Another Random Bit: The Perspective of David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace's darkly comic observations of the absurdities of (post) modern life have earned him notoriety as a great American satirist, while catapulting his books onto the bestseller lists. Series: "Artists on the Cutting Edge" [10/1997] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 3380]

[@xstaycold]

His sentences are unbelievably exact. I love and admire his ability to express precisely what he's thinking. The way he describes the interaction between the busboy(the bit on his luggage), describing it as a paradox between the "passenger is always right, and the passenger never carries their own luggage". He is phenomenally well at analyzing the subjective world and describing the feelings of himself as well as predicting and interesting judging the feelings of others

[@danv4299]

DFW has one of the best reading voices ever.

[@kate9341]

Ikr 😭💔

[@drinkingpoolwater]

his family also said he had a great singing voice.

[@jeremybow604]

I miss David Foster Wallace. This world, today, needs your brilliant mind. You were an angel on earth. You left us way too soon.

[@roberttinsley8960]

This is like watching an encyclopedia doing stand up comedy lmao

[@ThomSonnyYeah]

Jesus that’s perfect 😂

[@ritualharlot]

Thanks

[@williamgass9242]

Dictionary *

[@nigelthornberry5375]

Yeah! If you wanna get specific though, he's a usage dictionary -- according to him half of his writing classes just involve convincing students to get a usage dictionary. His vocabulary is so erratic that the word "lugubrious" will slap me across the face as hard as "cool" did two pages ago. And it makes me realize that twenty percent of the huge vocabulary I carry around with me is purely vibes-based. Can I use lugubrious in a sentence? Absolutely, hold my beer. Can I define it? hell no. And it's wonderful that his style never comes across as know-it-all or try-hard to passers-by. I still have the way he replaces the word "converse" with "interface" seared into my memory (infinite jest).

[@Lanearndt]

I sure wish that a person knowing something about how much he is loved and by so many could have had some kind of impact on how much value a person puts on their existence in this world, thereby being able to somewhat valiantly overcome the heinousness of the disease that prevented him from seeing the love that was i.e. there for him in this world! I love you man, and everything you wrote and I miss you every single day! and i will always wish to have been able to have just 1 convo with you!

[@annalisavajda252]

Well love isn't enough for some people that's cliche to assume he didn't think anyone loved him he's depressed living with that is worse than death for some people he was already successful so didn't have that as a goal to aspire to either if he hated things in 2008 well they are only worse now as far as media distractions etc. maybe his wife wanted kids and he didn't want the guilt of bringing any into a world he hated himself maybe he had personal problems or didn't feel obligated to live only to write and explain his work and critique the work of others etc. too dull an existence.

[@Luxsword29]

Thanks you for posting this, it's really excellent. I miss that man I dunno at all. I wish he'd gotten some fame in France, I might have discovered him truly before.

[@tomitstube]

i never met this man and just recently discovered him, yet i am deeply saddened by his passing, i feel guilty for not having discovered him earlier because there are so many things i want to ask him.

[@Blakearmin]

Nice try, George. Gtfo of here.

[@thisisallthereis]

Me too.

[@McRingil]

@@Blakearmin wtf is wrong with you

[@Blakearmin]

@@McRingil pretty sure I was replying to someone else named George since the OPs name is Tom...

[@McRingil]

@@Blakearmin makes sense, bless you

[@Theomastus]

RIP Dave. I can't pretend to truly understand what was inside Wallace's head and heart at the end, and I don't think dwelling on that is how I want to honour a truly original and gifted man. Wallace's legacy is, to me at least, the honesty and clarity he brought to our attempts to find meaningful ways to relate to the world outside our skulls. I know that my conscious experience of the world is radically different due to my contact with Wallace's work.

[@aw1tt3]

I totally agree-- his fiction is becomeing more and more abstract and he often seems more interested in playing with structure and style than with telling a good story. His essays, on the other hand, show off his unique perspective and style better because (perhaps paradoxically) they are more conventional. I can "get" what is going on in the essays, so I have space to appreciate his perspective. I am often struggle to figure out his fiction, which means I lose the subtlety.

[@MegaEssj408]

The audio getting better a quarter of the way in was oddly satisfying.

[@horny4bears]

p.s. thank's david, and UC for have'n him, and the channel here to share with us came back a year later, because i relized my favorites had you missing, and people still are seeing and talking around the virtual water cooler of your work in all this time

[@aw1tt3]

I regret having criticized his fiction on this comment list a few months back. DFW was getting big when I was in college and he looms as a large influence on my writing, reading, and learning. He was gifted beyond measure and I am sorry to know he suffered. I hope the best for his family and those who knew him personally, and I hope he found peace. Now-- stop reading these posts and pick up one of his books-- it is the best way to learn about the loss (rather than listen to bloggers blabber)

[@MartianManhunter1987]

The cruise ship story is basically a modern day version of Kafka's The Castle lol or at least parallels can be made to it. That strange admixture of fascination and bewilderment at the cruise ship's workings reflects K's experience in the village. You desperately want to understand it but your forever grasping for it, the nature of it always already being elided by it's own convoluted workings. The humour isn't just funny, it's monstrously funny just like Kafka's style.

[@coreycox2345]

I laughed out loud when I first read this in Harper's. I love the title "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again." I have felt this way about a few things for what seem like similar reasons. I wish he had written about the horrors of Disneyland.

[@2cuptommy338]

Every scenario, no matter how miniscule, he has 50 different ways to analyze how its making him feel.

[@j.goebbels2134]

omg I can't believe his nonfiction is so good!

[@annkathryn8550]

A great story teller. "humor and humanity"

[@_gwiffin_]

I only found out about DFW after buying a copy of Infinite Jest the other day (after hearing it's a notoriously difficult book to read and me somehow taking that as a personal challenge) and after reading 30 or so pages I decided to do a bit of investigating and discovered that this guy completely destroys my sense of humor and is now one of my favourite people.

[@devinsiegel7]

Oh my God this is so awesome!

[@terryhfs]

*hug* Given the themes of loneliness DFW often visited and touched upon, it's enough just to know that other people have read what you have, are reading it now.

[@emmalewisart641]

Hellish opening credits 😄

[@sportsportsport]

agreed haha!

[@kate9341]

rip epileptics

[@ЕржанНасанов]

Thanks God for the person who filmed it

[@deepbluehue3]

" I always found baton twirling a bit occult ..." ...that's an insight i realize i felt , without thinking of it , when i was young and into baton twirling ...

[@mythcrusher]

Instead of "Maybe you're right", can't you tell me I'm right? Please, please, please, you're affirmation and approval means everything to me. And by asking "That's relevant how"?, you've answered your own question, and made my point for me.

[@pod9363]

I miss him

[@captainche]

both are essays from 'a supposedly fun thing i'll never do again.' the first is about the illinois state fair, the second about a cruise he took, title eponymous.

[@semochka89]

RIP--what a brilliant writer he was.

[@theguywhoisaustralian1465]

Good lord this man could write.

[@pippofilippo1]

David Foster Wallace, we miss your talent. R.I.P. from Italy

[@juliefarmanllc]

I was being sarcastic, and I apologize. My original post was only about the comments here re: DFW's suicide; he killed himself because he was clinically depressed. To suggest otherwise is to diminish both DFW and the seriousness of mental illness and major depression. That said, I love DFW for the same reasons you you -- you put it perfectly.

[@blunt1]

Thank you David for your brilliance.

[@JoanneLight]

Dear Leweeja, Thank you for mentioning Elliott Smith. I hadn;t heard of him before. I listened to his songs and liked them very much.

[@aw1tt3]

I am not saying we should not feel empathy for the victims of terrorist attacks or natural disaster; as I said earlier, compassion is not finite-- you can feel it for many, deeply, all at once. Why prioritize suffering? Anyone who has suffered from depression or had a loved one who did would tell you the disease can strike with all the crushing violence of a tidal surge or hijacked plane. Because their horror is smaller and self-inflicted does not make it trivial or even their fault.

[@sheilaabdullah6489]

cannot get enough of his reading. very interesting.

[@hyperreality753]

What an utter treat

[@alladinsane63]

I just finished reading Infinite Jest, and it taught me that we as human beings are all damaged to some degree, and the sooner we learn this, the more easily we will move among others. I wish this realization would have helped DFW. R.I.P.

[@Distortion0]

Bringing it back!

[@anthonynenna1697]

It's interesting how people find this book so funny. It's absurd but it's kind of past the point of laughing out loud. It's meant to be sad and it is. Watching this reminds me of a David Sedaris read-through where everyone comes ready to laugh at his critiques of the world. But David Sedaris has a completely different angle if he has one at all.

[@heartion]

it would have been interesting to see Wallace as a philosopher. It's not fair that some people can effortlessly absorb and translate knowledge ad infinitum into fiction. It really requires certain personalities and brains that aren't available to everyone. He was truly a great writer and neurotically detailed storyteller...

[@shadyzz954]

Truly genuine and genius individuals, oftentimes, have an impossible time trying to dumb down and be disingenuous to societal standards, and they become overly-stressed & depressed. Rather than wishing to change who they are as it is their entire soul, existence and being, they sacrifice themselves. DFW was a true genius and original! RIP DFW!

[@happeningfish77]

I will miss DFW with all my prescriptive heart.

[@frenchkids]

Erumpent. He loved that word.

[@doitinasubmarine]

I know what you mean, it frustrates me sometimes too. But at the same time, he wouldn't be the same without it.

[@morse3388]

what a great writer. it's a sad thing that he's no longer around.

[@chickennuggetscoon6900]

This was posted 4 months before he passed away.

[@jw919]

What a waste. The world is often a difficult place for brilliant artists and David was a brilliant artist. He was also a deeply honest human being. He will be missed for both of those reasons and many more.

[@complexplane6756]

Great video. I wonder if DFW watched it before he died later that year.

[@thomasmoody8708]

This was WAY before he died...he was reading from "A Supposedly Fun Thing that I'll Never Do Again" which is shown here in 1997. Wallace died in 2008.

[@complexplane6756]

@@thomasmoody8708I was referring to the KZbin video itself, which came is from January 2008

[@ssamiuddin1]

Wow. I wish I can write this honestly some day.

[@catb1229]

I just realized that the intro to this video is the drum section from Peter Gabriel's song "Rhythm of the Heat" lol

[@contentinternational]

My soooooooouuuuuuuuuuulllllllllll

[@aw1tt3]

Truthfully dude, I'd appreciate it if you gave it a shot.

[@moonscore]

*Steps into time machine to join group hug 2 years in the past*

[@ohkay9201]

What about the author? Anyone have an opinion on his WORK? His WRITING? That's not dead. But I think I understand: it takes thoughtfulness and effort to appreciate and discuss specific aspects of an author's (especially this author's) talent. Lazy feelers really can't help themselves from lamenting ad infinitum because they have nothing substantive to say... or they do, but it would take too much thoughtfulness and effort.

[@Jimnopody]

I kind of wonder if Petra the Slovenian cabin maid has heard this. It is feasible that someone who once worked for that cruiseline company in 1995 heard this and alerted her to it. It would have to have been translated of course. I'd be flattered if he'd written this about me!

[@DietEwok]

Being brilliant and being right, will not save you from chronic depression.

[@samadhist]

Hysterical Realism : David Foster Wallace

[@Oceanmachine27]

Yup. They're both from "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again".

[@heartofbird]

"To say a goodbye, be quick, never bore; Just put on your hat, and walk through the door. Don't pause at the sill, make straight for the gate. The last robin sings; you dare not be late." Now on, depressive innovative creative writers freely will follow the masters steps, take a rope and hung themselves, after all nobody is perfect. he may rest in peace but i'm not sure if he died in peace ... what a example off success! I want to be a illiterate but live longer.

[@johnwest9900]

I would love it if DFW were here to comment on Walmart being the ad that runs before his talk...

[@camabelu1]

I don't know which search engine you use (I use Google Chrome) - it's compatible with a safe and free app that prevents adds. It's called AdBlock Plus. There are a few around and they are virus free. Hope the tip comes in handy.

[@zachariahgoldberg6486]

search engine hahahaha

[@zachariahgoldberg6486]

and "app" hahahah jesus christ lady

[@camabelu1]

Zachariah Goldberg I'm awfully glad I was able to amuse you with my comments. Keep laughing Zach - you'll live longer!

[@zachariahgoldberg6486]

thanks lady you're the best

[@alladinsane63]

No doubt.. Do you think David believes Hell is other people?

[@jdubyadubya]

"It would seem to me that someone in possession of such vast and complex mental abilities would derive more pleasure from immediately conquering an opponent in an actual debate setting. "... quite the opposite, Willowville.

[@BarrettWhite]

He obtained more and touched more people during his short life than you ever, ever will.

[@heartion]

"spiritually"? first off, what a loaded and nebulous word. second, depression is often a neurological mis-networking, not just a lack of positive reinforcement, like "hugs"...which by the way, was a cheeky thing to say, nimrod, the poor man battled depression his whole life, which seems to indicate it was beyond his control and nothing "spirituality" could eradicate

[@trappintrev9711]

26:53 moves his body like an athlete

[@nigelthornberry5375]

D's got the waterbottle timing DOWN.

[@Theomastus]

'we serious fans of literary fiction detest sentimentality' Wallace himself would agree with you, but would have argued that this is, in fact, what is wrong with modern fiction. Wallace's entire literary raison d'etre was to overturn the rule of hip irony and worldweary cynicism in modern fiction.

[@aw1tt3]

Why not allow at least the sympathy for him that we can have for a total stranger? Why is it to know him through his art (which is a valid way to know someone- not like knowing them on a personally, but the beauty of lit/music/art is the dialogue between the author's thoughts and the reader's mind; it is why books are different than TV: reading requires participation which makes it more intimate) makes our sorrow synthetic but to know someone only through news reports makes compassion genuine?

[@marcsalzman8082]

I've read Pynchon, DeLillo, Joyce - last try to 'do' Finnegan's & Ulysses, same results, maybe 20 sequential pages and skim here & there, but besides my ego regarding mastering no BS complex, genius writers and some (or all, eventually),. DFW is still a genius to me, I loved this, reminded me of King's comic short stories w/o the horror, sort of... he woulda been great to hang out with.... I'll just keep finding his work and.. IDK The Hemingway's. & Fitzgerald's are so overrated & some were of the Bukowski. & Hunter Thompson's too

[@stockbag]

Have to agree. I read everything DFW wrote as it was published as I am the same age, and it changed my, and my friends', world. The two Joyce works are readable, but Wake, though brilliant, is not a pleasure to read. I've been able to read right to the end, but really can't recommend it for pleasure. Ulysses is, on the other hand, a really good read and makes sense as a whole, and it was only after reading IJ that I had the necessary wits to enjoy the Joyces.

[@Ivanschulz]

I know his thinking is unhealthy, but reading him and realizing that fact has actually helped me emotionally. And besides, life is circular- flowers, seasons, orbits, the expansion and collapse of the universe- How can you be so dismissive? In some ways, I agree with you, but what does it say about you if you need to piss on graves for validation?

[@Theomastus]

Look man, I don't know why it amuses you to troll here, but clearly it does. It's not funny, it's not making me mad, it's not provoking in me any of the reactions that give trolls that evil little thrill in their shrivelled hearts. Hell man, I pity you- clearly you're in a pretty bad spot in your life if this is what makes you happy. Maybe you'll work through it, and in Wallace's words, 'I wish you way more than luck.'

[@pamilyadance3550]

What year was this video?

[@UnconcernedCitizen]

Ye who are blind wear blinders. Yet, those who choose to see, see the blinders.

[@ms.mcghee6286]

I want to live in a world where DFW still exists today.

[@SlickCat570x68j2z]

he pulls off those glasses well

[@GRIGORIA666]

are these from one of his books?

[@tomitstube]

now that i have worked a customer service job i can attest that great service is just a job for someone and is in no way an indication of their fondness for you.

[@nour4lina]

anybody questions the suicide?he was clearly criticizing the system and we all know what happened to people like that,this guy is smart enough to know suicide is not a solution,and he doesn't seem to have any problems especially that he was trying to solve other peoples problems

[@UnconcernedCitizen]

Entertainingly entertaining entertainment.

[@oingoboingo1720]

21:34 what's that word "acrite"?

[@ro55reel5]

a deep accretive uneasiness

[@Lanearndt]

Q:... A:...or maybe it's just really rich and wildly creative exposition!

[@Jackmerius_Tacktheritrix5733]

Looks like he’s spinning house in the thumbnail

[@shanvee]

Which of his books is he reading from? He's awesome.

[@toReasonWhy]

Apparently Wallace's videos attract other cleverer-than-thou people, too! You can't find a "sign" of circular logic; you've either found a logical argument which is circular, or you haven't. He explicitly said at the beginning that he was commissioned to write about these events; he didn't choose to as if he were choosing a subject for great literature. Apparently, you can look to Infinite Jest for that.

[@thefabulousmisswendy]

Hells yeah, adult content and themes!

[@horny4bears]

hehehe, so fucking agree with some of your points. felt like that could so easily have been myself up there. honestly main difference between you and me when compared to him; is HE DID WRITE IT, where i been to busy going on doing other things else where so i guess maybe it boils down to mainly, its just a relief, sort'a of a time out from things, and a trip down another road in life, in the events I would of witnessed and things i would've done, if i was in his shoe's e.g. Douglas Adams

[@ex0rdium]

I miss him :(

[@EtherealAphorism]

yes, although not anywhere near as nervous as David. :)

[@Ivanschulz]

Have you read Infinite Jest? Be honest, because if you haven't then you need to stop blowing your load all over the comment pages of beloved authors. The man was a genius, and this book is JUST for fun.

[@maxtundra]

R.I.P.

[@readbooks777]

dfw is exquisite

[@dombrosky1]

Is this from one of his books?

[@EddieLowFilthSlayer]

Infinite Jest, Infinite Jest! What about The Broom of the System?

[@UnconcernedCitizen]

Post-modern is an absurdity

[@loopdsgn]

This clip is intended for literate people.

[@superZEROKID]

Damn did Dave ever put out a fitness routine? He got some gains af

[@UnconcernedCitizen]

I am Unconcerned Citizen and I neither approve nor disapprove of this video.

[@blahblahbleebleeblah]

At best the emotions are synthetic. And empathy comes alot easier to a person who is, say, a best selling writer. At the very least it adjusts the focal in their direction. I'm not indicting or attacking anyone's right to feel, I just think their feelings could be better placed on people who didn't selfishly take their own lives and put their body on display. If everyone on this board took the time to comment about hurricane victims or 9/11 then I may be convinced.

[@xstaycold]

Predicting and intriguingly*

[@JoanneLight]

I'm leaving this lane with the opus they threw in the can when they left. I refuse to believe that it's hopeless so'll stay out of this alley of death. So long geniuses; I know it is tough to not linger out here with this garbage head stuff So long sweet artists; you'd had enough. I'm not blaming--too alone is too rough. I'll take your lesson into my heart like a bell to chime with the now I won't think of you that moment you fell but when you rose up with your muse; took your bow.

[@JamesParus]

Video Starts with annoying migrane trigger flashing

[@karerer]

What would he say to the fact that I never heard of him until he commited suicide?