Donald Glover interviewed Donald Glover for the latest cover of Interview Magazine, and the “Atlanta” Emmy winner got honest with himself about the relationship between his FX series and Lil Dicky’s FXX series “Dave.” Both shows are often grouped together in conversations online as they were created by rappers, have storylines that center on an aspiring rapper and contemplate the nature of fame and success.
Glover shaded “Dave” on Twitter last fall after users compared the two shows, writing, “I’m watching ya’ll say ‘Dave’ is on par. Like ya’ll forgot what we did. No respect…we got Black people on here debating which is better, and I’m the sellout?” Glover later deleted the tweets.
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So does Glover dislike “Dave”? “No! I like that show,” he said in Interview. “But it does bother me when ‘Atlanta’s’ compared to it.”
Glover said that “Dave” has an “artificial” flavor to it “in some sense,” and went on to explain his idea for what “Dave” should be. “The organic show should be about a white rapper who’s more successful than his Black peers from the jump,” he said. “Because he’s more accessible. But what he actually wants is to be part of the culture, but his success keeps him from that and a lot of his Black peers and friends resent him for it but also feel like they have to fuck with him because it’s good for them. That’s the internal struggle I see. Anyway.”
While Glover said “Dave” can be whatever it wants to be, he takes issue with that show being compared to “Atlanta.” As Glover said, “I think in entertainment or art it’s important to know the difference between things. Like, Anthony Bourdain wasn’t pretentious, but he definitely knew the difference between a dry aged wagyu and a smash burger. Neither is better or worse than the other. They’re just different experiences. And I wouldn’t want to have either every day. But I would never confuse the two. I expect the same of my audience.”
Glover used a food analogy to conclude his thoughts on “Dave,” saying, “It’s a good burger you should eat fast because the ingredients are fresh. By a guy who didn’t study at a culinary school, but paid close attention to other burger spots and has the plug on good ingredients.”
“Atlanta” is currently airing its third season on FX and will return for a fourth and final season this fall. “Dave” ended its second season in August 2021 and will return for a third season at a later date.
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