It just doesn’t happen, especially something created by David Simon, that the drama plays backup to the music. The music is the backbone to this wonderful epic, cause New Orleans is a living document about the United States and as much some people would like to see it gone and forgotten it keeps rolling, like that river.
New Orleans is the seed to the culture of the United States and the source of modern music across the world, and it takes “Musician from Other Lands” who come to pay their respect for us to wake up to the treasure we are trying to kill.
There is a thought that recreating New Orleans and turning it into a Disney Land park, with re-enactments of funeral marches, and almost spontaneous breakout of jam sessions every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 8PM at a designated club will preserve the history and magic of this place. I don’t think so.
Simultaneously, as we began to understand the characters and their dynamics on the HBO series “Luck” we learned that the series had been cancelled, because of the concern for horses that might be used in the production of the series. Ironically the series was beginning to paint a bleak portrait of the “sport” of horse racing, the people associated with the sport as well as the care for these magnificent animals once they are no longer able to race, leaving some people to wonder if the heat that HBO felt (and reason for cancellation) was about the death of 3 horses or the exposure given to the seedy side of this sport.Unfortunately races horses die from racing and not from being filmed. So the cancellation of show is about politics and not horses, so ending the series did do much for the horse.
Growing up in an urban area, I’ve had a fascination with horses and believed that they were always treated like “Scout” or “Trigger” the always appreciated sidekicks of the Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers, respectfully and that the people surrounding the “sport” of horse racing were the type of people you see at the Kentucky Derby, woman with flowered hats, and owners in white linen suites. “Luck” put to rest this fantasy.
Like everything that turns out to be worth watching, the series “Luck” was about more then just the horses and any one single thing. A well acted, written and directed portrait of people whose background story we seldom hear about. It was the bazaar and conflicting human story that was just beginning to unfold and there just didn’t seem to be enough time (episodes) to tell the whole story. Like the “Sopranos” and “Deadwood” it would have been the second season (I believed) that would make the series a hit.
I am sorry to see the series end. Maybe the next time they will use puppets.
I don’t recall every feeling vindicated when listening to a poem before. “Scores” by Eli Lynch, Elizabeth Cheever and Libby Howard, begins to address issues that I have with having to rank everything. I personally think that creating scores for art work does a dis-services to the artist and the audience.
There is a ton of good happening with HBO/Russell Simmons “Brave New Voices”. Some of the reality portrayed in the poetry is heart braking, angry and raw. The bad for me is that the poetry is written and performed to get a score, putting the reality of the poem in jeopardy. And the score somehow is a reflection on who you (the writer) are, who you will be or even who you will never become. That was sad, angry, emotional but not enough suffering you get a five. Crazy.
Think about it, this is crueler then the obviously fake “American Idol” or “Dancing with the (Fading) Stars” and says your life, your experiences is only valuable as the score we give you. Three, four or even ten people sitting behind a desk can’t and should not even be allowed to judge you. It’s a shame everything has to be a contest. When the questioned is asked the answer is always the same, “it not really about the score, but we don’t have another way of picking a winner”, as if winner and score are not related. Thanks Team Denver for calling them out or was it for the score?
