Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The UK Guardian reviews Treme
Posted by Kevin Allman on Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 11:44 AM
I've stuck with Treme for five episodes now, and I'm sorry to report that, as the jazz cats in N'Awlins would say: it's not happening. When it was shown on FX, the word about The Wire spread like rumours of copacetic dope around Hamsterdam. But you'll wait a long time until you bump into someone raving about this great new series he or she's been watching called Treme. For a start, they probably won't know how to pronounce it. This is the first thing wrong with Simon's latest opus: that title. Sure, it's a superficial issue and the correct pronunciation is mentioned a couple of times in the show. But it doesn't exactly draw people in. It's just annoying and — characteristically of Simon — elitist. (Anyone who knows what's what is meant to know how to say it.)
Want to read more, all you N'Awlins jazz cats?
Finally, there's the music. Now I love New Orleans. I support the New Orleans Saints and think Mardi Gras is a sight every one should witness — if their livers can stand it. But the music in Treme is like Chinese water torture. It's death by jazz. Some of it is great, admittedly. Inspirational. But you can have too much of a good thing. We get the message David. You like jazz. Now can't we just have a few more storylines?
Ow. But then there's this:
To some viewers, to even think of criticising David Simon is sacrilege. And to a point, they're right. If it were by someone else, Treme would be a godsend. But, coming from him, it pains me to say it, Treme is dull. As Chris Rock would say: "yeah I said it."
Recapping: If someone else had done the show, it would be a godsend; since David Simon did it, it sucks. But speaking of "Yeah, I said it" — Shelley's hey-wait-I-got-a-new-complaint centers on the casting of Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters, who were both in The Wire:
The most likeable characters in the show are, once again, played by Clarke [sic] and Pierce. But casting them was a mistake. Every time they appear, it's unavoidable: you think: it's Freamon or Bunk.
You do? Really? Because I didn't. Then again, Shelley seemed able to watch John Goodman and not think of Dan from Roseanne. Same with Melissa Leo; he didn't say thoughts of Homicide or The Fighter went through his mind.
Funny, that.
As the N'Awlins jazz cats would say: "Yeah, I said it."
Comments (8)
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So, an Englishman complaining about not knowing how to pronounce a French name thinks David Simon is elitist?
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That's the reason we Nawleanians love the show. We get it ! But Elitists like Shelley just don't get us and never will with that uppity nose of his. Fine, stay away, you will NOT be missed.
A British twit jumps all over something he can't wrap his limp mind around. He should stick with the dreadfully boring culture the U.K. continually serves, and stay out of the hood. If this tight lipped , white as a ghost , fish and chips loving dweeb doesn't have an ounce of soul or a inch of rhythm.
Jesus, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but, he is just reviewing a tv show not the culture here. In Shelley's words 'even said "I love New Orleans...love New Orleans Saints and think Mardi Gras is a sight everyone should witness". So why are people so hyper sensitive and bashing his culture?
It is a tv show, really?
More interesting is that Kevin chose to provide excerpts of the most trivial complaints in the review and omitted the more substantive. I wonder why that happened? You can disagree with Shelly, but do it after you read the entire review and not the review of the review.
Haters gonna hate. Bring on the second season!!!
Kevin it would be cool if there was a link to the Guardian story in this blog entry... let us go be outraged firsthand.
