 4 lety +122

    Dang that last line is haunting and kinda scary

  • @ST-xg3gy
    @ST-xg3gy Před 4 lety +67

    I'm going to try this look at work tomorrow.

  • @ThaKid14
    @ThaKid14 Před 4 měsíci +8

    This man is such a national treasure. Reading infinite jest right now. DFW is an absolute genius. This interview is amazing. Thanks for posting.

  • @That1Guy
    @That1Guy Před 4 lety +318

    3:17 A few minutes a day writing and the rest of the day worrying about not writing. Hits way too close to home

  • @alexconn6149
    @alexconn6149 Před 4 lety +961

    I’m just imagining David Foster Wallace on Joe Rogan lol

  • @pricha24
    @pricha24 Před 2 lety +18

    i could listen to this man speak forever.

  • @thereversealmightystudios8978

    The way he goes 'no no no' when confronted with the definition of postmodernism... I felt that!

  • @devil_pls
    @devil_pls Před 2 lety +108

    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.

    • @ZachJenkins
      @ZachJenkins Před 2 lety +19

      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.

    • @dominikkurowski3145
      @dominikkurowski3145 Před 8 měsíci

      I was thinking about that. They had very similiar voices too!

    • @49dwalin55
      @49dwalin55 Před 7 měsíci

      @@ZachJenkinswas Elliot Smiths death ever confirmed as suicide?

    • @ZachJenkins
      @ZachJenkins Před 7 měsíci +2

      @@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.

    • @49dwalin55
      @49dwalin55 Před 7 měsíci

      @@ZachJenkins Yeah I agree. Very strange though

  • @bnlang898
    @bnlang898 Před 4 lety +235

    "you're seriously asking me my opinion on The English Patient?"

  • @korwl540
    @korwl540 Před 3 lety +57

    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.

    • @abesapien9930
      @abesapien9930 Před 3 lety +1

      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.

    • @korwl540
      @korwl540 Před 3 lety +8

      ​@@abesapien9930 Is that what they're teaching in MFA's these days?

    • @sriku1000
      @sriku1000 Před 2 lety

      Can Music save Your Mortal Soul czcams.com/video/-uexjy4sWu4/video.html A great watch!

  • @CrazyCow500
    @CrazyCow500 Před 4 lety +298

    "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

    • @tpstrat14
      @tpstrat14 Před 3 lety +10

      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.

    • @spiritinthematerialworld
      @spiritinthematerialworld Před 3 lety +7

      That part was palpably painful.

    • @pantalaemon
      @pantalaemon Před 3 lety +13

      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.

    • @alexobed4252
      @alexobed4252 Před 2 lety +4

      Charlie Rose's response was a bit harsh imo. "Just be". Lol. DFW's reply was awesome.

    • @bgl00ney
      @bgl00ney Před 2 lety +5

      @@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.

  • @edmondhuot5509
    @edmondhuot5509 Před 3 lety +35

    his nervousness and uncomfortable nature during the interview becomes his charm so to speak...such a fascinating person. Such tortured brilliance.

  • @nikhilnarayanannamboodiri2979

    Every month I come back to this interview.

  • @AllegoryofPatrick
    @AllegoryofPatrick Před 2 lety +9

    Thankful for David and the work he shared 🙏

  • @WisdomTooth1987
    @WisdomTooth1987 Před 4 lety +20

    i can listen to him for days.

  • @ecaepevolhturt
    @ecaepevolhturt Před 4 lety +208

    Charlie Rose enjoyed talking to him, you can tell.

    • @Leghore
      @Leghore Před 4 lety +10

      Charlie Rose is finally getting to speak on par. Its never been so apparent to me before...how often Charlie Rose had to Pander

    • @bev_buntu4674
      @bev_buntu4674 Před 3 lety +7

      @@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.

    • @bobobandy9382
      @bobobandy9382 Před 3 lety +1

      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.

    • @martinmcsweeney732
      @martinmcsweeney732 Před 2 lety +1

      @@bobobandy9382 amen!

    • @martinmcsweeney732
      @martinmcsweeney732 Před 2 lety +1

      Kept wishing Charlie would stop trying to complete his fing sentences!! Let the man talk!

  • @dshrute6622
    @dshrute6622 Před 3 lety +15

    Self-conscious of the fact that he's self-conscious, which he explained at one point here. Thanks for posting.

  • @grubbymanz3928
    @grubbymanz3928 Před 2 lety +20

    this guy was such a gem, so intentional, it makes perfect sense why his works are considered genius.

  • @wulyf4lyf
    @wulyf4lyf Před 3 lety +26

    I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched this, and I cry every time. God, I miss him so much.

    • @invisibot6602
      @invisibot6602 Před 3 lety +1

      Why cry?

    • @DanielBoonelight
      @DanielBoonelight Před 2 lety +1

      @@invisibot6602 you....... don't realize he had a tragic death and a ton of people miss him being in the world?

    • @invisibot6602
      @invisibot6602 Před 2 lety

      @@DanielBoonelight yeah I know

  • @plum_swf
    @plum_swf Před 4 lety +180

    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.

    • @shaneelder2183
      @shaneelder2183 Před 4 lety +5

      Well said

    • @user1.8.2.
      @user1.8.2. Před 3 lety +4

      He was so very raw here.

    • @verraque
      @verraque Před 3 lety +6

      this was incredibly well worded. put into words what i could not

    • @ericmuschlitz7619
      @ericmuschlitz7619 Před 2 lety +8

      @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.

    • @regolithia
      @regolithia Před 2 lety +5

      @Regular Joseph Word. Washing your face + proper skincare is severely overlooked

  • @jackrippzz2054
    @jackrippzz2054 Před 3 lety +12

    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.

  • @endymionas8240
    @endymionas8240 Před 3 lety +6

    Really helpful and entertaining interview. He is really honest and clear.

  • @MRide3000
    @MRide3000 Před 4 lety +6

    can listen to him talk for hours upon hours upon hours.....beyond special

  • @judsims1125
    @judsims1125 Před 3 lety +38

    Wallace was a highly under appreciated genius. It hurt me to see his inner turmoil rise to the surface in this interview.

    • @ThePainkiller9995
      @ThePainkiller9995 Před 7 měsíci

      oh come on. i like DFW but he's easily the most highly rated author of the '90s

  • @patrickburns7261
    @patrickburns7261 Před 4 lety +88

    “If that was going on it was going on at a level of awareness I do not want to have access to”

  • @el6178
    @el6178 Před 4 lety +13

    I wish he was still here with us. One of the most interesting interviews on Charlie Rose

  • @MD-rp9nc
    @MD-rp9nc Před 3 lety +4

    I’ve watched this interview so many times, but it’s still so sad.

  • @PINGPONGBANDIT
    @PINGPONGBANDIT Před 2 lety +15

    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.

    • @funfun5656
      @funfun5656 Před rokem

      They do it to themselves but it's also not their fault.

    • @Petrvsco
      @Petrvsco Před rokem

      Maybe there is a link. Maybe they are tormented because they are bright and able to see the world in ways we cannot?

  • @shawndavidclare294
    @shawndavidclare294 Před 2 lety +1

    Thanx for this post!

  • @alexrush4140
    @alexrush4140 Před 4 lety +22

    Damn, I wish Wallace was still around. So insightful on this postmodern world and where he saw it heading

  • @yasuke9317
    @yasuke9317 Před 3 lety +5

    I rewatch this interview often for self reflection more than anything. DFW is one of the Greats.

  • @kaikingsland
    @kaikingsland Před 4 lety +266

    I just want to hear dfw's opinion on everything

    • @abesapien9930
      @abesapien9930 Před 3 lety +4

      Why would you want to view the world through the eyes of someone who took their own life?

    • @kaikingsland
      @kaikingsland Před 3 lety +28

      @@abesapien9930 Have you read Infinite Jest? It's fucking brilliant. dfw killing himself takes nothing away from his brilliance.

    • @ridespirals
      @ridespirals Před 3 lety +13

      @@abesapien9930 you sound painfully sheltered

    • @Justin-ib2iz
      @Justin-ib2iz Před 3 lety +10

      People will really use any platform they can find to pick a fight, huh?

    • @SuperGuanine
      @SuperGuanine Před 2 lety +3

      @@abesapien9930 You'll never know.

  • @robertplautz9722
    @robertplautz9722 Před 4 lety +33

    his brain is gorgeous, his mouth is fast, his hair is the best! we miss you so much DFW! (weeping)

  • @nathanieldeclarador1466
    @nathanieldeclarador1466 Před 2 lety +9

    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.

  • @robdeshane321
    @robdeshane321 Před 2 lety +9

    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….

    • @HeatherHale
      @HeatherHale Před 2 lety +1

      I was literally thinking the exact same thing! ;-)

  • @mggailitis7231
    @mggailitis7231 Před 4 lety +198

    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.

    • @Annifloyd
      @Annifloyd Před 4 lety +14

      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.

    • @MsLettucelady
      @MsLettucelady Před 3 lety +2

      Yes!!! Remember that line 'That man stole my heart!'

    • @l.w.paradis2108
      @l.w.paradis2108 Před 2 lety +10

      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.

    • @muratisik6956
      @muratisik6956 Před 2 lety

      @@l.w.paradis2108 how was he as a teen?

    • @l.w.paradis2108
      @l.w.paradis2108 Před 2 lety +12

      @@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.

  • @eurymone
    @eurymone Před 6 měsíci +2

    I love this man, I can't find better words

  • @10Slayer01
    @10Slayer01 Před 3 lety +93

    His depression was so clear and palpable.

    • @lucasmurphy740
      @lucasmurphy740 Před 3 lety

      @@_v7t okay sure but he blatantly displays his emotions on his face and discusses it at length. It's not hidden

    • @NASkeywest
      @NASkeywest Před 3 lety +10

      @@lucasmurphy740 so it was, like he said, clear and palpable.

    • @lucasmurphy740
      @lucasmurphy740 Před 3 lety +8

      @@NASkeywest the guy I replied to deleted his comment

  • @mr.dalerobinson
    @mr.dalerobinson Před 3 lety +42

    When the imposter complex renders genius insecure.
    Humility and insecurity is a less successful base for creativity, but it allows a more empathic one

  • @maxonmendel5757
    @maxonmendel5757 Před 2 lety +13

    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.

    • @DonBirnam
      @DonBirnam Před 2 lety +3

      You still do and it could be you, plenty of smart brilliant people out there.

  • @spiritinthematerialworld
    @spiritinthematerialworld Před 3 lety +6

    Fran Lebowitz & David Foster Wallace & nothing else! Thank you.

  • @mountainman5292
    @mountainman5292 Před 3 lety +14

    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.

  • @xminteee300
    @xminteee300 Před 3 lety +32

    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.

    • @kutayguler6218
      @kutayguler6218 Před 2 lety +6

      That's some overintellectualization right there

    • @kutayguler6218
      @kutayguler6218 Před 2 lety +6

      Or his smile just faded away which is the logical subsequence of smiling. Ugh.

    • @UglyGenius
      @UglyGenius Před 2 lety +3

      I think that was more a snap realization that he felt he was saying too many “mean” things. He said as much later.

    • @michaelmcgee335
      @michaelmcgee335 Před rokem +1

      He seemed troubled.

  • @exoxy
    @exoxy Před 2 lety +7

    This was magnificent, one of the most fascinating characters I've come across, what a dreadful loss, RIP DFW x

  • @MrBINGEBOY
    @MrBINGEBOY Před rokem +1

    Watching again after finishing Ghost Story / Love Story. Very remarkable individual. Wish he had stayed longer to create more work. Very dedicated to the craft.

  • @reamus9102
    @reamus9102 Před rokem +2

    That part at the end with the brass ring, and getting up in the morning. 😭

  • @ancientname
    @ancientname Před 4 lety +20

    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.

  • @NASkeywest
    @NASkeywest Před 3 lety +14

    “ ‘Am I happy?’ Is a question that dictates its own answer.” - DFW.

  • @OwenWithAHammer
    @OwenWithAHammer Před 2 lety +42

    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.

  • @christopherduggan6272
    @christopherduggan6272 Před 4 lety +42

    never met you but i miss you, wish you were still here david.

  • @pumpkinboi800
    @pumpkinboi800 Před 3 lety +5

    I could listen to him talk about films for hours

    • @brainsareus
      @brainsareus Před 3 lety

      Yes, but what a shame that Rose asks dead-ended questions that should be embarrassing for a 13-year-old.

  • @mirrorsforfaces3412
    @mirrorsforfaces3412 Před 4 lety +8

    Wallace is the man - forever missed

  • @burgee66
    @burgee66 Před 2 lety +2

    this makes me so sad. and so happy

  • @trentonkrzyzowski6778
    @trentonkrzyzowski6778 Před rokem +1

    I love growing with this film.

  • @Ohfukmoment
    @Ohfukmoment Před 5 lety +136

    “Where do you wanna go?”
    “Not exploding.”

    • @wesfloyd8708
      @wesfloyd8708 Před 4 lety +8

      what a shame. we need men like him right now...

    • @ehm7651
      @ehm7651 Před 4 lety +1

      @@wesfloyd8708 please elaborate, I am interested in this idea

    • @wesfloyd8708
      @wesfloyd8708 Před 4 lety +7

      @@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.

    • @ehm7651
      @ehm7651 Před 4 lety +1

      @@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.

    • @ericnathanstucky246
      @ericnathanstucky246 Před 4 lety +11

      ​@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.

  • @mikephalen3162
    @mikephalen3162 Před 4 lety +27

    Wallace's piece on tennis in the "Fun Thing" book is the greatest thing I've ever read about tennis.

    • @Thewoxter
      @Thewoxter Před 4 lety

      Oh please expand on that a little..

    • @drinkingpoolwater
      @drinkingpoolwater Před 4 lety +7

      Mike Phalen his piece on cruise ships and cruises is the best thing ever written about cruises

    • @richardravenclaw318
      @richardravenclaw318 Před 2 lety

      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.

  • @spiritinthematerialworld
    @spiritinthematerialworld Před 3 lety +1

    I loved this so much.

  • @karlhungus5436
    @karlhungus5436 Před 4 lety +302

    Highly intelligent with obsessive compulsive - a dangerous combination because nothing ever feels right/complete.

    • @JamesJoyce12
      @JamesJoyce12 Před 4 lety +14

      dude - he had a lifetime of depression that was self-medicated - nothing to do with OCD

    • @karlhungus5436
      @karlhungus5436 Před 4 lety +27

      @@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".

    • @JamesJoyce12
      @JamesJoyce12 Před 4 lety +13

      @@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?

    • @karlhungus5436
      @karlhungus5436 Před 4 lety +15

      @@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.

    • @JamesJoyce12
      @JamesJoyce12 Před 4 lety +7

      @@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.

  • @willk7184
    @willk7184 Před 3 lety +10

    Really interesting how he explains the structural intent behind his infamous end notes.

  • @michealcurrie8272
    @michealcurrie8272 Před 3 lety +9

    A pure soul, fragmented fragile heart.

  • @ShawnStack1
    @ShawnStack1 Před 2 lety +1

    wonderful. just wonderful.

  • @loureed6504
    @loureed6504 Před 3 lety +15

    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.

  • @Rangure02
    @Rangure02 Před 4 lety +3

    Honestly this interview is pure Gold

  • @SamanthaPenner
    @SamanthaPenner Před 4 lety +64

    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.

    • @drewcamero1489
      @drewcamero1489 Před 3 lety +16

      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.

    • @palbo4
      @palbo4 Před 3 lety +2

      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

    • @lydiaxstiles9025
      @lydiaxstiles9025 Před 3 lety +10

      it’s even crazier to think about how he saw so much of this coming. what a wise man.

    • @tzazella751
      @tzazella751 Před 2 lety +4

      such a trite POV. maybe he would have been thrilled with the state of all things. who are we to make such assumptions.

    • @oobndroobw
      @oobndroobw Před 2 lety +7

      @@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.

  • @bassfacekillah
    @bassfacekillah Před 3 lety +2

    wish I could give him a hug. What a wonderful human

  • @NobodyCaresALot
    @NobodyCaresALot Před 2 lety +2

    DFW is so good by the end of this interview. Charlie Rose really gets it there. One of the best interviews ever.

  • @ThePlastocene
    @ThePlastocene Před 3 lety +15

    I so miss interesting interviews with interesting people conducted by an informed individual.

  • @Funkbutterfly
    @Funkbutterfly Před 2 lety +4

    Incredible interview, "average" human. Thanks for making me feel less alone, David, some 30 years later.

  • @BMG19FUNNYDIE
    @BMG19FUNNYDIE Před 3 lety +13

    Wow. Jason Segal's impression was really good. Subtleties.

    • @AnnusMirabilus
      @AnnusMirabilus Před 3 lety +6

      Segal was outstanding, and that movie is probably the most underrated film of the century.

  • @paulvoorhies8821
    @paulvoorhies8821 Před 2 lety +9

    DFW was, clearly, an absolute genius. All of his essay books are quite interesting.

  • @Pete-hm5gw
    @Pete-hm5gw Před 4 lety +113

    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.

  • @guitarsmasher13
    @guitarsmasher13 Před 4 lety +13

    “Quit worrying how you’re gonna look and just be”

  • @MrTonyPerkiss
    @MrTonyPerkiss Před 2 lety

    PTA loves him - says so much!! 🙏🏻🙌🏼

  • @orangeorphan
    @orangeorphan Před 2 lety +2

    So beautiful and so sad to watch this. He was such a great artist and he could articulate his experiences so well. If only he could be here now I think he would bring me great comfort.

    • @theretrosavage
      @theretrosavage Před 2 lety +2

      Medication will bring you comfort... seek help

    • @tboss8157
      @tboss8157 Před rokem

      @@theretrosavage ???

    • @theretrosavage
      @theretrosavage Před rokem +1

      @@tboss8157 wtf don't u get about what I typed

    • @tboss8157
      @tboss8157 Před rokem

      @@theretrosavage it makes absolutely no sense given what it’s responding to? Are you ok??

    • @tboss8157
      @tboss8157 Před rokem

      @@theretrosavage I suppose randomly telling people to seek help via medication under a DFW video is the kind of post-irony he might’ve enjoyed. Nevertheless.. , life is a sufferfest, be well.

  • @OnePercentBetter
    @OnePercentBetter Před 3 lety +260

    The voice of an angel

  • @sandyreal7569
    @sandyreal7569 Před 5 lety +6

    Forever you, i love you !

    • @nickilovesdogs8137
      @nickilovesdogs8137 Před 5 lety

      David is back. You can see him on my channel he is in dog form now.

  • @maxcano2063
    @maxcano2063 Před rokem +9

    21:15 This is the minute everybody is looking for... Talking about postmodernism and the necesity to overcome it

  • @elle39
    @elle39 Před 3 lety +1

    Love this guy!!

  • @893loses
    @893loses Před 5 lety +156

    I think there's a lot to unpack about how irony and dissociation combined with narcissism ruined our lives

    • @enkiea8322
      @enkiea8322 Před 5 lety +12

      Church.

    • @DexterHaven
      @DexterHaven Před 5 lety +7

      Are you being ironic?

    • @emiriega
      @emiriega Před 4 lety +2

      Care to elaborate?

    • @JamesJoyce12
      @JamesJoyce12 Před 4 lety +1

      I am not confident that you know the actual philosophical definition of irony

    • @danielradcliffe9256
      @danielradcliffe9256 Před 4 lety +16

      @@JamesJoyce12 I am not confident that there is zero voodoo in your diaper

  • @alczervik3908
    @alczervik3908 Před 4 lety +8

    I had the same experience with Blue Velvet. It was life changing film for me, I didnt know anything about it, it was just at the dollar theater.

    • @mariusfelixlange6709
      @mariusfelixlange6709 Před 2 lety +1

      Same to me...saw it in Austria, small town: Klagenfurt, independent cinema, I was the only visitor...went to see it three times in a row...

    • @alczervik3908
      @alczervik3908 Před 2 lety +1

      @@mariusfelixlange6709 👀👀 Alone?! Thats amazing. I was young, incredibly stoned, & had never seen anything like that. It was like getting sucked into a black hole and shot back out again.

    • @mariusfelixlange6709
      @mariusfelixlange6709 Před 2 lety +1

      Except that I wasn't stoned, it was similar for me. :-)

    • @mariusfelixlange6709
      @mariusfelixlange6709 Před 2 lety +1

      @@alczervik3908 I was somewhat prepared: Two years earlier, when the film had just come out, Leonard Bernstein had said a few words to us about it (I was playing in an international youth orchestra he was conducting).

    • @JB-tp7wp
      @JB-tp7wp Před 2 lety +1

      Your username and pic makes me want to message Caddyshack quotes at you lol. “You want to make $14 the hard way?”

  • @BronzDano
    @BronzDano Před 6 měsíci +1

    „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…