Site Presented By
Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Port cities have tails to tell. But, as this article makes clear, without happy endings they often don't get heard. Baltimore, in fact, goes back to "On the Waterfront" with rich drama. Steiger hanging from a meathook resonated more than Brando's "I coulda been a contenda." That's a city that will never die, even though it's often in the death grips of the day labors of the dock.
But ulimately humor is going to be part of the equation. The Sopranos were married to it, and, consequently, we got to understand much more about the seedy underside that makes us what we are. Being a Mob Boss in Jersey is the biggest joke of all. And, sure, Tony loved animals and cultivated himself with history. But in the end we got the point. Over-fed, over- anxious, cruel to the point of murderous...King of his Castle Tony, added to our lexicon an ethic of "Yea, I'll be human. Just as soon as the rest of the world gets its shit together and stops scaring me half to death."
You don't get that from The Wire. You get enough, but The Sopranos give you just a little bit more.
Great article guys, thanks!
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
