After years of watching and re-watching The Wire I was surprised to learn last night that a pair of the show’s characters—Avon Barksdale and Preston “Bodie” Broadus—were based on a real person, Nathan Avon “Bodie” Barksdale. The show’s creator, David Simon, wrote about Barksdale for his day job (print journalist) and now this low-budget DVD, The Avon Barksdale Story, wants to tell you all about the Baltimore gangster’s “violent shenanigans.”
Those are the worst kind of shenanigans.
Barksdale approved Simon’s use of his name/likeness, under the condition he wasn’t portrayed as a rat or a snitch. I’ll remember that no-snitch clause when Hollywood makes a film about me. Of course this DVD looks like it’s grasping for The Wire‘s coattails a few years too late, but I will admit shooting the guy on top of a pool table was a nice touch. [Note: This video is totally safe for watching at work, as long as your workplace is cool with rampant violence, strippers, and dogs that attack people.]
Link: Warming Glow
Did you watch the HBO series the Corner? Written by the same guy before the Wire. It was pretty good…
I heard about it, but have not seen it. Do you know if it’s on DVD?
Netflix has the Corner.
Also, kudos to Fake Avon for that Master of Reality shirt.