all words and photos by Dakota
…
Stop Smiling, a Chicago-based mag with a storefront in Chi-town’s Wicker Park neighborhood, inaugurated a DC presence last Thursday evening at Civilian Art Projects. Featuring DC in their 37th edition of the magazine, the editorial board selected author/writer George Pelecanos and actor/musician Anwan Glover as “real” profiles of the District. Oddly enough, the pair are associates and have risen to prominence due largely to their work together on HBO’s drama The Wire which has received critical acclaim in recent years. Pelecanos being a writer, and Glover an actor, the two spent ample time pontificating on the growth and future of DC and being showered in lavish praise by their hosts at the magazine.
While we at BYT are the first to heap praise on the District, the event smacked of a kind of DC born-and-bred attitude reminiscent of the dudes from high school who never left town being recognized for some (duly noted, awesome) film work they did about Baltimore (uhhh?). The public meet and greet interview was an uncomfortable and self-adulatory convention with the two honorees taking turns patting each other on the back.
As Pelecanos, a DC author who has written numerous whodunit novels based all within the District, told the audience, he wrote in the part of Glover’s character on The Wire (a gangster named Slim Charles), in part because after Glover’s audition it was clear that his character was one they wanted to see more of on the show. Glover is in his own right an accomplished DC musician who has played all over the District since the age of 12 with his Go-Go band the “Backyard Band.” In addition to being an aspiring actor reprising Snoop Dogg in the upcoming flick “Notorious” (yes, as in B.I.G.), Glover also moonlights as a DJ on WKYS-FM.
You can pick up the DC issue of Stop Smiling with it’s dueling covers… somewhere, hopefully nearby, for $8.
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Sweet screamin’ Jesus of Nazareth. you didn’t just write humerous, did you? Let me bugs-bunny-rub my eyes and check again. This can’t be happening.
November 17, 2008 at 3:28 pmThat photo of Ian is classic.
November 17, 2008 at 3:31 pmHaha, yeah man. It’s more humerous that way ;)
November 17, 2008 at 3:32 pmI was bummed I missed this but it looked cool. What’s wrong about celebrating being born in the DC area and celebrating that notion in a city known for its transience? Also, not familiar with the Backyard Band? Get serious!
November 17, 2008 at 3:48 pmgeorge pelecanos is a good writer… he started out writing whodunit novels but has shifted more to just writing general “social ills” type books recently.
also any time there is a The Wire related event let me know son!
November 17, 2008 at 3:49 pmPelecanos is so DC the man shits and it looks like Mayor Barry.
I don’t want to say “recognize” but… you… know… recognize.
Number two on the list of reasons I can’t stand Sean Combs is holding up King Suckerman from being made into a movie.
Ian photo should start a new religion. Worth the price of admission as always.
November 17, 2008 at 3:58 pmNothing’s wrong with celebrating your birthplace… all I’m saying is the whole thing felt weird, probably due at least in part to the fact that the whole thing seemed stringed together… a la Chicago magazine honoring DC mainstays for work done about Baltimore… just my humble opinion.
But hey, partnerships bridging three great American cities… another way to spin it.
November 17, 2008 at 3:59 pmDakota, we’re just saying that in addition to being honored for their mutual efforts in “The Wire”, they were also discussing their solo efforts as they relate to DC directly…..namely George’s life growing up here and his 15?! (I think it’s 15) books about DC & Anwan’s Backyard Band experience and community efforts in the city. Stop Smiling is indeed a Chicago based magazine, but they’re nationally distributed and cover a wide variety of topics relating to the entire US…..often focusing on one particular area or scene (see the Stax/Memphis issue). So what I’m saying is that it’s not a new thing for them to honor a city that doesn’t directly connect to their headquarters.
November 17, 2008 at 4:09 pmdude, no doubt, these guys are awesome. never said they weren’t. read what i wrote again, i editorialized only on the event, and my opinion of the event is just that… my opinion of the event.
November 17, 2008 at 4:21 pmI didn’t stay long because it was balls hot but the brief time was well spent; learned about Anwan’s next project (a Pelecanos script being shot in Toronto) and the 3-4 places he plays music during the week. Much easier than sifting through one of the 10 irreverent BYB Myspace sites. Those who grabbed your copy of the magazine, his interview is heartbreaking and relevant. A great read.
November 17, 2008 at 11:42 pmCould someone please name one other DC native novelist of Pelecanos’ stature? Stop Smiling is very lit-based in its coverage. If you’re going to do a DC feature, who the hell else are you going to call? In DC, going to see Valerie Plame read four year old news is considered a literary event. Seems like Pelecanos was probably a more legitimate option than you let on. He’s more than just a guy from high school who made a little film about some city somewhere.
November 20, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Barnes and Noble carry Stop Smiling, sometimes Neal at Som has a copy or two also.
November 17, 2008 at 2:58 pmAs much as I respect your photos and review, I think you were a little hard on the event. The pre & post-interview party with Ian and Kevin was really fun (where are the photos of people dancing?), and the interview itself was more interesting and humerous than you seem to imply. Anyways, it was a good night and I don’t mean to sound negative. These kinds of events are always fun.