spoke digital films

After reading part of David Simon’s testimony to Congress last week regarding the death of newspapers (though Congress titled the hearings The Future of Journalism), I was reminded what a man-crush I have on this guy. Simon, of course, is the co-creator of the great HBO drama The Wire. I am embarrassed to admit that I wasn’t even turned on to the show until sometime within the last year, when I burned through all five seasons on DVD as quickly as Netflix could send them. It may sound hyperbolic to say that The Wire is the best television show ever produced, but, honestly, that description is woefully insufficient. The Wire is one of the best works of American art ever created. The show explores the inner-workings and interconnectedness of Baltimore’s drug trade, law enforcement agencies, political machines, media institutions, public education system, and labor relations - sometimes in a single episode. It does so in a brutally honest, wholly non-patronizing manner while also managing to craft beautifully rendered story arcs filled with unique and compelling characters. It is addicting for all of the right reasons. The staggering achievement of this show alone is reason enough to nominate David Simon as the United States Secretary of Culture. However, hearing Simon speak so broadly and eloquently about the current state of America (see videos below) makes his absence from that office seem criminal. This is why I hereby nominate him to the head post at the Department of Culture. Of course, we must first create this position, so let’s talk about that for a moment. I wasn’t surprised in the least to discover that the idea of a Culture Secretary had already been explored by others when Googling the idea, but let me add my vision to the mix.

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(dirt sweat soul is my blog devoted to the intersection of politics and culture.)