Here Bill Moyers sits down with David Simon, executive producer of The Wire, the stunning HBO production. As anyone who has watched the show knows, The Wire is not just a splendid drama. It is, as Simon has once called it, “a political tract masquerading as a cop show.” It takes a penetrating and aesthetically rich look at some of America’s most vexing social issues. And it’s why Moyers says, “What Edward Gibbon was to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, or Charles Dickens to the smokey, mean streets of Victorian London, David Simon is to America today.” To access this 40 minute interview, you can watch it on the web or on iTunes. You can also grab an audio mp3 here.
Finally, as a quick aside, the video below recaps The Wire’s 5 seasons in 5 minutes. It hardly does the show justice, but it gives you a quick feel for things. If you haven’t watched the show, do yourself a big favor and get yourself a Netflix subscription and spend the new few months watching it from beginning to end.
David Simon talks Baltimore cops and crime in an exclusive article at http://www.wbqonline.com/feature.do?featureid=298