tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post6144216575143293106..comments2024-03-19T05:50:19.572-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Treme, "At the Foot of Canal Street": The out-of-townersAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-27035265945612228722010-05-09T18:23:23.376-04:002010-05-09T18:23:23.376-04:00Also, the ponytailed guy in the hospital waiting r...Also, the ponytailed guy in the hospital waiting room was played by Sam Medina, who appeared as a thug in "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" and apparently popped up occasionally on "K-Ville," "Treme"'s evil twin.<br /><br />http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2795989/mjrhoffhttp://twitter.com/mjrhoffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2929665171968441682010-05-09T18:13:49.803-04:002010-05-09T18:13:49.803-04:00Good catch, machpo. I think Antoine's "a...Good catch, machpo. I think Antoine's "always for pleasure" line is also a reference to the 1978 New Orleans documentary "Always for Pleasure," which Simon apparently used as something of a model for the show.<br />http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/04/09/dead-tree-alert-treme-plus-full-treme-review/mjrhoffhttp://twitter.com/mjrhoffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24061127345345637832010-05-08T15:40:09.216-04:002010-05-08T15:40:09.216-04:00Great writing, Alan.
There is one thing that lots...Great writing, Alan.<br /><br />There is one thing that lots of people seemed to have missed: at the Houston Club where Sonny begins to realize himself as something of a literal and figurative alien, the singer there is John Boutte, who also sings the opening song to the show.Matthias Galvinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85768827762533252702010-05-06T14:14:46.789-04:002010-05-06T14:14:46.789-04:00Finally watched last night, and I decided to read ...Finally watched last night, and I decided to read comments before I added my own. Now I'm simply LMAO over the minutiae between XP v. Vista and don't even remember what I was going to say.LAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04868479477550590056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34469777201649006842010-05-05T16:42:28.993-04:002010-05-05T16:42:28.993-04:00Easy on Steve Zahn. His character is based on a re...Easy on Steve Zahn. His character is based on a real person, New Orleans DJ/musician Davis Logan. And every tourist town -- mine, Charleston, SC, included -- has its zealots who go a little overboard sometime pining for the authentic.<br /><br />And please, can we not nitpick Creighton's computer to death? It's a damn good show. Enjoy it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-43637968677573822342010-05-05T01:06:29.934-04:002010-05-05T01:06:29.934-04:00Longhorn (Vista's internal MS codename) skins ...Longhorn (Vista's internal MS codename) skins from that period didn't include the icon translucency nor the windows styles of the final Vista RTM which was shown on his desktop and when he launched the webcam App. Still it's nice that we have enough geeks who watch the show to actually notice it and that he wasn't using a shiny iMac like most of the pretentious TV/Movie set designers want.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-83647232791061778412010-05-04T20:29:46.365-04:002010-05-04T20:29:46.365-04:00While Vista didn't come out until 2007, you co...While Vista didn't come out until 2007, you could get Vista style themes for XP from as early as 2004. Crisis averted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82303201158685249012010-05-04T15:31:49.608-04:002010-05-04T15:31:49.608-04:00"XP had that green start button/blue bar moti..."XP had that green start button/blue bar motif"<br /><br />We still have XP with the green start button/blue bar motif. I think Treme is more enjoyable because it isn't trying to be the Mad Men of 2006. Nitpicking about all these little anachronisms is distracting. I feel the same way about Mad Men. As long as the whole looks right for the time, a couple of tiny details really don't matter. I don't think that people who are constantly on the watch for teensy little anachronisms are enjoying the shows as much as the people who just sit back and look at the big picture.PanAm53noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85619796482280016832010-05-04T11:20:20.675-04:002010-05-04T11:20:20.675-04:00On Creighton's computer : it is Vista, check o...On Creighton's computer : it is Vista, check out the toolbar on the bottom of the screen. XP had that green start button/blue bar motif IIRC, unless you chose the Win95 pattern of gray on gray.<br /><br />Huh, and me who was anxiously looking at the youtube page to see if they'd made it look like in 2005, which was difficult because I don't even remember if it looked different in 2005. But evidently they're not overly worried about computer-related historical verisimilitude. More power to them I say; I can enjoy <i>Treme</i> without it being the <i>Mad Men</i> of 2005.Caravellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-8154495810862899302010-05-04T06:26:17.218-04:002010-05-04T06:26:17.218-04:00#25=Fred McAfee
Speaking of jerseys, Deuce McAlli...#25=Fred McAfee<br /><br />Speaking of jerseys, Deuce McAllister's #26 was looking a bit small for Antoine's eldest, like the nerf bat and ball for his youngest. Loved how he wore it anyway, and the long hug he had for Antoine at the depot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-58902401243227018452010-05-04T05:24:39.158-04:002010-05-04T05:24:39.158-04:00Since we're talking nitpicks, I think it was A...Since we're talking nitpicks, I think it was Antoine standing in front of a sporting goods store hailing a cab in this episode and a Saints #25 jersey was in the window. 25 of course being Reggie Bush, and one of the best selling Saints jerseys. Howeer Reggie wasn't a Saint until May 2006, and wasn't #25 until that summer. Reggie got the #25 from one of the older running backs (name escapes me at the moment) who never had that many carries and thus didn't move a lot of jerseys. So it's highly unlikely a store would hang a #25 in the window.<br /><br />And that's my only criticism of this show so far. I find myself caring about Antoine's bone more than most shows and their running plotlines.Drifternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-28939229089916491702010-05-04T00:25:01.699-04:002010-05-04T00:25:01.699-04:00I love this show mainly because of the music and c...I love this show mainly because of the music and characters, which are some of the best on television. Plus we have tons of Wire-esque engaging confrontations and subtly witty dialogue sprinkled throughout this show. From start to finish, Treme is always a great time. The stories aren't exactly gripping me quite yet, but it's still very early and I'm soaking everything in. <br /><br />The acting is superb, particularly from these great actors: Wendell Pierce as Antoine; Steve Zahn as Davis; John Goodman as Creighton; Khandi Alexander as LaDonna; and Clarke Peters as Albert. I look forward to seeing these five in every scene they are in for various reasons. Alexander in particular is a revelation - I have never seen her act before, but those piercing, menacing eyes and her convincing expressions are top-notch. And I can see why some viewers may hate the divisive Davis, but he's a passionate, eager, witty young man and the way Zahn plays him makes him a blast to watch!Ryan Pimentelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09592699728156271548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-45223935261783493742010-05-03T23:12:09.775-04:002010-05-03T23:12:09.775-04:00@Kevin: "The proper way to keep rhythm by cla...@Kevin: "The proper way to keep rhythm by clapping is to clap on the second and fourth beat. So when he said they clap on the 1 and 3, he was basically saying they can't keep a proper rhythm "<br /><br />That's the "proper way" for jazz - as heard on the show - and for a lot of popular music, yes. Not for all music (hence the unnecessary derogatory comments of Anonymous #826).berkowit28https://www.blogger.com/profile/08194317697552106140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6565512847689530702010-05-03T22:42:53.699-04:002010-05-03T22:42:53.699-04:00Hamsterdam! Thanks to the reader, I didn't eve...Hamsterdam! Thanks to the reader, I didn't even think about that until I read this post. <br /><br />I don't know if it's purely because I hate lawn decorations, but seeing Davis fight with Santa made me like Davis a little more. He's still kind of the clown in the show, though.<br /><br />Khandi Alexander ROCKS. Ladonna is my favorite character so far in the show.<br /><br />I also noticed the whole windows vista/xp discrepancy (I thought that it IS vista, which would make it 'wrong', but I'm not sure) and the youtube page not looking right for the year, but while it is a little annoying, I don't mind it so much (at least, not yet!). Seeing Creighton's little wry smile on his face after his rant was worth the technical discrepancy.belindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-49841868813414624342010-05-03T20:59:59.985-04:002010-05-03T20:59:59.985-04:00Also- 'cause now I'm off like a pistol- th...Also- 'cause now I'm off like a pistol- the only real clown on the show is Davis (and this is just a guess, but I don't expect him to stay a pure clown for long. Even Ziggy killed a guy). Sure, Sonny's a mope, but the show treats him seriously. His girl is a serious musician. Creighton, his wife, and Jaenette are all portrayed as smart, capable people. Hell, even the college missionary-type kids were shown to be open minded and appreciative.<br /><br />I know that "acting black" is as popular of a knock on Simon as you can get (which isn't saying much), but in this show, so far, it's kind of a complaint in search of facts.Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262426400735202537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56972026238423582232010-05-03T20:52:23.662-04:002010-05-03T20:52:23.662-04:00I guess I need to rewatch the episode, 'cause ...I guess I need to rewatch the episode, 'cause I don't remember "white people" being alluded to at all, much less in the "Portland, Oregon" discussion.<br /><br />Yeesh, in the Simon-verse, can they even come much whiter than Jim True-Frost?Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262426400735202537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53388250343192686062010-05-03T17:32:12.093-04:002010-05-03T17:32:12.093-04:00Did we even find out if Antoine lost his trombone?...<i>Did we even find out if Antoine lost his trombone?</i><br /><br />Toni told Creighton she spent all day looking for it, unsuccessfully, at the police's chaotic evidence control center.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56227966434699322912010-05-03T17:29:43.972-04:002010-05-03T17:29:43.972-04:00"What does they clap on the 1 and the 3 mean?..."What does they clap on the 1 and the 3 mean?"<br /><br />Music is mostly kept in 4/4 time. That means there are 4 beats in each measure (a segment of time defined as a number of beats of a given duration).<br /><br />So when you hear music, you can usually count it off in rhythm as: 1-2-3-4,1-2-3-4,1-2-3-4 and so on. The proper way to keep rhythm by clapping is to clap on the second and fourth beat. So when he said they clap on the 1 and 3, he was basically saying they can't keep a proper rhythmKevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738030076457921741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-17061371033655842102010-05-03T17:21:58.856-04:002010-05-03T17:21:58.856-04:00Clapping on one and three (as opposed to on the ba...Clapping on one and three (as opposed to on the backbeat of two and four), is another in the many digs at white people that this show does. Imagine the outrage if any other group was reduced to such a cultural stereotype. Do 99% of the white people on the fringes of the music scene in this show have to be clowns? Really?<br /><br />So far we've learned that New Orleans is wonderful, the government is evil, and white people have no rhythm. Did we even find out if Antoine lost his trombone? This show is all gravy and no potatoes. It's extremely well done, but four episodes in there really is no story to speak of. I'll hang in there with it, but I'm just sayin'...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-28686172911960520852010-05-03T16:42:57.091-04:002010-05-03T16:42:57.091-04:00What does they clap on the 1 and the 3 mean?What does they clap on the 1 and the 3 mean?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55462590254959867072010-05-03T16:17:48.308-04:002010-05-03T16:17:48.308-04:00Re: Sonny
When they mentioned that Sonny was from ...Re: Sonny<br />When they mentioned that Sonny was from Amsterdam, I figured the writers were at least a little inspired by musician/songwriter Anders Osborne, who immigrated to New Orleans from Sweden in the 90s. More on him here:<br /><br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Osborne<br /><br />Seems plausible.Sarah Redmondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06906782424180656885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5413652496594678412010-05-03T15:09:07.121-04:002010-05-03T15:09:07.121-04:00I wish I can take credit for my favorite Twitter o...I wish I can take credit for my favorite Twitter of the day thus far:<br />"Steve Zahn is the Jar Jar Binks of Treme." I could not agree more. After last week's scaled down version of his annoying antics, he was back in full force in last night's episode. And in keeping with Alan's code of not discussing previews, I'll just say his new venture along the "Pot for Potholes"campaign only promises to make the Davis character that much more irritating. My wife does not watch the show simply because of Zahn and the sound of his voice blaring from the other room. More Clarke Peters and Wendell Pierce please. God, ANY other character but Davis. Ziggy was a pleasure to watch in comparison. So unlike D. Simon to have a clown character like this have so much focus. I am loving Treme thus far so I guess having one major beef with the show isn't so bad. BTW - Alan, big CONGRATS on the move - I will continue to follow you on the new site. I am such a big fan of your writing & insights on my/our favorite shows! Keep up the great work.OldhamNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537753268526972015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-8443304121239853052010-05-03T11:30:58.898-04:002010-05-03T11:30:58.898-04:00I love the show, although I am finding the "f...I love the show, although I am finding the "famous musician of the week" cameos are getting a little distracting. It seems somewhat contrived and takes me out of the show. If they did this occasionally I think these appearances would be more successfully integrated into the storyline.Hutchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-4978779727542018102010-05-03T10:22:01.090-04:002010-05-03T10:22:01.090-04:00One other minor computer nit. Creighton's flat...One other minor computer nit. Creighton's flat screen monitor is a little out of place for late 2005. He'd be more more likely to have a CRT or maybe a much smaller, LCD. Those big, wide-screen monitors did exist in 2005, but they were very expensive. Also, I don't think that YouTube's page layout looked like that in 2005, but I'm not 100% sure.<br /><br />This type of thing is going to create big headaches for production designers in the years ahead. If you want to set a show or movie five or ten years ago, you're going to have to spend a lot of effort to make sure the technology is appropriate, otherwise it's going to stick out like a sore thumb.Chuchundrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09816400814788703687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-35645413942094149412010-05-03T09:43:52.708-04:002010-05-03T09:43:52.708-04:00This show gives me more pure pleasure than any oth...This show gives me more pure pleasure than any other on television right now. The music, the actors, the accents, the writing...the whole vibe is just fantastic.<br /><br />Loved seeing Steve and Justin Townes Earle. As Amanda said upthread, JTE's first two albums are pretty great. Talented guy.Carriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570416707360842771noreply@blogger.com