Two of Maryland’s most famous men happened to be on the same train earlier this month. And the two also have a bit of a longstanding feud.
The men, Governor Martin O’Malley, who grew up in Bethesda and Rockville, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School grad David Simon, the creator of “The Wire”, were sitting in adjoining seats on the train traveling from New York City to Maryland. Simon, who wrote about the experience on his blog, felt hesitant to say anything to the governor at first.
“I clocked him as we left New York,” wrote Simon, “but as he is a busy man, and as most of our previous encounters have been a little edgy, I told myself to let well enough alone.”
You may remember that Simon spent time covering O’Malley when Simon worked at the Baltimore Sun and O’Malley was a Baltimore City Councilman.
Their relationship soured further after Simon produced “The Wire”. The show aired on HBO while O’Malley served as the mayor of Baltimore, further complicating his task of rebranding the city. O’Malley famously said in 2009, after the show was off the air, “I’m the antidote to The Wire.”
But on the train ride, Simon decided to order the governor a beer, an idea he received from his son. The peace offering led to a conversation, in which O’Malley informed Simon that he still hates “The Wire”, but the two were generally congenial, according to Simon.
After talking about their mutual appreciation for the Celtic band The Pogues, Simon wrote, “We laughed, and the governor used his iPad for a photo. We shook hands, and I got off in Baltimore.
“Again, for the most part, I credit Amtrak, with an assist from my son. But Mr. O’Malley, who is now contemplating a presidential run, seemed last night to be as much at ease as I remember from his earliest days on the council. And me, I’m no longer trying to film a dark story in his political backyard. The two of us did okay, too, considering.”
