In November I’m speaking at a conference in Leeds, UK, on The Wire (the HBO TV show). I need a title for my presentation. I can’t think of anything. Of course I have no idea what I’m going to say yet. But I still need a title.
Anybody out there have any good idea for a title? Maybe something clever? Maybe something taken from The Wire?
One of the issues that came up in Baltimore at the conference I was at is the realism of The Wire.
I say The Wireis about 75% – 80% realistic. Not 100%. But 74% ain’t bad. And being “real” three out of four times is still about three times more realistic than any other cop show ever made.
But I’m judging The Wirefrom the perspective of a Baltimore Police Officer. And a former officer at that. So I loved it. But is it real? Well, from a police perspective, mostly. But I always wondered if The Wireis realistic from the drug dealers’ perspective? I don’t know. I’m not a gangsta. And neither, for that matter, were any of the writers.
Sure the guys on the corner looked real to me. That’s how they look from the window of a police car. But what about from dealers’ perspective? What do theythink of The Wire. Sudhir Venkateshasked them.
He wrote about it for his blog. I didn’t read it at the time because I didn’t watch The Wire till it came out in DVD. I didn’t want anything spoiled. Then I forgot about Venkatesh’s blog.
I still haven’t read all nine posts yet.
[spoiler alert, but not for Season Five of The Wire but instead for those who want to read Venkatesh’s postings from the beginning.]
If you want to cut the chase, here’s the last post:
The Thugs informed me that they werenotinterested in watching the last 2 episodes of season 5 ofThe Wire….
“We’ve seen this s–t already,” Shine told me. “This is fun if you work all day behind a desk, or you’re sitting in some suburb. But for us, it’s like watching somebody make a movie about you — someone who doesn’t really know all that much about your life.”
It reminds of how when I was a cop the joy was taken from two of my favorite TV shows: COPSand Jerry Springer.COPSbecame a superficial portray of police work, often done very poorly. The Jerry Springerset was actually a very realist. Those people acting stupid and fighting? Yep. That’s what police deal with most of the time. Both shows reminded me too much of work.
Anybody want to hear people talk about The Wire? In Leeds. The UK. You know, where the Queen hangs out.
It’s in November. I’ll be there. ‘Ello Leeds!
Here’s the call for papers.
Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, the actress who played a cold-blooded killer of the same name on the HBO series The Wire, was arrested on minor drug charges yesterday after police picked her up for refusing to cooperate as a witness in a murder trial, records show.
The whole story in The Sunis here.
I have a secret. Until a few days ago, I hadn’t seen the last season of The Wire.
I love The Wire. But I don’t have HBO. And I don’t want to go somewhere to watch it in case I miss an episode.
So I wait until it’s out on DVD. On DVD you can binge and watch the Wire in four hour stretches. Along with being satisfying, it makes the plot easier (not easy, easier) to understand.
So this was the week. In three nights (2 hours, 4 hours, 4.5 hours) my wife and I binged. We just finished.
It was good.
I won’t spoil anything, but I don’t believe for a second police officers would do the “big lie.” So that’s the 25%that isn’t realistic. Like Hampsterdam. But somehow, the unrealistic parts only add to the show.
It was good, baby. Real good.