Monopoly: The Wire edition
Why doesn't this exist?! I would absolutely purchase, if only to shout out sheeeeeeeeeit! every time someone landed on City Hall.
Omar Meets Hamlet
Ay yo. AyyyyyY YOooooo!
Michael K. Williams, who played Omar Little in The Wire, as Hamlet for a photoshoot by Terry Richardson for Vice magazine.
Hamlet: Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well.
Horatio: A fellow of infinite jest.
Wisdom From The Wire (Part 1)
Presenting: Like Some Grown Fuckin' Men
Until then, Mr. Charles, we gonna handle this shit like businessmen. Sell the shit, make the profit, and later for that gangsta bullshit. Yeah?Do The Chair know we gonna look like some punk ass bitches out there?
MuthafuckaIwill punk ya ass for saying some shit --
Yo, yo String... String!
WHAT!
Yo. Pooh did have the floor...
Chicago Is The New Baltimore
Indicted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Life, as predicted by art.
Clay Davis, fictional, corrupt state Senator. Clay, Rod. Rod, Clay. Sheeeeeeeit.
My very favorite thing about The Wire is that the series, taken as a whole, is a five season, 60 hour meditation on America's broken systems and corrupted ideals.
The series is cynical and brutally honest, but its creators -- among them Ed Burns, George Pelecanos and David Simon -- are correct. If they have a weakness, it is that they may be a touch too cynical, though even then, they are not off the mark by much.
By "correct" I don't mean just that I agree with them. I mean that The Wire's creators have put out a testable hypothesis, which has been proven true by subsequent events. The Wire is not guesswork or arguing or opinion. The Wire is tested, verified, repeatable fact. Their argument is not faith, not option, not fiction -- The Wire is Truth.
Rationale and Theory
Since WWII, key systems in America have been developed and driven by one fundamental belief, first put into action by IBM, Robert McNamara, and Ayn Rand: decisions should be based on reasoned and objective analysis of statistics.
Favorite Brand Names On The Wire
One of my favorite things about The Wire is how it's tied in so completely to contemporary Baltimore and then to the rest of the wider world. Over the course of the show's five seasons, the hoppers on the corners updated the brand name to fit with recent world events. The more ferocious the name, the more potent the drug. Just cause kids drop outta school and deal doesn't mean they're dumb. My favorites:
- WMD
- Pandemic
- Bird Flu
- Greenhouse Gas
- Mistletoe
- Sheed Wallace
- Brokeback
- Bin Laden
For more, read a discussion about Blue Tops at The Wire's forums. Even better, dealers in Philly have a brand of heroin called The Wire.
Did I miss any good ones? Let me know...
Band names from The Wire
(Started by Clusterflock) As listed on that thread, my favorite is The Lawyerly Affectations. Also a big fan of Pawn Shop Unit.
Some of these might be better as song titles...
- Chain of Command
- Bubbles Depot
- Prop Joe
- Wallace and the Squatters
- Play or Get Played
- Bubbles and Bunk
- Shakima Griggs
- Tweedy Impertinence
- Cutty and the Mama Tappers
- WMD and the Pandemic
- Always Boris (for a Russian band)
- Snoop Loved That Nail Gun
- Omar and the Ayyyy-Ohhhhs
- Brother Mouzone and the Bow Ties
- Draft Dodging Peace Freaks
- Bodie and the Prairie Home Companions
- Wee-Bay Takes 'Em All
- Hauk and Carver
Dollhouse: The Best Show On Television
Do dolls dream of electric sheep?
C and I have been watching Joss Whedon's (Buffy, Firefly, the bat episode of The Office) Dollhouse all season. It was slow to take hold, but the most recent episode was so unabashedly brilliant that if you haven't been watching, I can only urge you to spend this weekend catching up. It's the best show on television*.
Dollhouse is available on Hulu and, if you don't act soon, it'll likely be canceled. Smart science fiction, doomed to air on Friday evenings? Go figure.
Once you've watched a little bit, read this analysis of the show. The author has put a great deal of thought into their post, and does an excellent job delving into the depths of the metaphor.