| Ask The Wire
Series Creator David Simon Answers Your Questions David Simon has been responding to community board member questions for more than a week now, and he's still at it! Here is a snapshot of some of the questions asked and the answers given. For the complete transcript, go to the HBO Bulletin Boards.
Imaniv asked:
What was the reasoning behind allowing the revelation of Stringer Bell ordering the death of D'Angelo Barksdale to come out in the format in which it did? In addition, do you think that you risked taking away that storyline of friction between the two with their apparent "mending" in the following episode?
David Simon:
The reasoning? It is the story we wanted to tell, one in which Barksdale's presumed family values are ultimately trumped by his realization that Bell did indeed act to benefit of their business interests. Since day one, this show has been about what institutions do to the individuals who serve them or are supposed to be served by them. Bell did what he did as a brutal, utilitarian act of logic, and, as the secret threatened to be exposed, he chose to deliver the truth to his partner in his own time and place rather than have the secret out in a fashion over which he would have no control.
When you do anything with story, you create and destroy possibilities. The writers made the choices that felt right for the story we were trying to tell.
Billigun asked:
Hi,
I think that this subject was covered in "the Corner", which was a miniseries that pre-dated the"Wire" on HBO. It was based on real-life people from a neighborhood in Baltimore and their travails with heroin addiction. It is on DVD and worth a look.
David Simon:
I'll take a look at it. The Corner, you say? Hmm.
Okay, sorry. I can't be that dry with you. I cowrote The Corner, a non-ficition narrative, with Ed Burns, my co-creator on The Wire. I cowrote the miniseries with David Mills and produced it with Mills, Nina Noble and the late Bob Colesberry. Colesberry and Noble were my coproducers on The Wire.
osowired asked:
First of all, you have co-created one of the BEST dramas in television history.
The violence is escalating, which I expected, but it was really difficult to watch Marlo kill Devonne with 3 shots. It made me really sick to watch it. I want to see how everything will play out, so I will finish out the season.
My question is regarding Omar and Muzone. Do Muzone have a contempt for Omar not only because he tried to kill him but because Omar is gay? It was actually confusing to see Muzone go after Omar, given the fact that Omar did not try to kill him when he the opportunity. Also Muzone did convince him that he was not his enemy because Stringer put the hit out.
Could you clarify Omar and Muzone's conflict?
David Simon:
As to the depiction of violence, I agree. It was very disturbing the way Marlo killed Devonne. If at some point, I find that we are depicting violence in a manner in which it is NOT disturbing, then I will be, ah, disturbed.
At the point of killing Brother Mouzone, Omar concluded that he had been played, realizing that Stringer had sent him at the wrong man, presumably because either way -- if Brother killed Omar, or vice versa -- his interests were served. He did not explain this, but simply dialed for an ambulance and left the motel room. That, so far, is the relationship between the two men, although now, it seems, Mouzone is back looking for the man who gutshot him, but then let him live. Hope that helps.
SexyScorpio asked:
First of all let me give you your props for bringing "The Wire" to us. I hope it continues to be successful and goes a long way! I want to know, do you ever plan to show us how the early years came about for the characters? Like how the Barksdale organization got to be where it is? Does Stringer have family? How did he and Avon become like "brothers"? Just some type of general background on some of the main characters. How did Bubs and Johnny get become drug addicts? What can of life did they have before then? I could go on and on. Maybe some flashbacks or even a movie to let us see some storylines from wayback. In all, do you think you can show us some earlier life stories of the characters? Once again, congrats on a very addictive show!!!!!
David Simon:
Everyone has backstory. That doesn't mean that telling all of it is good storytelling. You use history to make the present relevant. Too little and the characters don't make enough sense; too much and its like too much flesh on too few bones. One note though: For some clues about what the Barksdale crew was like coming up, you can always consider Marlo and Chris currently, no? Again, Ed Burns had a lot to do with that story arc.
swtj asked:
Hi David,
I have been hooked to this show from the beginning. I love it and you have done such a wonderful job. What a tremendous cast. I am so disappointed the season will be ending soon. My favorite is Wood Harris. I would love to meet him one day. What is your thought process when deciding on a plot for the season? Also, is it true that Idris was supposed to play the role of Avon Barksdale?
David Simon:
Idris and Wood, as I recall, read the same scenes and were both considered for both parts. We cast as seemed to make the most sense for actors and writers. They have been masterful in depicting their longterm relationship. It has been a joy to write for them both.
We work out the storylines in detail before we begin filming every season. This happens by Ed Burns, George Pelecanos, myself, Bill Zorzi and at times, Dennis Lehane and Richard Price, getting into a small room and annoying each other for many, many hours. That's the heavy lifting of the show, plotwise.
NatLove asked:
Mr. Simon,
I'd like to know what the real relationship between Kima and Bubbles is. At first I thought they might be brother and sister, but now I'm inclined to think that they might have been lovers in high school or something.
Why isn't Bodie a little harder so he can be more useful?
Are you guys accepting ideas or scripts for future storylines or is that against union rules? I think I have some excellent backstories for some of your lesser characters--some of the majors ,too.
You can probably tell that I am a rabid fan when it come to The Wire. From the crew to the cast, you guys put together a finely tuned, well oiled, creative machine and I hope it continues to run smoothly. Actually, I hope it becomes the Gunsmoke of cable T.V.
"...Yuh feel me?"
David Simon:
Gunsmoke, huh? I think the writers have enough steam for a couple more seasons after this one, maybe a few sidetrips included. More than that and we will begin to hate each other, this Wire universe and all it represents. Dramas need to have a beginning and an end, and I have never been comfortable with the idea of trying to sustain a story past its appropriate and most meaningful end.
Bubs and Kima met when she locked him up and he did some quality snitching to get out from under the charge. Happened back in the Eastern, when she was working the district drug unit, I think.
Bodie is as hard as he is. Hard enough for some things, no doubt.
Lachehe asked:
Just wanted to let you know that you are doing the thang with this show. It is so down to earth, I'm glued to the t.v. from the time the show starts to the next week's episode. Thanks for keeping it real. Now is it possible for us to get to know a little something behind these characters?
Go more in to detail with their upbringing. Give us a blast from the past. And give all the ladies a treat, let somebody (like Stringer or Avon) have a love interest. But that's if they are coming back. It seem like the cops and the politicians are getting all the action. We'd ladies like to see the men from streets passionate side. McNulty is always in the bed, we want to see some of the other fellas too! Keep up the good work!!!!!! Please don't kill off Stringer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
David Simon:
Thanks. Answered much of this in other posts. As to love/sex scenes, they come when the story dictates and are not gratuitous, or at least we hope they aren't. And one thing that viewers never consider: Some actors/actresses are reluctant to work undressed. Won't say who, but it is something to consider above and beyond the intentions of the writers.
lapdog99 asked:
Each week, I watch what must be the best television/cable series showing today. Yet, I cannot help but be severely disappointed each time I watch because of its one-hour format. However seemingly trivial, the disappointment is real enough.
I feel a longer format (90 minutes or 2 hours) would truly make the viewing experience supremely satisfying given the sparsity of comparable programming.
So my question is, have you considered the longer format? Is HBO willing to invest more in a proven series? Will you give us what we want?
Last, Merry Christmas to everyone envolved with "The Wire". Hope to see you again next year.
David Simon:
My man, do you want to kill us? Delivering twelve hours of a story this ornate and complex leaves us drained after six months of production. And we have, in Baltimore, the best and most devoted crew we could ask for. Two hours x 12? We'd fall on our asses.
MsGMack asked:
Hello Mr. Simon,
I am glad to see that you have stopped your brilliant, complex writing to talk to us wireheads. I really love how the quotes at the beginning of each show set the tone and overall themes of every episode. I was wondering if you come up with the quote first, and build the episode around that theme, or do you decide what quote is most symbolic after the episode is written. And also, who is your favorite character? My favorite character is Omar because he is the most complex. There isnt a character today on televison who has that many layers. Also I love how Marlo has been written in as a silent but deadly force, where did you get the inspiration to create his character as such an enigmatic guy, giving us little pieces of him every episode? Most importantly, do you read the online threads? Thanks
David Simon:
We scan the boards to get a general sense of them. But we don't use them as feedback to decide what to do. I learned early on Homicide that viewers, if they had their way, would want to see the same things that made them enjoy a show repeated. Neither writers, nor actors want to revisit the same themes and storylines and that is not the purpose of drama. If at any point, you find yourself using characters and scenes to service audience expectation, rather than a fresh story that needs to be told, you are cheating. All of the writers feel this way and therefore we try very hard to tell different stories, regardless of the characters involved.
I don't really have a favorite character. My favorite character would be the city of Baltimore, god bless her.
Sometimes the quote comes first, more often it is discovered organically as the episode takes shape.
Ed Burns gets the most credit for Marlo. He really devoted a lot of effort to bringing him forward this season. And Jamie Hector. Credit him too, of course.
johnnever asked:
Hi Mr. Simon,
I just wanted to thank you for three seasons that IMHO comprise the best television series ever produced. I didn't think anything could surpass the early episodes of Homicide, the Prime Suspect series, and the first two seasons of the Sopranos but with The Wire you've done that and more. I just have a few questions regarding the series:
1. Is Brother Mouzone based on a real contract killer you or the other writers came across in your years of writing about the streets? He just seems too odd a creation (NOI- lookin, Harper's reading, erudite killer) to be completely fictional. If he is entirely fictional then my compliments again.
2. I know in the piece about the writers murderer's row you joked about getting Phillip Roth to write for next season but one writer that I thought would add a distinct flavor to the show would be Walter Mosely. I know George Pelecanos considers him one of his favorites, have you ever thought to reach out to him or to Laura Lippman to write an episode?
3. I read somewhere that you thought of this season as not only about reform but also as a metaphor for our continued and increasingly futile conflict in Iraq. I can surmise where you fall on the issue but what do you think of the recent "mandate" received by the current administration and its' effect on inner cities like the one portrayed on the Wire? Kind of a long rambling question but any input would be appreciated. Was McNutty speaking for you and Ed Burns when he told Theresa D'agostino that what a president does means next to nothing day to day in the lives of people in places like West Baltimore?
-John
David Simon:
Brother Mouzone, like all of our characters, is a composite of attributes from a variety of people. No one is entirely fictional or entirely real.
Mr. Mosely is a fine storyteller, but I'm afraid that I have it second-hand that he is not a fan of this drama, a circumstance that required me to abandon any hope that he might pen episodes at some point. That's cool. All opinions welcome.
McNulty was speaking for McNulty, and representing the growing sense of disenfranchisement of many ordinary Americans, who feel that true reform or change is beyond the capabilities of our leaders. A political body or a president might achieve worthy things on behalf of people, or do great damage, or have little effect whatsoever. Anything is possible, I think. But unfortunately, in the current climate, there is a lot more that is merely and depressingly probable.
Yes, in addition to reflecting on the nature of reform and asking viewers to consider who is a true reformer and why, and what ultimately becomes of a reformist effort in our current national climate, this season is also a metaphor for our war in Iraq. From the towers falling in a cloud of dust to Barksdale's persistent underestimation of an insurgent opponent to the risk that any true reformer must take, to others who might clothe themselves in the guise of a reformer...and so forth.
randum asked:
what's mr. simon's favorite sandwich? he look like a philly kind of guy? am i right? two or three choices is cool also
--
"meatwad make the money see"
David Simon:
Mr. Simon is unaffiliated with Philly save for the occasional trip north to sample Pat or Mike's cheesesteaks and take in a Phillies game. He is currently eschewing all sandwiches to lose the weight he gained eating bad food on the film set. When more lenient with himself, he prefers pastrami on rye.
The profundity of your inquiry leaves me agape. I suspect you to be George Pelecanos somehow.
RainyKincaid asked:
Mr. Simon,
Congratulations and sincere thanks for creating the most facinating, complex, compelling series ever seen on TV. I became intrigued after watching the stunning Corner. After the first season of The Wire, I remember thinking you and almost EVERY actor on the show deserved Emmies! The show is far away from my personal life experience but the subjects explored, the drama, the mystery, appeal to every audience.
When I think about this huge complex story only representing a single American city and realize that similar sagas are ongoing in thousands of cities and towns across the country, I'm Staggered by the challenge we all face dealing with it.
A few times during the seasons, it's been alluded to that FBI interest and involvement in the War on Drugs has been hijacked by the War on Terror. I think this correllates to the entire country's current FEAR. Extremist Muslim Terrorists are scarier than drug gangs. I've wondered if Brother Mouzone is the embodiment of this feeling?
If the story that the Wire is trying to tell is that the Wa on Drugs became a war against America's poor, disinfranchized and desperate, is the Warning you're trying to give us is that American international relations with the Middle East have resulted in a new, and even angrier, pool of poor, disinfranchized and desperate......and if these two entities ever join forces.....there will be hell to pay?
Will narco-terrorism be one of the concepts explored in Season Four?
Thank you again for your creation
David Simon:
Thanks. I haven't contemplated the notion of narcoterrorism itself, but the parallels you cite between our handling of the drug war and our handling of our relations with the Islamic world are interesting indeed. And yes, I believe that the drug war has mutated into a brutal, self-lacerating and dishonorable war on the underclass. If such draconian policies managed to actually reduce the number of drug users, or the purity or quantity of drugs available, then an argument for continuing the tragedy might be undertaken. But in Baltimore and every other city, drugs are more available and potent than ever after forty years of this policy.
bigbadbold asked:
Mr. Simon
The Avon Barksdale character appears to be less cautious and disciplined then he was in the first and second seasons. Avon worked very hard to avoid attention from law enforcement in season one. Now he is behaving in a reckless manner exposing himself to great risk by warring with Marlo. Why did he change?
David Simon:
I don't detect any difference between the two seasons. Avon was unknown to law enforcement because law enforcement was operating at a very surface level, as McNulty told Judge Phelan in the first episode. No one was seriously monitoring high-end drug stuff in the Baltimore department. But when it came to a willingness to employ violence regardless of the potential cost, I remember Bell cautioning Barksdale about that very thing in first season, telling him that it wasn't worth pursuing Omar at the mounting cost of doing so. Barksdale ignored Bell then, as he seems to be doing now.
jonmanheim asked:
I'm really amazed at how The Wire focuses so much on the day to day drudgery, technicalities, and politics of both the police and the street and seems even more interesting for it. How do the writers work it? Are they so knowledgable about the minutiae that they create the drama with these details in mind? Or do they come up with a storyline/arc which then goes to consultants who may have to radically change the plot?
David Simon:
Although we are quick to do research when we don't know the answer to technical questions (i.e. interviewing a veteran wiretap prosecutor about the problems in dealing with cellular companies or talking to longshoremen about life at the port), we do not tend toward consultants on this show. Ed Burns was a police detective in Baltimore for two decades, specializing in wiretap cases against organized drug crews, and I covered that same material for the Baltimore Sun for thirteen years, writing a couple books of narrative non-fiction, one of them with Burns. To understand how detailed and well-researched the fiction of George Pelecanos and Richard Price is, you need to read their books. For all of our writers, God is in the details. But thank you for the compliment.
RainyKincaid asked:
one little thing
"Or what was the inspiration for blowing up The Towers?"
I thought for sure it was a reference to the demolition of the country's most infamous symbol of the drug/violence/housing trinity, Chicago's Cabrini Green??
David Simon:
Specifically, it tracks what occurred in Baltimore, when the Lexington Terrace, Murphy Homes, Lafayette Courts and Flag House high-rises were leveled and the drug trade had to branch out to surrounding neighborhoods.
Metaphorically, the visual image of the towers falling amid an enveloping debris cloud was intentionally suggestive of a more recent national horror. You might want to reflect on how 9-11 and the emotional dislocation of that day brought us to the current tragedy in Iraq. You might then consider the two wars being pursued in this season of The Wire.
FrontAndFollow asked:
Mr. Simon
Excellent show! Wouldn't miss an episode.
Question: How did you and Melvin Williams become friends.
David Simon:
This is amazing. True story:
In December 1984, Melvin Williams - a lgendary player in the Baltimore drug trade -- was arrested by Det. Edward Burns as a result of an investigation of more than a year that included cloned pagers, wiretaps, undercover reverse buys of drugs, etc. Because of Little Melvin's long history, I was assigned to write a longer piece on his life, a profile so to speak. Over two years, I gathered string on Melvin -- meeting and getting to know Detective Burns in the process -- and ultimately, I wrote a long, five-part series about Melvin that ran in January 1987. During the reporting for that series, I was able to talk at length with Melvin at Lewisburg Penitentiary.
Less than a year ago, after winning his release from federal custody on a parole, Melvin Williams, Ed Burns, myself and Norris Davis (who plays Vinson on the show and has a lot of street history of his own, I must say) met for lunch in Little Italy, enjoying each others company, reflecting on things past and possible futures. It was a remarkable lunch, one of the strangest and improbable gatherings to which I have ever been a party.
At one point, Melvin handed me a business card with his cell number and Ed, dry as dirt, looked up from his salad just long enough to say, "What I wouldn't have given for that twenty years ago." Melvin smiled at that, and later, he gave Ed -- the man who had run the wiretap that finally caught him talking furtively at city payphones, who had brought about his last conviction and longest incarceration -- a little tease back. Professing that he was now retired from the game, Melvin declared that he was grateful that he was now free, that he had some good years left and that he still had a little money to spend.
"We didn't find much of the money, did we?" said Ed.
"No," said Melvin, smiling slightly. "You didn't."
I genuinely admired the way these two guys handled that lunch. Like professionals. Nothing personal, just two men with a lot of shared history accepting each other on present terms.
Melvin is now very active in Bethel A.M.E. church and outspoken against the drug culture. It seemed perversely appropriate to cast him therefore as the Deacon. He seems real and credible to me in the role. Having paid his debt and served his sentence, I wish him well and look forward to getting an expensive lesson in billiards from him.
donincincy asked:
In the first season episode 'cold cases',what is the significance of the drops of white liquid next to Diedre Cresent's body in the crime scene photos?
David Simon:
Good question!
It was milk. The detectives noticed that detail and then wondered what it was doing there as no milk was evident anywhere else in the scene photos. That -- coupled with their work on the trajectory of the shots coming from the window outside -- led them to wonder if the milk might have come from the refrigerator. McNulty opens the door, sees a crude repair on the fridge door and picks at it until he finds the spent bullet. He then shows Bunk the door -- open at the moment of the shooting -- recoiling against the wall and shutting on its own, so that the original scene detectives missed that slug in the fridge door and presumably, the apartment complex repair crew just plastered over the whole so as not to replace the refrigerator.
At the end of the season, when D'Angelo explains that he delivered coke and that Diedre said she would put it on ice, Bunk concludes that the scenario was accurate: The victim was putting the drugs in the refrigerator when Wee Bey fired from the back window, since cocaine keeps better when it is refrigerated. Where was the coke when the cops arrived originally? If the detectives didn't open the refrigerator, they missed that too. Maybe the apartment workers found it.
All very subtle, wonderful scene work -- all of it the work of Ed Burns' mind, he being a veteran death investigator. And being The Wire, we couldn't bear to rui n it by explaining it all in dialogue. If you follow some of it, great. if not, then you still understand that two professionals are parsing a crime scene and coming up with lost evidence, and that later, in the interview room with D'Angelo, that evidence is affirmed by his statement.
bravo5six asked:
What about all the Irish references in the show?
-Robert Colesberry/Ray Cole wake at Kavanaughs Pub?
-The Pogues music?
-McNulty's several references to his Irishness?
The police/crime realism is obvious...keep it coming! need any tips?
David Simon:
McNulty is of Irish heritage. So are many of the police. Carcetti is Italian American. Much of the organized drug trade is in black neighborhoods. The longshoremen are half black, half Polish. People all gotta be something, right?
But I am proud to have sent my man Colesberry off right with the Pogue's "Body of an American." We were not just saying goodbye to Ray Cole in that scene, but to one of the show's creators and a true friend and good man. He deserved something evocative.
dtnchp asked:
Mr. Simon, I would like to applaud you for such a wonderful job. What makes "Thw Wire" unlike any other show is your use of irony. The show is so full of suspense, and I can't wait for the next season to begin. I have never in my life seen a show that involves amateur actors become such a success. My question to you is what do you look for in an actor. I mean do you prefer someone who is familiar with the type of lifestyle which is potrayed on the Wire?
David Simon:
For larger, more dynamic roles on the show, we go with trained actors. For some of the supporting cast, we like to leaven the look and feel of the world by including faces and personalities from the police department, the street, the political world, etc. And there are a lot of inside jokes if you are from Baltimore.
Melvin Williams as the deacon. The real Jay Landsman as Lt. Mello. Former police commissioner Ed Norris as Det. Ed Norris. Norris "Blue Shoes" Davis as Vinson. And Snoop? She's past real. And Ed Burns, having been introduced to her by Michael Williams, championed her for the show. There's a tongue-in-cheek moment tomorrow night when we get a glimpse of Baltimore's health commissioner as well.
If an amateur can handle a bit of dialogue, we might write a bit more for them. Otherwise it's a cameo or a role that is not dialogue heavy. But the show, I think, benefits from having a lot of real people in the mix. It looks like a real city, rather than a set populated by actors.
newbiza40 asked:
Mr. Simon:
First, let me say that I believe your show is by far the best thing on HBO, which also means it's the best show on television. I do, however, have a couple of points of confusion regarding the Hamsterdam and Barksdale vs. Marlo plotlines. At each Comstat meeting, it appears that Colvin has purged the Western District corners of drug dealers. Indeed, violent crime is down 14 percent.
Two questions: If the police are keeping dealers off the Western corners, then what corners are Barksdale and Marlo fighting over? And, how is it possible that crime is down considering the intensity of the Barksdale/Stanfield feud (I've counted at least seven bodies since the warring began)?
David Simon:
Good questions.
Note that early on in the war, both Barksdale and Marlo have been forced to pull their people off the corners and stop retailing drugs because they have both gone to the matrresses so to speak. So their own efforts at hunting each other is actually reducing their corner presence, rather than being pushed by Colvin and in fact, with regard to the Barksdale crews, some of them -- like Bodie -- have gone down to Hamsterdam where they can sell with impunity regardless of the war as Marlo's people can't hunt them in a lamb pen with police parked at the very perimeter, right?
As to the Comstat question, keep in mind that murders and even serious shootings are a minor component of the overall crime rate, which is actually based on all felonies -- murder, rape, armed robbery, burglary, aggravated assault and auto theft. An overall reduction in crime can be achieved by cheating the stats -- i.e. making an agg assault into a common assault/misdemeanor or unfounding a robbery, or downgrading it to a misdemeanor theft. We saw a lot of that this season, and saw Colvin disgusted by the game-playing involved. Secondly, even without cheating the stats, it is possible that even though Marlo and the Barksdale crew are dropping some bodies, those murders represent only a portion of the Western District overall crime, and even a portion of the overall murder rate. yes, there are more organizational killings because of the drug war, but there are less stupid, you-looked-at-me-wrong stabbings or you're-three-dollars-short shootings on drug corners because now, more of the sales are happening in the Hamsterdams, with uniformed cops standing half a block away -- a fact that tends to mitigate against the more senseless violence associated with drug corners. I guess it's fair to caution viewers to keep in mind that Baltimore, and even the Western District, is a bigger place than one drug war between a couple crews.
Re4mr asked:
David,
Man are you guys good. I was skeptical about this season, but it has exceeded my wildest expectations. One thing though...this feels an awful lot like endgame to me. Perhaps not. So here's my question. How do you plan out a season knowing it could be your last, balancing your need to provide some meaningful conclusion, but still leave enough on the table to make Season 4 viable? Also, I found an earlier response to a post interesting via the phrase "the purpose of drama." Three weeks ago, I began reading David Mamet's Three Uses of The Knife, which is, of course, parenthetically titled On The Nature and Purpose of Drama. So, if you'll indulge me, I'd love to hear you riff on the subject. Specifically as it pertains to The Wire, I'm curious how you get so many strong-willed visionaries to coalesce into a single vision. And finally, just curious, what role did Lehane play in tonight's episode (I believe I saw his name in the final credits) Was he the "academic." Great show tonight. Best episode yet.
David Simon:
George, Ed, Bill Zorzi myself and at times, Dennis and Richard, go into the same room and we make each other angry, bored, disgusted, tired and, on occasion, delighted and amused. When we have the story beat out, one of us goes into a room and writes. He or she comes out, we then all look at the script, offering notes and suggestions and arguments. Then they go back. When the second draft comes out, more notes and arguments. Then a final pass from me and we film the episode. Then the director cuts it, and more notes from all the writers, followed by a producers cut, another round of notes, and then a final cut. That's the process. The writers are of varied backgrounds, but all accomplished. The arguments are horrific, with giant, electric ego storms crashing around the room and killing heedless bystanders. But the arguments are also what makes it good, I think.
Dennis Lehane was Officer Sullivan, "minor irritations" who was reading the skin mag in the equipment locker when McNulty came looking for the Triggerfish device. Title of the mag: Irish Lasses. That was Pelecanos, messing with Lehane, though I am proud that I added the headline: "James & Joyce: Portrait of the Pornstar and the Young Man." I really do what I can to elevate George's coarsened humor, but alas....
Lastly, we end every season in such a way that it could, if it had to, be a coda for the show. That doesn't mean that there isn't more for the writers to say with this world that would be fresh and purposeful. But each of the three seasons stands on its own as a singular story with a beginning, middle and end. Or at least we try for that.
kuplagoobs asked:
Do you think Avon still would have given up Stringer if Stringer hadn't admitted to killing DeAngelo???
David Simon:
Good question. I do. But it's possible to differ, I suppose. I see something ironic in the fact that Avon, who sees the game in far more emotional and personal terms than Stringer, was obliged to let go of Bell over something that truly was business, and that couldn't be fixed. Yet on the emotional count against Bell -- D'Angelo -- Avon is brought to the point of seeing that his partner really did undertake that killing to save all of them, Barksdale included, and that he did it in secret to spare Avon the necessary decision. I feel as if Avon had accepted the need for D'Angelo's death, and it was not that death that sundered the partnership.
But that's just my sense of it. Not only are you entitled to believe otherwise, but the other writers might well answer your question a different way. And Wood Harris and Idris Elba might see it otherwise as well.
pleasurecouple72 asked:
Congratulations on another outstanding season. As television programming has seemed to be overwhelmed with the "reality" craze, The Wire is a refreshing and welcome alternative. My wife and I truly hope the powers that be will grant us another gripping season. I wanted to ask David how he felt the death of Stringer would ultimately affect Avon's ability to retain his prowess in the game. It would appear that it was their tandem effort that propelled them to where they were. Do you agree?
David Simon:
Your tandem comment is interesting. They were a remarkable combination, I think. A true partnership. Not that Bell lacked grit and heart, or that Barksdale was foolish, but perhaps it is fair to say that Barksdale was more the heart and Bell the head. And together...
Re4mr asked:
With regards to the writers' room slugouts, can you share a particular narrative thread or subplot from this year that was hotly contested, and if so how and why?
David Simon:
In the beginning, I wanted to use not disposable cellphones as the methodology for avoiding wiretaps, but those disposable phone cards you buy at convenience stores and elsewhere. Ed Burns held his ground, relentlessly. I fought back, arguing that the story worked better with the most ubiquitous and disposable method being employed. Ed fought back harder, arguing that the disposable phones were far more practical for the drug crews and harder to trace. George, meanwhile, sat between us listening to this go on for weeks, until he informed us in no uncertain terms that we were both assholes and he could no longer give a fuck. Eventually, Ed prevailed.
And for the sake of full disclosure, there are other instances were I get my way and Ed eats his liver. And George, he vacillates between a stance of do-whatever-the-hell-you-want-with-my-script-cause-I'm-Greek-and-stoic-and his other mode, which is How-could-you-even-change-a-word-you-ignorant-brute.
Basically, I'm hoping they're scanning the boards and reading this right now, if only for the provocation involved. But seriously, if we didn't give a shit, we wouldn't argue and angst, right?
Bklynspice asked:
where is my favorite character Det. Bunk ?? He's been missing a few episodes.
David Simon:
He is in the homicide unit, until quitting time, when he can usually be found on a bar stool, or home with Nadine, or occasionally, in some other woman's apartment, burning his clothes to rid himself of trace evidence.
Seriously, the characters appear when the story calls for it. Bunk is still in the world, though.
Re4mr asked:
I'm a huge Steve Earle fan, so I thought his cameo in Season One was cool and appropriate, given his history and the fact that he is a terrific storyteller. In the doc "Just An American Boy," it said he would reprise that role, in rather definitive terms. Was that statement premature or did something happen along the way?
David Simon:
To anyone with any respect for American roots music whatsoever, I urge you to grab hold of some Steve Earle CDs. He has become one of America's preeminent songsmiths, and he is, as well, a man of great social conscience. I not only loved his performance as Walon, I loved the opportunity to meet him and even go to an Orioles game and talk a little baseball with the man.
The opportunity to reprise the role of Walon is a function of the story, and without advancing anything too much, I would say that we have our eye on that. People like Walon who have twelve-stepped their way out of addiction have taken a hero's journey. I admire them for their humility, self-awareness and faith. There is more to be said with that character, I agree.
HooDSide asked:
Mr. Simon,
This is sort of a clarification question. I feel like the way the detail trapped the targets this year wasn't quite as flushed out like in previous seasons. In the middle of the season when McNultey switches Bodie's cell phone, I was left wondering why Bodie never questioned why his phone had any numbers stored in it. The detail couldn't have pre-programmed it, as they did not have the numbers for that particular network.
Fast forward to episode 36. When a call is made from Stringer Bell's cell phone to Major Colvin we see Freamon alert McNultey of this. Freamon makes mention of a card he was given with Colvin's number on it. Was that something that happened off screen?
Thanks for your time.
David Simon:
Nice attention to detail. I would presume that when Bodie tried to use his phone, he would discover that the preprogrammed numbers weren't working and we would simply assume that it was fucked up, as in, maybe I dropped it, or these fucking Japanese off-brand burners ain't shit. If he concludes that it is not his phone, he thinks back to the last time he had his phone and tries to remember if he put it down somewhere and picked up someone else's burner. He might even think that the cops accidently handed him the wrong phone back after their search, but since they handed it back, it would be a reach for him to conclude that it had been purposely switched, I think.
We saw Colvin give his cell number to McNulty in episode ten. It is not inconceivable, I think, that McNulty, already suspecting that Colvin's source might be Bell, would pass that number to Freamon monitoring the taps and the DNR on Bell's legit cell.
Okay. I did what I could and I'm all the way back at....page nine? Will try to go at this a couple more times before we wrap it up. Thanks for your patience. Hope this helps you all enjoy the show a little more.
TrotStarr asked:
ALSO, Mr Simon, in regards to absolutely everything about The Wire, what do you enjoy the most??
David Simon:
I am proud, justifiably I think, of the well-oiled machine that is The Wire production. I'm not just talking about the writers and actors, but the best and most committed group of professionals making television. Since Homicide, which began in 1992, some of the best and most critically acclaimed television has come from Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore! Maryland! Why should that even be possible?
Well, credit the work of Barry Levinson and John Waters making features here, and then credit Tom Fontana and Jim Finnerty for assembling the crew that made Homicide for seven seasons. And then Bob Colesberry and Nina Noble for bringing their own talents into the mix and raising the bar even higher, in terms of the complexity of production.
This is a hard show to conceive, to write, to perform. But it is hard as hell to crew. Fourteen hour days are standard and three days a week we are shooting two separate units and doing so in a story where every small detail is a matter of plotting and continuity. We shoot more exteriors than other shows. We shoot 58-minute episodes in less days than most shows.
I don't wanna start naming names because I will leave people out and the truth is I don't want to leave anyone out. Not the art department, or casting, or the Teamsters, or the P.A.s or anybody.
The best part of the show is the collective purpose, the sense of going into battle with like-minded, talented and committed professionals. I am proud not to be the executive producer or one of the writers or one of the creators so much as I am proud to simply be among this crew of people. Our last day of filming ended at four in the morning, and Anthony Hemingway, as the champagne was poured, spoke for all of us when he said that on The Wire, you only do two days...the day you come in, and the day you go out...and the entire crew broke up.
This show is hard, hard, hard. But to quote a noted baseball movie, the hard is what makes it good. And it is also what makes me look other crew members in the eye and know that all of us sense that. I love the people I work with.
One last thing. When my friend and colleague Bob Colesberry was dying, having suffered a severe stroke, I was in his room trying to think of what to say to him because though deprived of speech, he was still very much with us. A few things came to mind and I'm glad I said most of them. But one thing I was sure about. I told him that I loved doing the Corner and the Wire with him not just because of how they turned out, but I loved the doing of it for its own sake. If these dramas had failed, if we had fallen on our collective ass, the time I spent working on them with Bob would still be treasured. I loved the process. Never mind the outcome.
The people I work with in Baltimore make it so. That sounds like platitude, I know. But it's really what I am happiest about. |
