David Simon revolutionized television when he created THE WIRE. A veteran crime reporter for The Baltimore Sun, Simon offered audiences a rare and searing portrait of the underground drug market, while simultaneously transforming how television series are devised. Each season focused on the inner workings of the various players, be it the politicians or police or education system. Throughout the five seasons, Simon deftly revealed the interplay between government, police enforcement, addicts, dealers, politicians, prisons, media, press, religious institutions, lobbyists, public school system, gangs, business, entrepreneurs, race, class, and technology. In addition to using a cadre of fine actors, including Omar Epps, Michael B. Jordan and Idris Elba, he also offered cameos and sometimes ongoing roles to real people, be it a Health Commissioner, journalist, or former convict. The result was a gripping drama, that mesmerized everyone from President Barack Obama to drug dealers to the media. They not only became devotees of the show, but of David Simon.



Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that the whistle blower Edward Snowden is a fan of The Wire. But when Snowden decided to take this fictionalized television show and use it as an example of how meta-data is collected on Twitter, he didn't realize David Simon would respond IRL. Both passionate and knowledgeable critics on the issue of national security, the two embarked on a debate about whether the government is overstepping in how, why, when, where it collects meta-data. They managed to debate civil liberties, national security, terrorism, burner phones, crime in 140 words on Twitter one Sunday, while Simon was in Baltimore, Maryland, and Snowden was in Russia. Simon reflected on this fascinating, utterly uncensored Twitter exchange in his conversation with Catie Lazarus, which was recorded live at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater.



For those who wonder how David Simon got his start, well he wouldn’t have looked like a shoe-in for a MacArthur “Genius” Grant when he was failing out of college. Nor did he

know he’d leave journalism after he wrote the books THE CORNER and HOMICIDE, or even after he’d dipped his toes writing for the television series HOMICIDE. We spoke about how the late great actor and comedian Robin Williams ensured the episode Simon wrote, got on the air.



Since the success of HOMICIDE, THE CORNER, and, of course, THE WIRE, Simon has chosen to step outside of his adopted hometown of Baltimore, although he has stayed loyal to HBO, with series like GENERATION KILL, TREME, SHOW ME A HERO, and is currently in production on THE DEUCE. Luckily, he had enough time to sneak in a jam session with the Employee of the Month house band before heading to meet with an actor. All in a day’s work.