Great interview by stephanie palumbo with michael schur in the most recent issue of the believer which covers all manner of things including significant content about david foster wallace. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 37 duration. Infinite jests eschaton in video form mental floss. The guest list is starstudded with vocal appearances from carol burnett, seth meyers, michael schur, patrick stewart, kathleen turner, and even amys parents yes please is the ultimate audiobook extravaganza. Michael schur on dfw in the believer general updates. Other tv show, bojack horseman, seems to be loosely based on this book. Last nights parks and rec was full of references to infinite jest. Infinite jest is one of the great novels of our era, but it would probably make a terrible movie. Schur is such a jest fanboy that when the feature rights to the novel came up for sale a year ago, he snatched them more on that later. Infinite winter read infinite jest with a few hundred of. The decemberists yeah, your moms favorite new band and michael schur from parks and rec yeah, the only show you watch on broadcast, whatever that means now have come together to reenact a scene from infinite jest for a decemberists video. And to continue in my fealty to mike schur, i decided to devour the massive feast that is infinite jest. I found out that infinite jest was the favorite book of the showrunner of parks and recreation mike schur.
A biographer thinks hed be wowed by the decemberists infinite jest tribute. Michael schur, coproducer and actor of the office tv series owns the movie rights to infinite jest. David foster wallace, the postmodern maximalist known for his 1,079page opus infinite jest, popular essays like a supposedly fun thing ill never do again, and his posthumous novel the. There are many reference to the book and the author in the office. Infinite winter read infinite jest with a few hundred of your closest. Michael schur, in sweatshirt, cocreator of parks and recreation, based a new video for the decemberists calamity song on infinite jest. The ransom center purchasing wallaces archive, including handwritten, first drafts of infinite jest. Michael schur, in sweatshirt, cocreator of parks and recreation, based a new video for the decemberists calamity song on infinite jest, the novel by david foster wallace. Infinitejest submitted 1 year ago by subject99 ok so i know the prospect of making an adaptation of the book is kind of a touchy subject on this sub. He created the good place, cocreated the comedy series brooklyn ninenine and was a producer on the series master of none. Til that michael schur, the creator of parks and recreation, reddit. Infinite jest scene, reborn as a rock video indian express. Infinite jest references in partridge check out this episode.
Reading from the blindspots a short meditation on the whiteness of david foster wallaces writing. Directed by michael schur, who works on the fantastic parks and recreation, calamity song depicts a game of eschaton from the david foster wallace novel infinite jest which ive written about here. Its not clear how many copies of the limited edition are available, but the record boasts some guest stars in the unabridged recording, including carol burnett, seth meyers, michael schur, patrick stewart. Schur was approached to direct the calamity song video because he went to school with the brother of the decemberists manager, who remembered his affinity for infinite jest. Amy poehler is hosting a dinner party and youre invited. David foster wallace would have had his 50th birthday on february 21, 2012. Michael herbert schur born october 29, 1975 is an american television producer, writer, and actor. Parks and recreations michael schur talks about directing the. So many people post their i just finished x post, and while thats fine, what i hope to do differently is having just finished infinite jest, write a post i would have liked to have read before having started the book. Mike schur, showrunner of parks and recreation, is obsessed with david foster wallace.
He was a producer and writer for the comedy series the office, and cocreated parks and recreation with office producer greg daniels. Absolutely, for the novice to this type of literary fiction, i cannot tell you how many times i have started and given up on the actual book. The law firm representing councilman jamm is gately, wayne, kittenplan, and troeltsch, which are all names of students at the fictional enfield tennis academy. The dream director for infinite jest movieseries self. Michael schur takes on infinite jest bookish impose. I think thats the only infinite jest adaptation id be interested in. The bands manager, jason, contacted me through his brother michael with whom i went to college and asked me to direct a video they were planning that referenced a section of the book infinite jest. In any case, this is as close as were ever likely to get. Decemberists frontman colin meloy came up with the videos conceptwhich involves teenagers playing the fictional game eschatonand got acquainted with schur by talking about the book for an hour over the phone. The decemberists recreate david foster wallaces infinite jest with help from parks and recreation show runner michael schur.
How to pretend youve read david foster wallaces infinite jest. How to pretend youve read david foster wallaces infinite. Infinite jest audiobook david foster wallace audible. While there are many details in the life of michael schur, the cocreator and show runner of the comedy show parks and recreation, that convey his obsession with the david foster wallace novel infinite jest, perhaps the most salient is that his wife once forbade him from discussing that 1,079pagelong work of fiction at social gatherings. The good place, owns the film rights to david foster wallaces novel, infinite jest. Part i with a foreword by dave eggers to be better than the print version.
Bojack horseman and infinite jest are basically the same story. Harpercollins is releasing amy poehlers audio book on vinyl. Infinite jest works well in audiobook form and this is in no small part helped by sean pratts fantastic reading complete with impressive changes in accent, tone and characterisation. This is long listen but the chapters are well paced, and as mentioned, sean pratt reads with a deep sensitivity and knowledge of the text and the author humour is particularly effectively conveyed. At harvard, he made wallace an honorary member of the lampoon and wrote his thesis about infinite jest. Mike schur was recently on ezra kleins podcast and recommended this as an example of great.
And when a rep for the group called in search of a music. Michael herbert schur born october 29, 1975 is an american television. The bands manager, jason, contacted me through his brother michael and asked me to direct a video they were planning that referenced a section of the book infinite jest. Infinite jest imbues decemberists video by michael schur the. Would you consider the audio edition of infinite jest. For most people, simply having a copy of david foster wallaces infinite jest once a cult doorstop of a novel, now a point of honorcontention among readerson the bookshelf or coffee table is enough to impress. One of my friends suggests doing infinite jest as an anthology series where the intent is not to adapt the whole book but to interpret a bunch of scenes, all from different directors etc. Welcome to the audiobook edition of amy poehlers yes please. A scene in infinite jest is reborn as a rock video. Ive got two worn copies, just to be on the safe side. Calamity song by the decemberists the new york times. Its directed by michael schur parks and recreation writer, mose schrute in several episodes of.
It was henry rollins, adam scott, myself, and a couple of other actors. His brand of humor contains an extraordinary amount of pathos while maintaining irreverence, and that complexity is embedded in schur. Michael schur wrote for saturday night live and the office before cocreating, writing, and producing parks and recreation and, most recently, brooklyn ninenine, two halfhour comedies that have won critical acclaim and loyal fans. The video is directed by michael schur, a cocreator of nbcs parks and recreation.
Show executive producer michael schur is a fan of david foster wallace, american author of infinite jest 1996. This entire episode is essentially an homage to that book. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the idea of what a novel can do. Til that michael schur the creator of parks and recreation brooklyn ninenine and the good place owns the film rights to david foster wallaces novel infinite jest. Thinking about david foster wallace, misogyny and scholarship. This performance by sean pratt is really humorous, sad and entertaining.
Yesterday, parks and recreation showrunner michael schur alerted us via tweet that last nights episode would include a few ij references. Parks and recreation cocreator showrunner mike schur is a noted fan of david foster wallaces novel infinite jest, and prior to last nights. Michael schur on dfw in the believer general updates great interview by stephanie palumbo with michael schur in the most recent issue of the believer which covers all manner of things including significant content about david foster wallace. An interview with michael schur parks and recreation. The david foster wallace conference, held the past two years at illinois state. Michael herbert schur, popularly known as michael schur is an american television producer, writer, and actor. So thanks, dave wallace, not laird, for this gift of infinite jest.
Michael schur is a big dfw fan who directed the decemberists eschaton inspired vid clip back in in 2011 and has referenced dfw in his tv show parks and recreation. Parks and recreations michael schur talks about directing. Ive read lord of the rings is better listened an audiobook than read as a book. The new york times wrote a piece giving the full background. David foster wallace, the postmodern maximalist known for his 1,079page opus infinite jest. Infinite jest imbues decemberists video by michael schur. Til that michael schur, the creator of parks and recreation, brooklyn. Here is michael schur on directing the video for the decemberists calamity song, which was inspired by david foster wallaces infinite jest. If you want to understand the creative nuts and bolts of michael schur a writer for such nbc comedy institutions as saturday night live, the office, and parks and recreationyou should probably read novelist david foster wallaces 1996 novel, infinite jest.