Wicked, Good

One thing is clear: You’re not going to find a better headphone/earbud/speaker combo for $9. In fact you probably won’t find another such set at that price. We’ve cornered the market on sub-$10 3-piece audio sets today.

What’s less clear, however, why this company is called “Wicked Audio.” Assuming it’s being used like “wicked good” rather than the hit Broadway show, you’d think its creators might be based in Boston. But no, it was founded in decidedly un-wicked Provo, Utah. “Wicked,” it seems, has grown beyond its New England confines and permeated the greater culture.

Which leads us to wonder: Why does Boston maintain such cultural clout? The city itself lands 23rd on the list of most populous U.S. cities, behind El Paso, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and many other ignored metropolises. Yet Boston occupies a strange, outsized share of our collective consciousness. We know they say “wicked” in Boston, but what do they say in Philadelphia?

Remember that movie last year about Boston? No, not that one, the other one. The one about the Irish guys. Yeah, and the dad is an alcoholic. Oh wait, that’s right, we’re describing a dozen different movies in the last decade.

There are even sub-genres of Boston movies, like the

ones with the brooding, emotionally stunted male lead. Or the ones about Whitey Bulger (there could have been even more).

Or the stupid ones.

Where are San Antonio’s Affleck and Damon? Who is Phoenix’s Wahlberg? Why is today’s deal “wicked” and not … whatever it is they say in Philadelphia?