Archive for Miscellany
Michael Jackson Second Line
Posted by: | CommentsWell, the King of Pop didn’t really have a New Orleans connection, but we threw him a party anyway. Like we do.
Normally, a Second Line follows after a funeral or memorial service, but since he’s not being buried here regardless, I guess they decided to just go ahead and do it now. After all, is he even being buried? I remember hearing talk about a cryogenic process, but who knows if that was truth or tabloid fodder.
Whichever, it was held on Sunday afternoon in ungodly, stifling heat, but that didn’t stop everybody from dancing up a storm and having a great time. (to be fair, not everybody. I wimped out at home, in the AC, which is why I’m cheating and using the Times Picayune’s video.)
| VIDEO: Huge second-line honors Pop King Michael Jackson |
Goodbye Sam Butera
Posted by: | CommentsA native New Orleanian, he started playing the sax at the ripe old age of seven, and was still doing it right up until his death in Vegas at 81.
He played with all the big-band greats before teaming up with Prima through the 500 Club, which Prima’s brother owned. It’s that work with Louis Prima he was best known for, but Butera was an artist in his own right, both before and after their partnership.
Ah Sam, we’ll miss you.
Matt Faust’s Tribeca Film Festival winning Short
Posted by: | CommentsAs written up in the Times-Picayune:
“Home,” which makes heavy use of computer-assisted photo manipulation, juxtaposes images taken throughout Faust’s childhood with similar shots taken after Hurricane Katrina to build a touching portrait of all that was lost in the storm.
In announcing last week’s award, the five-person Tribeca shorts jury — which included MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow — wrote, “This touching short artistically combines the aesthetic and the emotional in its portrayal of home and its memories. It tells a post-Hurricane Katrina story in a new, inventive and poignant way.”
Antoine’s Hermes Bar
Posted by: | Comments
Last week, when we went to see the Pyrates behaving badly, we stopped in to a friend works in the recently remodeled Hermes Bar in Antoine’s restaurant.
Antoine’s is amazing- opened in 1840, it’s still a multi-generational family restaurant- and not only for the owners. When we returned on Easter Sunday for brunch instead of going to one of our usual holiday spots, our waiter was 4th generation waitstaff.
Each of the fifteen dining rooms has a unique bit of history attached to it, and we were lucky enough (well, that luck isn’t exactly exclusive; I’m pretty sure you just have to ask) to have our friend offer to take us around and tell us all the inside stories.
It was all really interesting, and the food, of course, was out of this world, but, well, we were sitting in the bar that night, after having been on Bourbon Street for some time already, and I was in a bit of a…uh…well, let’s call it a fugue. And as one does in such states of mind, I found myself fixated on their decanter, lit up on the bar waiting to be used to prepare an absinthe.
Sadly, no one ordered one while we were there, but it was gorgeous anyway, with its special spoons and delicate sugar cubes perched nearby.
Absinthe, being popular among artists and musicians, had been huge in New Orleans, and was still quietly available even after being banned. It’s recently been made legal again, so these decanters are starting to be seen around town once more.
For those unfamiliar with the whole ritual around The Green Fairy, here’s how it goes (complete with French accent, making it all the more authentic):
Super Sunday 2009
Posted by: | Comments(apologies- I just noticed that I somehow never hit publish on this one, so it’s 2 weeks late, even though it was written on the Sunday it happened. Argh.)
Off we headed around noon, down to Central City for the beginning of the Mardi Gras Indians’ Super Sunday parade. This year it seemed like fewer tribes were there for the start, but were going to come in while they were underway.
But in a way, that was just fine- there was more more Indian-like behavior today- War Chants and dancing, calling back and forth among the tribes. It was a beautiful day for it, and a great way to pass the afternoon.
I took the camera, of course, but got caught up in watching faces more than costumes. I just adored this little girl, who just knew she was the star of the day:
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There actually seemed to be more kids in general this year, which was great.
Not that the adults were coasting, of course:
Click for more Mardi Gras Indian photos, or here to learn more about Mardi Gras Indians and Super Sunday.
Eddie Bo dies at 79
Posted by: | CommentsMan, this sucks.
Eddie Bo was the first New Orleanian we saw with any regularity back before we lived here full time. Tipitina’s French Quarter location didn’t stay around long as a regular venue, but while it was there, Eddie was there every Friday for their Happy Hour, and he became part of our regular schedule when we came for the weekend.
Tip’s didn’t charge a door fee, and we ran into any number of locals there, some down on their luck and happy to hear some free music, some just on their way home from work and off to a great start on the weekend. Most visits, Eddie was training and bringing along some gorgeous young chantuse- under the watchful eye of his wife, of course, who was also selling his CDs.
We didn’t know, but this would’ve been just after he lost everything in a fire- his house, his business, a lifetime’s collection of recordings and notes, his keyboards. Everything. You would’ve never known. Always, always, always smiling, he made everyone welcome, and thanks to him, we felt like locals before we were.
I’m so glad we made a point to see him at Jazzfest, and sad to realize we hadn’t seen him since.
RIP, Mr. Bo. If there’s a second line, we’ll be there, along with most of the city, I expect…
A brief programming note…
Posted by: | CommentsThis blog is attached to my online shop, NotablyNewOrleans, for those who’ve come into the site from elsewhere.
Regardless of where you’ve arrived from, I’m glad to have you and am posting below the message sent to friends and family about the changes; I’m going to keep the blog up, I think- with much less to worry about on the work side, maybe I’ll actually be consistent…
note follows
I’m closing the shop. It’s been a long, hard decision with lots of different considerations, but in the end, the economics of the situation force my hand. With lots of encouragement from Charlie, I’ve decided to try another path, and focus on two things near and dear to me: NOLA’s ongoing recovery, and my writing.
I’ve already started working part time in the advocacy department of the Preservation Resource Center. It’s a phenomenal way to help New Orleans stay the unique place that it is, and it also gives me a chance to get back into a bit of programming, which I’ve missed. And when I’m not at the PRC, I’m going to refocus on writing and see what I can make of it.
So: bittersweet. Exciting things ahead, but still, it’s hard to pull the plug.
Anyway, from the Shameless Shill Department, in case you’re interested, http://www.notablyneworleans.com has everything 20-25% off, and I’ll leave it up until at least March 1st, post Mardi Gras.
Thanks, everyone.
Tess
Why we Stay, Pt II
Posted by: | CommentsWhy do we stay in New
Orleans? Part 2
By Charles Burck, Special to the Beacon
Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 September 2008 )
According to news reports we heard while battened down in our home for Hurricane Gustav, some 10,000 of us had stayed behind — less than 5 percent of the city’s population. Hmmm, don’t the Hell’s Angels call themselves the 5 percenters? Do we stay because we’re closet outlaws?
We now break from our regularly scheduled post to note that the St. Louis Beacon has emailed to request I take the piece down. I assumed that as Charlie had donated his time to write this, it was public domain, and having left their website addy there would be sufficient.
Apparently not, so my bad. Apologies all around.
Link to full text of part II here.
Getting back to normal/ “Why we stay,” pt I
Posted by: | CommentsOkay, so Gustav and Ike have both moved on, and while we keep our eye on the tropics and Texas in our minds, I want to pass something along that Charlie wrote in the 24 hours following Gustav.
Link: St. Louis Beacon
Gustav rolls in…
Posted by: | CommentsWell, in the end, we decided to stay home and not evacuate.
I waited for the 4pm weather update, hoping the worst of the traffic would let up. We had reservations in a Birmingham motel- 5 and a half hours to get to in the best of times, and I wasn’t too excited about doubling or tripling the travel time- with 2 dogs, 2 birds and 1 teen in the car, no less. So we waited a bit, hoping that either people would get where they were headed and off the road, or something about Gustav would change that would make leaving optional.
And that’s just what happened- since Gustav is weaker than expected, and since he’s aiming at other areas of the state, we decided to hunker down and go with the flow.
That flow arrived a little sooner than expected. A little after 6, Charlie called, yelling to bring the camera ASAP. The first big band of the hurricane was here-
