"The Wire" creator David Simon: Journalists & the Public Squ

[NoBigDealMedia]

Fuck teachers teaching the test. The no child left behind act LITERALLY ruined my life.

[katheryncruz24]

Excellent!!

[FrogmortonHotchkiss]

That was excellent. Must look out for Paths of Glory now!

[TQmatt]

@FrogmortonHotchkiss Do so. It is a masterpiece, and you'll see The Wire's inspiration.

[FrogmortonHotchkiss]

@TQmatt Recently did - you're right. I see the Greek tragedy in the show at least as much though.

[FrogmortonHotchkiss]

Seriously, you should flag *SPOILERS* prominently on this vid somewhere.

[AnotherMasterMind]

Cheese is Randy's father??? How did they figure that out? Were there any clues?

[JackMoranRain]

@AnotherMasterMind Same last name. Plus there's something in the smile if you ask me ;p.

[mcfarlin505]

@AnotherMasterMind they show the bulletin board sometimes in the major crimes office...cheese's last name is wagstaff, as is Randy's.

[IndivisiblePrinciple]

unfortunately generation kill was weak. some of the dialog was of course great cause Simon knows how to capture the "male locker room" aspect of every microcosm that has it. but there was obviously more of an element of having to rely on artistic license. still the morbid locker room humor and the degree of nuanced cynicism is priceless. Simon and crew singlehandedly destroyed television with their indirect mockery of barbie doll entertainment that is everything else.

[IndivisiblePrinciple]

give the lady a mic dammnit

[SoapSudz101]

my roommate says that simon is an idiot. i dont think he gets it.

[JPBelmond0]

mind = blown

[StrangeLoopGames]

WTF spoilers, whyd he tell me Omar dies? Jerk i havent finished it yet!

[Toftdal]

@StrangeLoopGames SPOILER!!!

[drktigger]

@StrangeLoopGames Don't look for clips on youtube about a show you haven't finished watching...

[sydneymassive]

@StrangeLoopGames Omar dies.

[hudson0815]

WTF there's like 15 people in the room or what ? Can't believe it, with this guy talking.

[sirpickles]

Wow, fucking wow. I love this guy - I am inspired and changed.

[montuae]

Brilliant person with a straight cut thought process..Very inspirational.

[Nonchelanteful]

i am truly HONOURED to live on the same panet with this genious.The wire,although i began watching it for it's portrayal of drug dealing and "cool factor" turned into something else entirely. it turned into an emotionally charged adventure wich came full circle. it is about everything and nothing in the streets of baltimore,and that wich surrounds it. i live in norway and have never been to the states,but even i fathom the message,and the love David and all the great writers has poured into this

[Timzack]

Fight on!

[AnotherMasterMind]

When I saw the length of this video, I said to myself, "there's NO WAY I'll get through this". Then before I know it, It's over and I'm left wanting more. This man is very interesting and intelligent. He's not creating television series just to make money, but also to make a serious point.  Bravo David Simon. You've got yourself a fan.

[crazybeff]

Congratulations on getting the MacArthur Grant!

[Strand0410]

Hell, I'm an Australian and I'd vote this guy for Prime Minister (or President!) if he went for it. He's someone who knows what he talks about, doesn't juke the stats and is under no delusion as to the state of American industry and society (and by extension, much of the industrialised world)

[stan00ca]

Now, I know why The Wire is the greatest show ever created - just listen to the genius of this guy.

[rch777]

that was cool...........

[DarkShroom]

wow what a smart chap, but regarding the doom and gloom of the media being dead, i do not agree.

I am glad the media is being killed by the internet, i don't think they ever trancended bias. Maybe yes for older people there was a golden age of jouranlism that I wasn't born in but seriously, i'm sitting here watching this on the internet!

my generation will solve and create it's own share of problems, very little changes, they said it at the end of season 5, there aint no good ol days

[compactdisk2]

@DarkShroom (The internet is a form of media, so saying the internet is killing media makes no sense.)

[compactdisk2]

@DarkShroom It should also be noted, that while the internet is wonderful in a lot of ways, it also allows a lot of people who are ignorant, uneducated, or just plain badly informed to speak with authority, and be treated as credible sources of information. The internet is filled with ludicrous misconceptions about science and politics, and completely stupid conspiracy theories. I constantly see young people who are supposedly being well educated believing some of the dumbest shit around.

[Monscent]

@DarkShroom f*k that back in the day shit, right? In a way, I agree. I know many like to glorify the old school of press rooms and newspapers, but I really wonder how biased they were and how correct their reporting actually was..

[DarkShroom]

bring back the wire!!!! i know these people still have more stories under their belts, who else thought omars random killing might have been to tie up the shorter season quicker?

either that or it was just being the wire lol :) anyway now we could follow Michael as he robs more drug dealers and get even more dirty with the lawyers, we could have an all out lawyer season .... cmon guys this is such a shame

[Strand0410]

@DarkShroom Maybe they'll go back to it in a few years. But the end of The Wire was goddamn heart-breaking. It went full circle. Michael's turning into Omar, Dukie's turning into Bubbles, Randy fell through the cracks. I love how Simon knows that a happy ending isn't necessary to telling a great story, but any 'sequel' to The Wire is going to be depressing as hell.

[htownhomie06]

yeah, this is definitely worth the time it takes to listen. it's been 2.5 yrs since the wire went off the air, but i've LOVE to participate in this kind've lecture/Q&A session. issues of crime, poverty and race haven't been solved yet.

[gsian187]

At first I was thinking dam, 1hour22mins, thats long. But I watched the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed so if you're thinking if you should or shouldn't, you should.

[skeletordog]

I'm shocked there aren't more people in attendance.

[orientalnegro]

@skeletordog Same, I would be overjoyed if he ever came to my uni, let alone the UK

[tylerdurden1803]

david simon for president

[BigBayBear]

Interview with David Simon where he connects Randy and Cheese wagstaff as Father and Son

[TheYungen10]

MORE WIRED DA WORLD LOVED IT COME ON

[saintdenis11]

David owns that girl that talks about blogging at 55:40 -56:36. She was talking about how reports don't own the story just the presentation, therefore blogger can write whatever they want. He put her and all bloggers in their place.

[jonasser8]

@ThaTrillMagician

i don't agree, i think seasons 3 and 4 are the best. they go in on a deeper level of why shit is fucked.

[jonasser8]

@ThaTrillMagician

i feel what you are saying, dude. the reason i liked the third season so much is because it shows the problem i deal with everyday. i work in a coffeeshop in The Netherlands (family business), and it really is like Hamsterdam. its still not legal and if the government wants to fuck us over, which they do, there's little we can do without resorting to some gangster bullshit. it also shed light on the ethical issues i and the government need to consider daily. love&peace to you

[MaarthyL]

Je radost tohohle pána poslouchat.

[LamarMatic]

first time I watched an hour long video on youtube. The realest TV series ever.

[ambigera]

Can you speak up mis? Mis, can you speak up? Hey, listen to me. Why don't you do what I say? Weird!

[joanitaylor]

The wire. My all time favorite!

[Snampired]

Best TV show ever. Just perfect!

[patoagada]

i love the wire

[nativesun]

Brilliant Stuff!

[1888junkteam]

excellent work!

[ord1711]

Also, hits are timed, so you can get pretty accurate information about how long people are on the page with your ad.

[ord1711]

There is journalism on the Internet. We need newspapers and their full services, but he doesn't have it right about blogs.

We need robust newspapers and blogs.

[R0undAboutMidnight]

@ord1711 Yeah but blogs are mostly opinion.

[davyjames]

It's a shame Simon doesn't seem to understand economics, or why the economy gets worse. He seems to be confusing capitalism with people losing jobs which isn't how it works. When he says people are "worth less" it isn't really true, except possibly in the worst of the inner cities where politics has destroyed everything. In actual terms humans are worth more in terms of the assets we hold. A poor person today has a tv, a microwave, often a car, 100 years ago they'd be strugling for food.

[1timealco]

@davyjames yeah but there's still a huge gap between rich and poor. There is still huge inequality. This should not be the case. Capitalism is the cause of this inequality.

[stableshadow]

@davyjames You are right. There is some truth to what he says about automation etc., but I don't think that mitigates the importance of humanity. Nor does it impact labor; it merely shifts labor. A service-driven labor simply requires different skill sets than an industrially driven one. Perhaps more education, which is why EDUCATION is so important to the economy, not necessarily labor itself.

[z0rgz0rg]

that fat idiot giving the intro needs a bottle thrown at his head

[KorrectErra]

David Simon is a genius. He has broken the boundaries of Television. "The Sopranos" was a great show, very poetical. However "The Wire" cleverly depicts a certain realism which has never been so portrayed so unbiasedly and fair. To me David Simon is more than a "writer" or a "journalist". He is a humanist and dare I say it a socialist(Back off conservatives, lol). Above all he is a great speaker and I hope due to his position of power he can pass the baton to new upcoming talent.

[davyjames]

I was disappointed to see David Simon testifying to congress about the decline of newspapers or something. I wouldn't have thought somebody who'd written the wire would think that politics was anything more than completely morally bankrupt. The idea he'd want those same people legislating newspapers shocked me.

[andrehendrik]

@davyjames interesting point - I hadn't heard about that . . . if it's true I share your disappointment . . . though I imagine David emphasized the importance of news outlets that offer quality journalism. Thing is, I don't think major newspapers qualify for that title . . . maybe he emphasized local news

[Demeralda]

Don't be sad when it ends, I think you'll want to watch it over and over again. Each viewing reveals just how complex the show's world construct is. Characters pop up in places you didn't notice on first viewing, motives are more evident.

The show does feel tragic, and I notice he uses a phrase often heard in the show: "The game is rigged."

Another brilliant mind dismissed by a daily newspaper. Gosh, thanks Sun, we appreciate him if you don't.

[WadeBlazingame34]

Gasp?! Wha-wha-what?! An arrogant phrase from Harold Bloom?? Shocker! Haha...

David Simon = #1 Journalist in the U.S.A. baby.

[chillout97]

First off, I was not sure whether I'd like the series or not, watched the first episode and now I'm addicted. Its real its relevant and at the core is solid solid acting which makes it more authentic on the screen, one of the best TV series I have seen gonna be devastated when it ends.

[colmhall]

You guys are great fun. Why did you stop bickering so soon? I was just getting into it.

[vidfreak56]

You werent meant to get "into it" since that conversation didnt involve you. You should learn to see arguments and leave them to the arguers.

[sillonnelenet]

Stop spamming, stfu.

[vidfreak56]

Are you joking? You do know you are replying to a post that was placed over a month ago right? And that comment was in response to an argument that I was having w/ someone else. What does that have to do with you?

[sillonnelenet]

wow look who cant shut the fuck up

[vidfreak56]

ROFL. Look who cant notice that I shut up over 2 months ago. Fucking idiot.

[sillonnelenet]

You're a disease.

[dropkick426]

This is awesome.

[chromezeppelin]

i'm a USC student and i can't believe this happened and i didn't know about it.

[WadeBlazingame34]

Genius.  Just bought "The Corners" and "Homicide"...

[dilmao]

David Simon has never spoken against capitalism, quite the opposite, he merely suggests it needs to be regulated and benefit everyone, as capitalism works in Norway for instance, which is my country. Higher taxes, and the higher income the higher taxes, free health care, free education, welfare etc.

If it takes the minor commercial success of The Wire to get such an inportant message across, he deserves every motherfucking penny!! My guess is he puts it to good use:)

[vidfreak56]

I never said he did speak against capatilism. Ive heard him speak in its defense many times. I agree that it should be regulated so that its effect doesnt marginalize some over the rest of us, (as far as social programs go, thats another story). He certianly earned every penny he's made.

[shaft9000]

"socialism" and really ANYTHING other than dominant capitalism will always be smeared and defused by those who benefit the most from said d.c..

it's all about getting everyone else to think as one mind to benefit the group of 'rulers'. This has always been the goal of people of power: 'benevolent as possible' SLAVERY

[vidfreak56]

True. And that is also a testiment to the perversity of our language. A great number of "socialist" programs dont even fit the true historical definition of the word. I think its a real achievment that Orwells reality is beginning to come to pass. Fewer and fewer words are used to describe our lives, as dictated by the infotainment nonsense people subject themselves to.

[lukemcgill999]

Sorry vidfreak56 i think you need to grow a brain. Firstly, don't make comments on the show if you haven't seen it. Secondly, yes it is blatantly obvious that capitalism benefits the individuals that aren't marginalised - well done on working that out! (extreme sarcasm) Thirdly, how exactly David is a hypocrite I am really struggling with. You are a moron who needs to keep his feeble minded commentary to himself.

[vidfreak56]

Ok, so firstly, my comment was for another person who was posting about how capitalism wasnt all that bad. And MORON, if youd seen anything David talks about its just this very thing. The hypocrasy that YOU dont get, is how David, can say these things about capitalism while he probably makes quite a bit of cash from the show. And its not blatantly obvious to everyone that capitalism marginalizes some. My comment was directed at one person who didnt understand that.

[lukemcgill999]

Yes there is always a degree of irony in displaying anti-establishment messages in the commercial arena. But for you to make that observation about David makes you an idiot. Change through awareness and critique of our system is required. David is challenging perceptions in the mainstream - which will be our only way of ever reaching a more advanced system of rule. Alot better than morons such as yourself flexing his ego, through the medium of his small mind, in a public forum. Now fuck off.

[vidfreak56]

There is irony, but also hypocrasy idiot. If you cant see that then it is you that is small minded, and not me. Im not making that observation about David, im reinforcing it, because its a valid argument. How am i flexing his ego? He doesnt read these posts. You're simply too angry to be posting here, so you attack me because you dont understand what im saying. If you arent smart enough to understand, then dont reply to them. Its that simple.

[lukemcgill999]

Firstly, learn to spell hypocrisy.

Secondly, I am accusing you of flexing 'your' ego. You have a small mind and you have not even seen the wire so I am not going to waste anymore time on you.

[vidfreak56]

LOL such a perfectionist arent you. Ok so pick on my spelling if it makes you feel superior.

" Alot better than morons such as yourself flexing his ego"

HIS ego being the operative quote. Thats different from 'your' ego. I havent seen the wire, but my comment was for someone else, not you. You havent even seen who i was replying to, so how are you any better? I have seen david talk many times to understand what hes talking about w/o having to have seen the show.

[vidfreak56]

Also if you're interested in the topic at hand, then don't be so petty as to pick on someones spelling.  It makes you look like a desperate fool.

[lukemcgill999]

Everyone, let us listen to vidfreak56 - whatever you do if you are going to suggest anti-capitalist or anti-democratic messages in art or drama, do not do it in a commercial environment because you will be labelled a hypocrite by vidfreak56. In fact even if you passsionately believe that the lives of people are devalued through the predominance of capitalist institutions - dont bring it into the commercial mainstream because you would be a hypocrite.

Vidfreak56 you are a freak!!!

[vidfreak56]

RoFL you really dont get it do you. You think being a hypocrit is a bad thing. Now no, its generally not an achievment that most people aim for, but that doesnt mean they cant become one. We all are hypocrits more or less. Its simply a matter of how much one wants to admit that fact. David is somewhat of a hypocrit when he criticizes the system but shares in its exclusive benefits. Thats the nature of the beast. Im not blaming him, rather im defending him. Read the spam post - next page.

[vidfreak56]

BTW the person to which my original post was in reply to was AliKhaderKhan. I suggest you find the original thread of his/her before you continue this argument because you clearly dont understand. I believe that all the listed posts were marked as spam somewhere.

[vidfreak56]

So it is you whos the fucktard here not me. Next time you need to read or understand WTF and who TF i am talking to before you just go off on someone. WTF is your problem anyways? Is this how you reply to someone you dont understand? Because you dont care to take the time to understand them? And that makes ME the moron??

[vulgusetarceo]

Ali, old chap, I think you've rather missed the point of The Wire - to whit, that the vibrancy, dynamism, success and wealth of which you speak is enjoyed by an increasingly smaller minority at the expense of an increasingly larger majority. Just look at the stats. Average wages for US citizens have been dropping in real terms consistently for the last 35 years. The Wire examines the social, cultural, economic and institutional mechanisms by which that process has come to pass. Peerless stuff.

[Occono]

I wish Youtube had a way to have chapter splices in videos, so you could pick back up where you left off if you need to quit watching a video halfway through. Anyway, excellent interview.

[kfmaster0]

Simon's has a point when he says that "the other America has a show". As much as I love his interviews and I loooove the Wire, I'm shocked to realize that we never ever hear that kind of remarks.

[kfmaster0]

Yeah at first I was so excited to put the show in its own category but at the same time it was the most depressing thing ever.

[xtac]

Love the show, and figured only a person like simon could make it. Bravo, hbo give this man more chances

[homerandflanders]

this is absolutely incredible...thank you so much for posting this

[recbo]

Simon has one Greek tragic hero with a flaw in the sum of dying Stringer, DeAngelo, Bodie, Omar, Prop Joe. Their story must be told. Simon says the Metro section fails to tell it.

Witnesses and Five Weapons Company embedded occupation reporters only come out for innocent victims, "mushrooms" popping up in front of a bullet. Only those deaths base fund-raising propaganda for failed programs and polices!!!

[mister9a]

when was this lecture given?

[theytd]

When pure capitalism triumphs, humanity suffers. Forget the worker, that's just part of it. All of society suffers. The real ally to exploitative capitalists is the average citizen. Not realizing what is happening right in front of you is the biggest challenge humanity faces.

[ajay142985]

ofcourse it should matter...hes written a political satire suggesting the collapse of capitalism in light of the marginilization of the need for workers....you have to wonder what a mans political orientation might be

[pekoe67]

Are you referring to 'the Wire' as a satire?

That had never crossed my mind.

Can't say I agree.

[th38larg]

should it matter?

[ajay142985]

obsessed with the wire but what are simon's politcal leanings?

[choiboyx012]

he's pretty liberal. he admitted his left-leaning political/social views in one of the episode's commentaries.

[TELaz1122]

Dude's a genius and should be president

[beebobox]

agree, now if only the american voter were interested in becoming an informed voter and not a lazy ass dipshit that wants the politicians to spoonfeed him the info that he claims he needs and in the end wont get because the politicians dont want the voter to be informed, let alone informed about his own policies.

if that were the case, america might have avoided a few crooks as presidents in the past few decades.

reading news papers and watching tv isn't going to make you an informed voter.

[Wobbothe3rd]

He's specifically sais that his political leanings are "mostly to the left of the Democratic party"

[CsquaredP78]

What do you think about his opinion from experience and the points he is making?

Political views don't negate or validate the points he's made. He's speaking to his experience and is drawing from the experiences of his peers.

[biglebufski]

To Ajay and others below, is it not better to engage with the content of what he is saying, rather than to start taking aim at wherever his political stance might be?

Also, just for information, left of the Democratic Party is still pretty far right in most of the rest of the world.

Alternatively, label him a liberal, dismiss the show and then relax cause everything is ok in America after all.

[samdonuge]

I agree. The social change we need is beyond the confines of the political spectrum.

[islav]

Bravo! Bravo!

[danielburk]

Thanks for this.