CANNOT BE MATCHED
Great article the March ’07 OffBeat, “Getting Caught Up In It.”
I am 45 years old and have lived in the surrounding suburbs of New Orleans all my life. What we have in this city, especially in our French Quarter, cannot be matched by anything in the U.S., at all!
And for the music? Are you kidding me!
I am a musician, not full time, but weekend warrior, and have played in the French Quarter and surrounding areas so often, for years. The talent here in New Orleans for years is so overlooked, so underrated and sadly, mostly, by us New Orleanians. Two of my favorite CDs in my truck right now are the Meters and the subdudes!
Some of my friends and family at my age or older do not return to the city or to the Quarter because of “people” and “increasing crime,” but this, all of it, most importantly New Orleans Music, is ours! Who’s going to preserve it if we don’t?
—Troy “T-Rock” Dancer. Luling, LA
LOVE-HATE
I have lived in New Orleans for almost six months now and have alternately loved and hated this city. As I read (February 2007’s) “Mojo Mouth,” I found my feelings for the city spelled out perfectly through your words (“Just like everyone else in New Orleans, we teeter-totter between loving the city so much that it hurts and wanting to get the hell out of here.”)
I moved here in September to volunteer with the St. Bernard Project, a rebuild organization in the Parish. I’m still doing that, as well as working at a restaurant on Bourbon Street. Before moving here, I used to visit on my spring breaks from St. Louis, and you’re right. Something keeps pulling me back. I’m moving home to Houston mid-March to spend some time with my family before shipping off with the Peace Corps, but I know that this won’t be the last I see of New Orleans. My boyfriend’s coming to visit over his spring break, and I truly hope he falls in love with it because I want to move here with him one day.
Thank you for words, thank you for OffBeat and thank you for helping me realize that my love-hate relationship with the city is standard.
—Linda Golden, New Orleans, LA
DISCOURGE ALL DRUG USE
I used to believe that the way forward was to legalize all drugs; however, I have come full circle, so to speak, and am now firmly of the opinion that everything possible—including the law—should be done to discourage ALL drug use. [In February’s “Mojo Mouth,” publisher Jan Ramsey advocates legalizing drugs as a measure to help fight crime.]
We have had some issues within our family circle and have seen how even quite minor drug use can distort the users view of “normal” society and family interaction. On a larger scale, it clearly destroys lives in more way than one and is a particular curse in inner city areas all over the world.
How can drugs be banned? Much easier said than done. One of the major side effects of the invasion of Afghanistan has been the record production of heroin and cocaine, most of which has found its way onto British streets in plentiful supply and very affordable. If we are serious, then I think we have to try radical thinking and go to the source. Our governments should outbid everyone and anyone and buy up all the raw material where it is produced (Afghanistan, Columbia, etc.) and then destroy it whilst trying to help and persuade the growers to plant something less harmful that won’t have such devastating effects on our communities.
Hand Guns? Well we are having similar problems here. In spite of the law here which makes possession illegal with serious sanctions, they can be obtained with ease and cheaply. Local press reports that a hand gun can be bought for as little as £50 ($100) on the streets.
As far as the U.S. is concerned, I can’t see Congress ever outlawing them. The gun lobby is so powerful and the right to bear arms so entrenched. The sad fact is that you live in a society that has chosen to tolerate gun ownership; therefore, you should not be too surprised if from time to time they are used for the purpose for which they were designed, to kill and/or maim.
On that cheerful note, my ticket is in my hand. Yes, I will be in town for Jazz Fest.
—Ed Levers, London, England, UK
TOO CUTE!
I just renewed my subscription and I hope it can start with the April issue because that cover shot of Kermit and his fiancée is TOO CUTE!
I wish I could be there for the ceremony at French Quarter Fest!
—Nicole Harris, Oakland, CA
TRICKBAG
Smokey Johnson was the drummer on “Trickbag.” I know because I was the bass player. Just to let you know what was what.
—George French, New Orleans, LA
French is writing in response to April’s “Backtalk,” in which drummer Bob French talked about being part of Earl King’s band on the “Trickbag” recording session.—Ed.
REMEMBERING THE BLUE ROOM
I was in the Blue Room Orchestra in the late ’70s. The Blue Room really was the best gig in town. It was six nights a week—we played three 20-minute dance sets a night (sometimes only two) and two 50-minute shows. A late night there meant we were off around midnight. After the gig, the band would often hang out at a little bar across the street from the Blue Room for awhile. Then I would head over to the Old Absinthe House where Charlie Brent had just put together an R&B/funk band with LOTS of horns for singer Luther Kent. They would play from 3-7 a.m., three nights a week. By the time 3 a.m. came they sounded great.
The article [“Blue Room Blues,” April, 2007] brought back more stories than I knew I could remember.
This was when Muhammad Ali was going to fight Leon Spinks and final title match at the Superdome: Between shows, I was outside the Blue Room when this limo pulls up and out steps Leon Spinks and his bodyguard, Mr. T. Let me tell you, Mr. T was much more colorful than Mr. Spinks. They were coming to a pre-fight party at the Fairmont that we later crashed. No sooner than the limo pulled up, this little boy from the neighboring project—about 10 years old—comes up to Spinks with a crumbled piece of paper and pencil in his hand and asks him for his autograph. Spinks, whose eyes were glazed over by this time told the boy to f*** off. The kid begged him and then Spinks just told the kid to f*** off again and walked into the hotel. It was the nastiest thing I had ever seen. When Ali defeated Spinks in that fight, I couldn’t help thinking about that kid and smiling.
The trumpet section would bring in an ice chest of beer and keep it with them onstage. Prior to one of Ginger Rogers’ performances, one of the trumpet players took the ice chest into the Blue Room’s kitchen and filled it with ice for the evening. Unbeknownst to him, he dropped some of the ice cubes on the dance floor/stage on his way back to the bandstand. Of course the ice cubes had turned to water by the time Ginger made her grand entrance with dancers. When she hit the water she did an aquaplane thing, sliding across the floor with her 69-year-old back so stretched back she was looking at the ceiling, she would have made James Brown proud. That old lady could really fly! You would have had to have been there.
—Joe Sunseri, Raleigh, NC
