“My Name Is My Name!”
GENERAL By LC Weber on March 4, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Yesterday my esteemed colleague and good friend Matthew Mundy and I were honored with the chance to hear David Simon — creator of The Wire, and thus my social life — speak on campus here at the University of Southern California.
We knew the lecture started at 4 p.m., and so the no-brainer was we would show up at 2:30 p.m. to guarantee our spot in line.
“We may be overestimating the level of fanaticism for The Wire on campus,” Matt said last week when we made the plans. “But… better safe than sorry.”
Needless to say, Matt and I were the only ones sitting in the hall for about, oh, an hour and a half. But we had great seats, so clearly it was worth it. The only thing we overestimated was the competence and character of our schoolmates who didn’t show up in a timely fashion, as per us.
After Mr. Simon finished speaking about the show’s structure and this season’s storyline, the lecture was opened up for questions. Obviously, I took my chance… and because Matt was in a state of perpetual man-crush, I had to speak for both of us. Mind you, all other questions asked were philosophical in nature and far over my tiny capacity for thought and reason. Then it was my turn.
“Mr. Simon,” I said, “my peer and I have a question we’ve discussed endlessly, and if I don’t ask you this now, I’ll never forgive myself. Are Randy Wagstaff and Cheese Wagstaff related?”
“I’ll tell you,” he said. “Randy is actually Cheese’s son.”
What the fuck?!?!
“You just blew my mind,” I said, on the brink of puking, or passing out. “Why did you decide not to include that in the storyline?”
“Well, we talked about it, but there were only ten episodes this season… and we just felt that by not saying it, it fleshed out the skeleton of the story a little more,” he said.
The rest of the discussion was a blur. I had no other questions I could possibly ask. There were no other statements he could possibly make.
Let’s be clear here…
Cheese Wagstaff = a fucking father.
Randy Wagstaff = fucked for life.
“Now Cheese must die,” Matt said after the lecture. “He sold out Prop Joe and he’s responsible for Randy. Plus he hasn’t released a good album since Tical, so…”
“You should really go talk to David Simon,” I said. “I got my piece in with him.”
“And say what?” he asked. “Or should I just give him the 45-minute hug I told all my friends I was going to?”
And I guess that’s just it, isn’t it? Now that we know the answer to the itch that needed scratching, all that’s left is to give the man a 45-minute hug.
So here’s to The Wire. We’ll miss you.
Posted in GENERAL, SMOKE BREAK — Tags: David Simon, The Wire
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55 Comments
Uno
Dos
I hate to see the show go
woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. scoop!
he should take parenting tips from Wee-Bay
Poor Randy….
sigh.
…and poor Michael.
…and poor Dukie…
and poor… lil Michael…
yay Namon!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/nyregion/04building.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin
City Rejects Sale of Building Seen as Hip-Hop’s Birthplace
haha, great write up…i love tss.
I think I might have asked him (David Simon) about his taste in hip-hop…
Always kinda assumed Randy was Cheese’s boy based on Randy’s write-up on the HBO site:
Having lost his mother to the streets at a young age and having never known his father, reputedly an eastside corner boy who later became a major drug trafficker, Randy grew up in group homes under the supervision of Maryland’s Department of Social Services…
You really cant recall any other interesting crap from the lecture?
Im interested.
Flobots – Fight With Tools
Review here –> http://www.hiphoplinguistics.com/reviews/albums/2008/02/flobots-fight-with-tools
There’s a War Going On For Your Mind
Mayday!
Same Thing
Stand Up
Fight With Tools
Handlebars
Never Had It
Combat
The Rhythm Method (move!)
Anne Braden
We Are Winning
Rise
http://rapidshare.com/files/65829916/flobots.rar
WOW … I wish I knew about that…I woulda been in line at 2:00 p.m.!!
haha… nah I can remember almost all of it… just nothing after my question. He talked mostly about the role of the media in this season and the short-comings of newspapers in real life. It was a journalism-based lecture.
Wow. Even the plot that doesn’t get aired has plot twists. You two are lucky. Nice write up.
Oh and for my money, Tical 2000: Judgement Day was nice so if Cheese must be offed, lets at least do it in a respectful way instead of the vacant lot execution they had for Andre.
Not sure if Gotty was making this DJ day, week or what not, but:
VA (1996) Return of the DJ Vol. 1
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZB0C1BG2
VA (1997) Return of the DJ Vol. 2
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DKSQUF3R
VA (1999) Return of the DJ Vol. 3
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TTZGCNFX
VA (2001) Return of the DJ Vol. 4
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8O0QAASA
VA (2003) Return of the DJ Vol. 5
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=18DH78CV
Bonus:
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, Brainfreeze
http://www.zshare.net/download/219299925d59/
… i make music for my people …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8HWpOtDB5Q
“That’s My People” video and some audio shit
“Le Clash Part I”
http://rapidshare.com/files/11094770/N-LC.part1.rar
“Le Clash Part II”
http://rapidshare.com/files/11095053/N-LC.part2.rar
That’s the best crew, in live..! download, watch and erase afterwards but watch !!
NTM- Live au Zenith(1998)
( Mot de passe: http://www.toxitrip.net )
http://rapidshare.com/files/21948498/NTM_-_Live_Au_Zenith_1998_by_kiki7___ToXiTrip.rar
Dukie = The new Bubbles
Hell, I think 4:21 The Day After is his most cohesive album to date.
Fine Print Podcast Mixed By Paul Camo
Listennn…
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=5033DB3014C87BB1
Hows my Hair look?
^^^ It looks good girl. **BANG**
CLASSIC!!
Watched The Wire one time (and it was for some label project that I was heading).
That said I (from this site alone, 106 & Park, etc) understand the show’s following and how amazing people feel that it is. So I would have (even with just viewing that one episode) appreciated that discussion greatly.
Great read.
I still have only seen like 2 episodes of The Wire, so I be clueless with yall cats. All I know is that dude that played Jimi Hendrix is in it.
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit….I like good ‘ol Clay out of the political characters. Low down and can work the system.
Shhhheeeeeeeeeetttttttt…………….. (c) Clay Davis
I would’ve never even put that together. Wow
Damn Turk. we were thinking the same shit. Haha
When you walk through the garden…
you’re bound to have similar thoughts
I don’t know how true this is but in season three Kinard (youbg boy who kills omar) was present at a omar robbery that went wrong where a few of his crew get’s killed. He was one of the kids in a room of the stash house. I lot of what happens in The wire is a product of karma that what makes the writing so good. When they start charging a crazy amount for the complete series that’s when the mainstream will catch on.
I dont care what it costs…I’ma cop the complete series. Too good to pass up.
I must admit….the first episodes were kinda slow but I stuck with it.
wurd….thats wuts up !!!
Cheese and Randy huh??
WOW !!!
good sh*t.
been following frum day one…
and uh……even when they was
showing the russian dudes at the docks,,
(which was widely considered boring)
but still stuck it thru,
im glad i did.
they should make it longer for the DVD’s
GTFOH! …. I knew they had the same last name, but never put that shit together…. ain’t that a bitch?!
Shiiiiiiiiiitttt. Sorry, I couldn’t help the Clay Davis reference. I thought Cheese was just Randy’s older cousin or uncle or something , but father?! Damn, that’s crazy.
Episode 10 is….
damn…that’s a good catch, LC
gotty
drop the fuckin link
feed us food let the fake evaporate
^ check the comments of the Madonna post.
http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/?p=3374
I came to your site from wikipedia and all i have to say is :
ROTFLMAO @ “”Now Cheese must die,” Matt said after the lecture. “He sold out Prop Joe and he’s responsible for Randy. Plus he hasn’t released a good album since Tical, so…”
Such a classic quote! I’ll be honest I am a very late bloomer with The Wire and the only way I know what is going on is reading wikipedia and youtube clips. *yeah when I get the money, I will start with season 1 dvd* Anyway, I agree with your friend, Something needs to happen with Cheese! The Law of Karma needs to catch up with him!
thats crazy.. Cheeze would
be the worst father of all time
are there any other secret father-son relationships?
is Bumps the father of Duquan?
is Omar the father of Kenard?
is Rawls the father of McNulty?
“are there any other secret father-son relationships?
is Bumps the father of Duquan?
is Omar the father of Kenard?
is Rawls the father of McNulty?”
no
Omar is gay man
Aint no nostalgia to this shit here…. it’s Only the streets , the game, and what happens here today …
I like that part where the old man yells at Slim Charles for shooting Cheese “now we’re short 900 … this sentimental motherfucker just cost us some money”
I feel they should have kept the wire going with the way it ended Cheese being Randy’s father, Michael being the new Omar, Dukie becoming the new Bubs, and Slim Charles and fat dude becoming the new Marlo. They could have kept the show going with that I feel! I will purchase all 5 seasons and I will miss The Wire! Snoop’s new biography is good too!
Oh The Wire. How depressing that it’s over. That’s friggin’ sweet that you found that out.
I would have asked him is my character ever gonna come back for Dukie
I thought I heard David Simon say that Randy and Cheese are not related. Matter of fact, he said it on one of the Season 4 discs (audio commentary). Sorry, I forgot what disc and episode.
I found this blog entry after watching Mr. Simon’s presentation wherein you posed the question:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8E8xBXFLKE
Thanks for asking the question, it was a link I hadn’t made either.
If Matt ever gets to give Mr. Simon that hug, tell him to say thanks for me too.
Do you guys have a recommendation section, i’d like to suggest some stuff
I wanted to comment and thank the author, good stuff
This advice is really going to help, thanks.
Thank you for your help!
Thanks !! very helpful post!
Like to watch Stargate Atlantis episodes and also Lost. I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
GA is really user-friendly but it does not provide a lot.