West Baltimore on the West Coast

West Baltimore

Actually seen on person at a BBQ this weekend. Available here.

Life imitating art.

So, you’d think that when a major US city agrees to give unprecedented access and cooperation to the producers of a tv series, which depicts that very city of being a honeypot of government corruption, it’d be to show to the world that it is committed to putting that reputation behind it.

Yeah not so much.

Hey, Levy…you got Marlo off and The Wire is over. Whaddaya gonna do now???

 

Download of the day.

Okay, so maybe Season 5 isn’t exactly living up to the hype. Which is particularly upsetting, since it took all these years to get everyone to pay attention. People finally come over and all they find in place of the show we love is a shell of its former self. I mean, not to be too harsh…but in the grand scheme of things, it sucks.

However, there’s one thing that has always remained consistently top-notch. The music. Just now, browsing around on iTunes, I find this diamond in the rough. …And All The Pieces Matter: Five Years of Music From The Wire. As we all know, the flagship tune of any given season is the rendition of “Way Down In the Hole,” performed by a different artist each time. Interestingly, the version from this season, as sung by Steve Earle (who has a bit part in the series), isn’t here. Eh, didn’t really care for it that much anyway. But there’s not just the opening credit songs, there’s the four songs that David Simon chose to play in the last episode of each season, which are all solid. My favorite is “Fast Train” by Solomon Burke, which Elbows and I were playing a little bit a couple weeks ago. I was particularly happy to see “Step By Step” by Jesse Winchester, which was previously unavailable anywhere online. In between are other tracks and even some key dialogue.

After the jump, a great excerpt from the included digital booklet.

On the Road – Part One: If Nature Had Intended Us To Fly…

Well, folks…since Mylephnt didn’t put so much effort into reporting from the Golden State, I guess I’ve got to step up. Yes, I too am in California. I’m here to spread the word. The gospel. But before I can change young people’s lives…I have to, you know…get here. Oh what fun!

I can pretty much sum up my travels so far in three simple, but life-long lessons:

1. there’s other people out there with just as good taste in television as us Ramblers…you just have to be seated next to them on the plane;
2. if you don’t just flip though the SkyMall catalogue, but you look…and I mean really look, you will find some of the funniest shit you’ve ever seen; and
3. American Airlines operates like a well-oiled machine. That is, if you happen to be in the market for a machine that is built primarily for ass-fucking.

Ramble on?

Your California correspondent here, letting you know that the Night still Moves out here.  And, The Wire is on the television as well.  Whew.

More importantly, the weather is nice and the hotels are an upgrade from the usual:

Good places to go running and good food to boot.  Unfortunately, the hours are more appropriate for someone living in China.

Episode 4 – The Wire

“Close your eyes, it won’t hurt none. Yeah, there now. Joe, relax. Breathe easy.” – Marlo Stanfield

Well, Episode 4 was the best so far this year. Didn’t try to cram in too much and focused on a few relationships of interest rather than touch on them all. I guess that means that the stage is set for the season, and now we get to watch them all unfurl and intertwine. Anyway, my theme of the week was lessons. Prop Joe tried to teach Marlo a thing or two about money. Burrel gave Rawls some words of wisdom. Carver tried to teach his unit a lesson. And, Clay Davis stepped in some shiiiiiiiit. But, there were also some lessons for us.

Lesson #1: Big is bad. Commissioner Burrel with his oversized ‘noggin is out, replaced by emaciated Daniels; short-round Prop Joe succumbed to skinny Marlo; beer belly police beat reporter got canned, replaced by the skinny (alleged) fabulist.

Lesson #2: The Cheese is stinky. I couldn’t believe he turned on Prop Joe in exchange for a torture opportunity. (note: second straight episode involving torture) Prop Joe was classy and old-school, but he got beat by the young and callous – capitalism doesn’t have feelings either. Although we had a classic Omar scene with Slim Charles, Omar has yet to get it fully into gear. Watch out though. Omar may be old school too, but I bet he teaches toung Marlo a thing or two. Which leads to…

Lesson #3: Herc. How far he seems to have fallen – from a cop chasing Marlo to working for him. Great scene with Herc in the evil lawyer’s office. But, with his apparent acknowledgment of Carver’s point of view later in the episode, is it just a matter of time until Herc, the shit-bird of the po-po, brings down Marlo and redeems himself? (Carver has really shown the most growth as a person; he is turning into another Bunny Colvin)

Finally, Lesson #4: Fake serial killings of homeless people are boring. Newspapers too. I can’t imagine how these two could possible combine to become something interesting, but The Wire hasn’t let me down yet.

R.I.P. Proposition Joe

From the beginning…

To the end…

Click here if the video link doesn’t work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Wire” Recap – Episode 1

So, for my first post on the Ramble, I’ve been asked to write a recap of the first episode of the final season of THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION (i.e., The Wire). Now, I started out writing a synopsis of each plot-line, but after spending three paragraphs on the newsroom alone, I knew this would get swiftly out of hand. And besides, who among us contributors (and our thousands of voracious readers) did not see the show tonight? Anyone? Exactly. So, after the jump, I thought I would make some quick notes about what I liked, did not like, and any other observations/opinions that came to mind. (Disclaimer: I did walk back and forth from the kitchen a few times during the course of the episode, so I may have missed some otherwise obvious things.)

It’s all in the game.

Best. Show. On. Television.

Simple as that. There is no competition.

That’s right folks. Only a few more days until the beginning of the end of a monumental achievement in American television. If there was ever a show that was more unappreciated by those that give out the awards, I’m not aware of it. The Wire is the show you can’t take your eyes off of. Over the past 5 years, it has used the city of Baltimore as a backdrop to some of the best storytelling ever caught on film. It leaves no stone unturned. The drugs. The dealers. The cops. The stats. The money. The politicians. The citizens. The egos. It’s all connected. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Not in Balmer. Not in any major city, for that matter. But that’s the point. Make no mistake, Baltimore is the main character here. Yes, there’s McNulty. And Omar. And Stringer. And Bubbles. All extremely complex characters. But let’s admit it. The city is the star of the show. But as important as the city is to the plotlines, there is no shortage of Baltimores in America. These age-old stories play out everywhere in this country. DC, New York, New Orleans, Houston, Philly, LA, Miami, Monroe, Omaha, Madison, Joliet, West Memphis. Everywhere.

And so, let us take a moment to celebrate what has become a mild obsession for some of us. After the jump, a look back at the first four seasons and what we have to look forward to in the fifth and final one.