Tom Waits being unable to work his VCR almost led to The Wire having a Cowboy Junkies song as its theme song

Entertainment Weekly

The Wire creator David Simon needed Waits' permission to use "Way Down in the Hole" as the show's theme song. So he sent Waits a videocassette. When Waits took a long to respond and with The Wire's premiere date looming, Simon's post-production producer, Karen Thorson, was able to contact him. "He says, 'I got the stuff you sent, but I don't know how to work the VCR. Wait until my wife comes home,'" recalls Simon. "And then, the next day, he approved it! So I just imagine those tapes just sitting there next to his video cassette recorder. They'd still be there now if she hadn't made the call." If "Way Down in the Hole" fell through, Simon had "A Common Disaster" by the Cowboy Junkies as his backup plan.