You would think they are placing statues of Pablo Escobar and El Chapo — actual ruthless drug lords — at the Convention Center.
Vince Gilligan, creator of the TV megahit “Breaking Bad,” commissioned two life-sized bronze statues of the show’s main characters — Walter White and Jesse Pinkman — and is donating them to the city of Albuquerque. The statues will be unveiled on July 29 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Gilligan, Brian Cranston (who played White) and Jesse Paul (who played Pinkman) will attend the event, in addition to Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.
Cranston and Paul will then be at the Isotopes game July 30 to raise money for two NM-based charities and promote their new Dos Hombres Mezcal, which will be available at the ballpark.
But critics are appalled a fictional drug kingpin and his acolyte are literally being put on a pedestal and say it sends the wrong message given Albuquerque’s very real problems stemming from drug trafficking and addiction. True, Walter and Jesse may not be the historic figures traditionally memorialized in bronze at a city square. But like it or not, they have become Albuquerque’s best-known ambassadors.
And life is not imitating art here. Art is imitating life.
If “Breaking Bad” had never aired, Albuquerque would still have a drug problem—with none of the economic benefits the show delivered to the city and state. In a statement to KOAT, the Mayor’s Office cited a $385 million economic impact from the filming of the franchise in New Mexico.
Gilligan has been widely quoted that Albuquerque became a central character in the show. The city and state couldn’t buy the kind of publicity it generated. How many have taken the “Breaking Bad” RV and trolley tours, grabbed lunch at Los Pollos Hermanos (really Twisters) or the Dog House, or gotten their car washed on Snow Heights Circle because of the show? Downtown had best gear up to make the most of locals and tourists taking selfies by Walter and Jesse.
And we argue the show absolutely did not glorify the illicit drug trade — it showed in graphic detail how drugs ruin lives and corrupt men’s souls, albeit in a morbidly compelling way. These statues acknowledge Albuquerque’s contribution to pop culture, like the “Bronze Fonz” in Milwaukee.
The actors are “thrilled and humbled” statues of their characters will be placed at the Convention Center. Gilligan says “over the course of 15 years, two TV shows and one movie, Albuquerque has been wonderful to us. I wanted to return the favor and give something back.”
The proper reply? You’re welcome.
This editorial first appeared in the . It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
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