Saturday, June 09, 2012

Other People's Writing

This is largely a Grantland-centric edition of OP'sW, but still, let's start things off with this oral history of The Wire.  I'd read an oral history of pretty much anything since I enjoy the format so much --- just recently plowed through Warren Littlefield's oral history of NBC's Thursday night lineup in about two hours, and the oral history of Saturday Night Live is one of my all-time favourite reads.  That said, while I'm a sucker for anything Wire-related, this article is very much a Cole's Notes version of what I'd expect from a Wire oral history.  Probably not a surprise given that it came from Maxim (of all places) and was written by a guy named Marc Spitz who was no doubt teased any time he came within 20 yards of a swimming pool.  A proper author needs to compile a proper 400-page oral history of this show and I swear I'll be first in line at the bookstore if those still exist within the next few years.  I would also happily read an oral history of The Wire: The Musical.

* Alex Pappademas interviews Stan Lee, though the interview is a relatively small part of an article that outlines the history of Lee, Marvel Comics and the fact that Jack Kirby may or may not have been screwed out of millions of dollars.  (Ok, probably was.) 

* The legend of CharlotteBobcats.com, which is decidedly not the official website of the NBA team but rather something infinitely funnier.  Well, wait, hang on, not 'infinitely' --- the Bobcats' godawful play last season was admittedly pretty humorous. 

* Splitsider's Phil Davidson interviews Joel Godard.  I enjoy the new Conan show, though it's clear that it lacks the manic spark of the old Late Night program.  It's sort of the same but it's definitely not the same.  Stories like this really hammer that point home, especially just the fact that I really miss seeing Joel Godard's insane Joker smile on my TV screen.

* The great Ken Dryden goes all Gladwell in trying to connect together House (the TV show), Scotty Bowman and Steve Jobs to make a larger point about single-mindedness.  As with everything Dryden writes, it's a good read, but my favourite part by far if when he casually describes himself as "one of the goalies" for the Canadiens of the 1970's.  That's amazing.

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