Some of my favourite scenes in The Wire were the wakes the Baltimore Police Department would hold at Kavanagh's Irish Pub to honour a fallen comrade. Last night, I was itching for another episode of The Wire, but ended up watching an episode of Lost from a few weeks ago that I had stored on my PVR. It wasn't the same. It wasn't even close.
In true Wire style, I need a trip to Kavanagh's to celebrate what The Wire gave me so I don't dwell on what I'm missing. Everything ends. The first Kavanagh wake on The Wire took place in "Dead Soldiers", the third episode of the third season. It was for Ray Cole, who was played by series producer Robert Colesberry, who died shortly after the second season. In essence, this wake was for Colesberry. Here's that scene.
That song is "Body of an American" by The Pogues. "Body of an American" would become the definitive Kavanagh wake song in the series. I've been playing it a lot lately.
Here's the Pogues. Fare the well gone away, there's nothing left to say.
