Charlie Rose interviews David Foster Wallace, 4/4

[cameronischat]

"...whatever you get paid attention about for is never the stuff you think is important anyway" - insane

[chives422]

:( the last thing david reflected on, about how he was sort of writing purposelessly, that made me really sad. i can relate to that in a morbid sense whenever i think "what is the purpose for anything?" but i also feel empathetically, i want to give him a big hug and tell him it's okay ://, and remind him of his meaningfulness. he was an asset to the human race

[BowelofSTFUANDDIE]

I don't think he whispers anything at 4:33. I believe that was a sigh of relief because this seemed like an exasperating interview for DFW. I would've loved to have a conversation with him. Even if it were only ten minutes in duration.

[38MJA]

God, that ending was painful to watch. Poor guy.

[IcyIconoclast]

thank goodness they decided to publish the pale king. what a gem. otherwise i might have missed out on dfw.

[goodvibesallround]

I agree with David about rehab being cliche, but I think Charlie was interested in his development as a writer and how these feelings effected him.

[trench]

it looks like he says "fore" but thats almost definitely wrong

[AndyFriedhof]

@trench As much as it pains me to say it I think he says "fraud".

[OHFERFUCKSAKES]

@AndyFriedhof

Fraud...possible. There's a massive chapter or bit or maybe it's even one long extended paragraph in The Pale King where he (he references himself, DFW or 'David Wallace' [admits that the 'Foster' is some kind of conceit], as David Wallace, author) goes on and on and on about being a fraud or a charlatan etc.

[trench]

if only i could zoom in really close and hear what he mouths under his breath at 4:33! no clue!

[edb5s]

@3:10, the sentiment he expresses is reminiscent of Lamont Chu's talk with Lyle in Infinite Jest.

[dalaimama212]

The embodiment of irony: "...I'm not getting ready to jump off a building or anything."

[profligacy24]

what does he say at 0.39? "***** concept of a well developed character" ? - horial?

[ashaman5]

@profligacy24

"hoary, old" he is always emitting beautiful language

[davefons]

@profligacy24 "hoary old concept" 

[tmullen28]

3:30 is an explicit reference to his impetus for writing The Pale King.

[peachfarmstwothousan]

Och, that last line of Wallace's is just brutal.

[prussell66]

RIP DFW

[amaxamon]

@Morgethein I don't know the illness only the symptoms: depression, lack of self worth, fear of meaningful introspection, dysfunctional relationships, substance abuse etc. Seems to be worse than ever, starting with my age (40) down. Pandemic. Solution? I wouldn't venture to prescribe one.

[honeybozo]

4:34 : understanding the physical shirk - opening up on national tv about not being suicidal and then getting dismissed like a recalcitrant 12 year old..... Charlie's got a heart of gold - unfortunately it's totally lacking in empathy

[honeybozo]

@honeybozo actually it's on 4:32

[KennyReddwooddforest]

@honeybozo No, Charlie Rose means well. He is just not totally in tune with someone who is nervous. Because Charlie is not nervous as David saw right away, Charlie is so totally used to being on TV all the time that he doesn't think about it any more. David is self conscious and beating up on himself. He knows how humans react and is highly aware of possible speed chess moves from others. I know, because I often feel the same way. Charlie is much older and kinda like a daddy. Ha.

[honeybozo]

@KennyReddwooddforest the shirk is actually at 4:27 and it comes after he says I'm not ready to jump of a building right now. Appreciate that you share the Wallace's hypersensitivity, but if Charlie is like a daddy he could have been a more compassionate one -so I guess the point I made a year ago still stands. And I don't agree with Wallace that he is a fraud btw.

[KennyReddwooddforest]

@honeybozo No, I do agree with you. Charlie Rose was a bit insensitive. He is not in touch with who he really is, at least that's what I believe. I would be so nervous, too, to be interviewed by him. He is very fast and a bit impatient. He does not fully feel the person in front of him. I have seen it several times. After his heart surgery he had become more mellow. But I don't know when this interview was, before or after the surgery. Wallace is for real. He was highly observing.

[honeybozo]

@KennyReddwooddforest appreciate your comments - dont know much about Rose as I am not stateside; but your heart comment does make sense 'suppose that would be a real wake-up call for anyone. Wallace certainly was for real; he probably wouldn't have checked out the way he did, if he wasn't. Still haven't finished his Jest....

[KennyReddwooddforest]

@honeybozo Yes, I want to buy the ebook Infinite Jest and the others as well and also the new biography. I have so many questions. I wish I could talk to his wife. I wished I could have saved his life. My husband and I have saved someone's life before, but he eventually years later committed suicide. I wished I could have met David in 2008. He was a genius writer, observer, and analyzer. Yes, I agree with you on what you said. And he was very angry about humanity and I understand him.

[honeybozo]

@KennyReddwooddforest google "karen green david foster wallace interview guardian" for an apt interview with Karen: even she could not save him -unfortunately genius does not equal emotional fulfillment.

[KennyReddwooddforest]

@honeybozo Thank you so much, I had been looking for an interview of his wife. I will watch this interview. I might most likely not have saved him, it sounds so grandiose to say something like I could have saved him. Its more of a wishful thinking than anything else. I do believe in safe dying and in giving people the right to do this when they want to. But I would always try extremely hard to help them, to give them hope, to hug them and tell them that they have huge value.

[sebastianquilt]

OK, Truth: Anyone know if Wallace had a substance problem? I knew he was depressed, chronically, but was it induced by other things (alcohol, drugs)? I'm really curious because of the way Rose alludes to Wallace's problems here in this interview. And I know of the 'pseudo' post online, years ago, where someone like Wallace stated many things about his personal life's use of substance.

[sukiyaki113]

@sebastianquilt From what I've gleaned from his fiction, it seems as if he used to smoke a lot of pot and when he stopped it worsened his depression. In Infinite Jest Kate Gompers is suicidal after stopping smoking and there are other instances in the book involving weed and depression and it seems to me that David knew what he was talking about.

Ugh, it makes me so fucking sad to use the past tense when talking about him. :(

[Attakijing]

@sebastianquilt he's just got really bad anxiety dude. that's why he said specifically he can't handle hard drugs.

anxiety is kind of like evil creativity. it requires you to be really creative in inventing scenarios where things will go wrong. "what if this happens then this then this and then everyone will see me as being pretentious" is obviously something he goes through throughout this whole interview. It seems like the curse of a truly creative person.

[amaxamon]

OMG, when Rose looks at the camera at the end he's *so* thinking, "Yep, this one's a jumper!" Very sad story. That whole self absorbed narcissistic generation just imploded. Looks like the nest crop is no better off. Something very wrong with our culture.

[FunnyCowboyDance]

I think Rose did a very good job of interviewing Wallace. Wallace was obviously uncomfortable, but you have to realize that he was just an uncomfortable person. Rose was confrontational, but not in a negative way. I think you would have to be to keep up with Wallace's massively encyclopedic and superior brain.

[TheToonTime]

man.... the charlie rose guy is a fuckin asshole..... 4:30 RIP DFW

[FloridaRaider]

2 suicide references in that interview.

[distraughtsymphony]

God he looked so uncomfortable at the end of that interview... Just his body language.... FUCK.....

[septip123]

DFW seemed to have been a very thoughtful person. I bet he was a wonderful collaborator with friends and peers.

[firethief]

I wish Jack Kornfield or someone had thrown him into a headlock and given him a noogie, then spent time with him.

[newsradiohead]

I'm shedding manly tears right now.

[jakkelyd]

great stuff, thanks

[CPLains]

that's not good news! hahaha

interesting interview

thanks for upload,

:D

[acinodras]

This was great - thanks for putting it up!

[petergib]

last thing he says is rather eerie.

[imkontagious]

@petergib umm a little bit

[desembodic]

@petergib yes he obviously believed a lot of what he was saying there then we realized at the time. Quite depressing to hear him speak like that at the end knowing what happened to him. But what I find more depressing is that what he is saying is very true for everyone.

[junka22]

Interesting interview, thanks for the upload. R.I.P David Foster Wallace