Experience America's failing drug war through the magic of song!

June 5, 2012 8:37 AM

The Wire: The Musical
posted by fearfulsymmetry (51 comments total)

The funniest thing is, the state of Broadway means that this isn't as crazy an idea as you'd think.

Yeah, there's a reason I soured on Broadway as a career goal early on.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:38 AM on June 5, 2012

As long as there's a number called "Shheeeee-it", I'm there!
posted by Artaud at 8:40 AM on June 5, 2012 [21 favorites]

The stevedores need a patter-number.
posted by jquinby at 8:43 AM on June 5, 2012 [3 favorites]

Love it. The "Way Down in the Hole" barbershop quartet at the end would have been my favorite moment, but you cannot beat this:

Levy: Mr. Little you're a parasite, leaching off the drug game
Omar: Brother you and I is exactly the same
Levy: Excuse me, what?
Omar: You heard me you disgrace. I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase.

And great to see Snoop's doing okay!
posted by SpiffyRob at 8:49 AM on June 5, 2012 [3 favorites]

On non-preview: That was my main complaint, jquinby. The really only touched on the first season of the show (excluding the grand finale, sort of.) They could have totally made great stevedore jokes for Season 2 and Prezbo jokes for Season 4, but I guess there's only so much you can cram into 4 minutes.
posted by SpiffyRob at 8:50 AM on June 5, 2012

I thought snoop was in jail? Maybe not?
posted by rebent at 8:51 AM on June 5, 2012

I loved the wide-eyed fake nod to the worst scene in the Wire, the cloying "chess as metaphor" thing.
posted by neustile at 8:51 AM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

How's my Hair! look?
posted by Apropos of Something at 8:54 AM on June 5, 2012 [3 favorites]

A man's got to have a coda.
posted by mediated self at 8:56 AM on June 5, 2012 [31 favorites]

Hey, they got Community's Professor Kane to play Omar!
posted by brain_drain at 8:56 AM on June 5, 2012 [8 favorites]

Is there something wrong with me that I can't tell the difference between "ironic joke musical" and "normal gastric distress inducing musical"?

I'm still working on that script for "MySpace - the Musical" though.
posted by mr.ersatz at 9:07 AM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

"What the frick did I do?" Genius.
posted by notmydesk at 9:12 AM on June 5, 2012

> I thought snoop was in jail? Maybe not?

Wherever she ended up, her hair looked good on the way out.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:15 AM on June 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

This is the best kind of parody -- the sort that comes from a place of genuine affection for and familiarity with the original. I have mixed feelings regarding The Wire, but this bit reminded me of everything I loved about it.

Thanks for the link! I probably would've missed it, otherwise.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 9:18 AM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Man, this some Cinderella bullshit, man."
posted by box at 9:21 AM on June 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

I hope that Bunk gets his own song, "I'm just a Humble Motherfucker (with a Big-Ass Dick)."
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:29 AM on June 5, 2012 [18 favorites]

Yeah that runs right after the Bunk-McNulty "Fuuuuuuck" duet.
posted by COBRA! at 9:31 AM on June 5, 2012 [7 favorites]

This makes me love both The Wire and Broadway Musicals even more. I'm fairly certain this was designed specifically to make my day better.
posted by pencroft at 9:31 AM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

Once we go down this road, Valchek and Rawls need a duet called "Gaping Asshole."
posted by Beardman at 9:33 AM on June 5, 2012 [6 favorites]

neustile: I get why that scene can come off as pretty cheesy, although I think if you put it into the context of D'Angelo's whole story (spoilers coming) ...


... it makes a lot of sense. He's the only one who has some understanding of how the Game works, and deep down he knows that he's just being used, even though he's a Barksdale. It's the beginning of his path away from the family and, eventually, to his murder at Stringer's orders.
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:33 AM on June 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

Can anyone be unhappy after seeing this?

The answer is no.
posted by foxywombat at 9:34 AM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

The Omar Comin' song had me in tears.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 9:45 AM on June 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

You know that was way better than I could have hoped.
posted by entropone at 9:54 AM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

Larry Gilliard Jr can sing.
posted by tigrefacile at 9:56 AM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

This is now the thing the Internet has to top.

And I've seen some really, really good porn.
posted by Cyrano at 10:04 AM on June 5, 2012

the Bunk-McNulty "Fuuuuuuck" duet.

Is there a word for "thing of which you had never before conceived but now desperately want to pay someone good money to see"?

I bet it's German.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 10:09 AM on June 5, 2012 [4 favorites]

As long as there's a number called "Shheeeee-it", I'm there!

I am thinking of something along the lines of "Can Do" from Guys & Dolls...

Cop:

I got a warrant, man!
I got it in my hand!
And the warrant says that you'll understand!

Clay:

Shee-it! Shee-it!
I ain't gonna give you one bit!
And I'm about to have a fit!
Shee-it! Shee-it!
posted by jquinby at 10:10 AM on June 5, 2012 [3 favorites]

Wow, that was surprisingly awesome.
posted by freecellwizard at 10:28 AM on June 5, 2012

Metafilter: This is some Cinderella bullshit, man.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:42 AM on June 5, 2012

I have had this idea for the longest time and I'm honestly happy it exists.
posted by hellojed at 10:55 AM on June 5, 2012

wasn't this already been done to perfection?
posted by pjenks at 11:05 AM on June 5, 2012 [6 favorites]

I can't wait for McNulty's "what is this feeling" solo number in which he declares his love for himself.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 11:07 AM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

Where is White Mike's ode to strawberry soda?
posted by bondcliff at 11:11 AM on June 5, 2012

Bravo! But still not as schmaltzy as the fifth season.
posted by dhammond at 11:13 AM on June 5, 2012

[Folks, turning this thread into a discussion of prison rape is pretty much the definition of derailing. Maybe MetaTalk? Maybe just leave it. Thank you.]
posted by jessamyn at 11:39 AM on June 5, 2012

Oh my god, how have I never heard of Cop Rock before? YouTube, don't fail me now for full episodes.
posted by Iosephus at 12:03 PM on June 5, 2012

> "I hope that Bunk gets his own song"

He's down here playing his 'bone all over town when he's not out womanizing. And he can sing! He goes by the name Antoine Baptiste in Tremé. (Seriously, Wendell Pierce is a New Orleans native and a vital and esteemed member of this community as well as playing a broke-ass trombone player in Simon's current series.)
posted by Anitanola at 12:21 PM on June 5, 2012

I was sure this was a real thing when I saw the FPP, and shook my head, reflecting that this, exactly this is why musicals make my teeth itch. Then I looked at the video, and it seemed altogether too plausible, which see above.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 1:18 PM on June 5, 2012

I hope that Bunk gets his own song

Oh, indeed!
posted by vidur at 2:00 PM on June 5, 2012

Simon approves.
posted by gladly at 2:21 PM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

I hope Dick Wolf and the Law & Order franchise seriously should reboot Cop Rock - a show way ahead of its time and easily better than Glee or the other L&O shows currently running. And couldn't do worse than L&O : Los Angeles
posted by Bwithh at 2:32 PM on June 5, 2012

Double bill it with Rap the Musical!
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:34 PM on June 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

the worst scene in the Wire, the cloying "chess as metaphor" thing.

Even if you didn't like that scene, it's redeemed by Bodie's great scene with McNulty way three and a half seasons later before his final exit:
This game is rigged, man. We like the little bitches on a chessboard.
posted by BinGregory at 7:15 PM on June 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

The joy I experienced in watching this is tempered by the fact that it's not real and this wonderful four minutes is all we'll ever have.
posted by MoonOrb at 7:56 PM on June 5, 2012

I wanted to love this, but I just didn't. I think the only clever/unexpected joke was the song by the burner cell phone.
posted by crossoverman at 2:12 AM on June 6, 2012

Yeah that runs right after the Bunk-McNulty "Fuuuuuuck" duet.

Actually, I think that Jerry Springer: The Opera might have you covered there.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:01 AM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I would have liked to see Ziggy and the duck do a tap number.

Or the Greek doing Zorba.

Or Omar and Mouzon doing a dance off.

Or Lester and his hot stripper lady friend doing a jazzy seduction number.

Man, so much potential...
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:12 AM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Additional Scenes
posted by Gary at 3:50 PM on June 6, 2012

Well, I can see why they didn't include those in the original short.
posted by MoonOrb at 3:53 PM on June 6, 2012

I thought snoop was in jail? Maybe not?

Supervised Probation according to Wikipedia.
posted by Gary at 6:19 PM on June 6, 2012

She---itt...Omar's got some major (((jazz hands))) going on there for a while.

Nice.
posted by Skygazer at 7:22 PM on June 6, 2012