Songs #22: Way Down In The Hole What Community? #50

Inspired by MOMI's "Making The Wire" week, I thought I'd go ahead and post mp3s of the five different versions of "Way Down in the Hole" used for each of the five different seasons' opening credits. Unfortunately, I didn't find mp3s of all five. However: I did find my two favorites, from the first two seasons, by The Blind Boys of Alabama and Tom Waits. And, in lieu of mp3s, I found youtube clips of each season's credits, sans narration by Andrew Dignan (which you can check out every day this week at MOMI's website). I've said elsewhere that I thought the series picked up steam as it went along through its first four seasons, only to kinda-sorta falter under its own ambitions in its final, fifth season, so I don't need to dive into that again. But it's worth noting, I think, how each version constitutes my relationship to each season, beginning with Steve Earle's cover, for that fifth season, that plays the harshest (and whitest), although kinda groovy, which added to my distaste for that season's misfires (and occasional bits of brilliance). By contrast, Tom Waits' elegiac original fits the mood of the docks really well: all those years of toil for nothing. The Neville Brothers' jazzy third season opener makes a nice compliment to the Blind Boys, which makes me think of the dueling East and West sides of B'more starting to come together, or at the least how they interact, starting with Stringer's negotiations in that season. DoMaJe had the honor to grace the show's greatest chapter, the fourth, and their plaintive march through varying genres, with time for odd samples and a nasty guitar solo and a grimey in-the-round vamp, speaks to the corner boys' close-knit texture, riffing on one another, trading insults and love equally. But, lemme get out of the way already. I'll leave the comments from here on out to Mssrs Dignan, Seitz and Lee. --RWK

Season One
The Blind Boys of Alabama (zshare link)


Season Two
Tom Waits (zshare link)


Season Three
The Neville Brothers


Season Four
DoMaJe


Season Five
Steve Earle

Striking Resemblances #1: Rush/Sydnor

Throughout Kansas' welcomed destruction of North Carolina I couldn't help but think of the striking resemblance between Kansas' star swingman, Brandon Rush, and everybody's favorite Wire protegé, Sydnor (or, more apt, Corey Parker Robinson). A lot of it is the hair. In a related story: The match-up between Rush and Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts should be awesome Monday night. I'm sticking with Memphis, even though Kansas has more size inside -- and fire. Something about that Derrick Rose kid just says winner, you know? Plus, they hit their free throws. --RWK

What a cast. Give these men work.

To tide us over until Cuyler finishes his final write up, here's three moments I really enjoyed, in one way or another, last night. Marlo looked so pleased to have some adrenaline running. Slim is the coolest. And, there you have it: Carver is the man for the future. Fitting that the show's best moments belong to its black actors. Here's to Simon and Burns employing so many. Maybe they'll do another series, maybe they won't, but I hope they can do their best to help the careers of some of their stars, like Andre Royo and Clarke Peters and Seth Gilliam, who don't have the kind of profile that Michael K Williams enjoys. I'll have more to say about this next week when Cuy and I transcribe our 10-week conversation on the merits and shortsights of this show. I mean, I've devoted over 60 TV hours of my life to it, it's got to be worth something, right? Right. It's worthy. --RWK

[Pix stolen unabashedly from Alan Sepinwall.]

MOBIUS UPDATE: Cuy's last entry can be read here.

Marlo Stanfield is a regular Daniel Plainview. Except, you know, black.

Even though I'm in the midst of this really cool Pedro Costa thing at the PFA, I can't quit thinking about The Wire. There's plenty of reasons why, like that podcast at THND between Matt and Alan Sepinwall and Anthony Johnston and the Fresh Air interview with David Simon and a ton of writings all over the internet (from blogs to rags) and clips of the show on youtube. Two of my favorite Marlo scenes are currently available for your viewing pleasure, or discomfort, although my "all-time favorite" scene (to a nobody rent-a-cop: "You want it to be one way...but it's the other way"), which is from the same episode as this Fat Face Andre scene, is not to be found. So, while the videos are up, let's talk about Marlo. Like a lot of fans, like my friends, I'm more interested in The Street (which overlaps with The Schools) than in The Hall or The Paper or The Police or The Docks. Part of it is curiosity, sure, but I feel like I know this side better. Or I understand it better. Or it simply plays better. Or I just like all the actors better (or if not "better" than "a lot"). Jaime Hector is a weird actor playing a weird role -- a role he'll probably never top. Marlo Stanfield is a regular Daniel Plainview. Except, you know, black. And he would never let Paul Dano slap him, even if it got him rich beyond the sea; Marlo would bury Eli underground (or in a vacant) real quick. It's that way with Fat Face Andre here: Omar's only ever out for that angle on the crown, for a leg up, a way to keep everybody around him off kilter and subservient. Then, when he no longer needs you, you get dead. If Marlo can call Omar "Spiderman" and say things like "My name is my name!" then I think I can call Marlo "Daniel Plainview." Because, really, what does Marlo want but to make enough money to get away from everybody? He's barely "in" the street anymore, even though this season, for the most part, we only ever saw him out of doors before this arrest here at the close. He's learned to not trust spaces as much as he has trained himself to not trust people. Have we actually seen him driving at all this season? He just appears places. Hell, he plays with time, too, pushing clock hands around. And he may walk free in tomorrow night's episode, just as Daniel Plainview has his way. But something tells me that suit he's wearing in the series finale (seen in that preview I posted) will get torn up, maybe even bloodied. But I can't quite make out by who. Nor will I rule out that it will be another's blood. Ah, I'm probably a little too excited. I'm sure David Simon will undercut me somehow. As much as I've learned to not trust Simon, I've learned to trust him to be himself. It's the same story with anybody: Marlo, Daniel, me, you. --RWK


These pix are reminders that (1) Jaime Hector is probably a cool guy, (2) Jaime Hector can wear cool clothes well and (3) I will never be able to look this cool. The best I can hope for is something like this, with shorter hair and glasses.

Genius Marketing #8: "Ain't no nostalgia shit here."

As if I wasn't already super-duper excited. Cheese delivering the show's motto? Marlo in a suit? Fighting in the street? Everybody knows? Jesus: this will be big. Yeah, the bait's working on my dumb ass fish eyes. --RWK

What Community? #21: Now, all we got is bodies.

One of the great scenes in the show's history. As Landsman said last night: "The Bunk." --RWK

Encounter #65: All in the game, yo.

Maybe a week late, but, shit. One charming motherfucker. Had to revisit some clips (if not some Clipse) after last night's heartbreaker of an episode. Phew! --RWK

Community #9: Not For Attribution

Although Butchie's departure was painful, this was the funniest episode ever of The Wire. If Simon keeps it up I may have to take back my complaints with the first two episodes. (Probably won't, though, since that second episode was plain obvious.) More from Cuyler at VINYL shortly right here. Just wanted to put these up here now. And cuz we didn't use Batman Bug in our eventual layout. --RWK

Community #7: Waiting for Tonight oh oh