Episode 197: Life is a Carousel (Bar) – Tales From the Bartender

Journalist Peter Finney Jr. joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his new book, “Drago’s: An American Journey.” It is a compelling story about the Civitanovich family that migrated from Croatia after World War II and the eventual evolution of a great seafood restaurant, Drago’s, best known for its signature dish Charbroiled Oysters. One of the founder’s sons would be known for the dish; the other son would become an emergency medicine specialist and is coroner of Jefferson Parish. It is a story of hard work, ambition and the American dream that started across the ocean. ...If you ever have a chance, try the oysters.

If you have lived in New Orleans for any time at all you have heard about this fellow referred to simply as “Bienville” –although his baptismal name was Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The native of Montreal gets the credit for founding New Orleans and being the Louisiana territory’s colonial governor as part of the exploits, for the French crown, with his explorer big brother Iberville. Historian Sally Asher joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, and podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell about the founder and his many quirks, including a fondness for tattoos and an ability to communicate with local native tribes. Then there is the story about how he once fooled the British. There is a Louisiana parish and a prominent New Orleans street named after him, plus there is a statue in the French Quarter. There are also lots of stories and we will tell a few of them.

It was along Bayou Teche, at St. Martinville, where Evangeline, according of Henry Longfellow’s classic poem, searched for her love Gabriel. The two had been separated by the Acadian expulsion from Nova Scotia. Not far away in Breaux Bridge there is a happier scene at the annual Crawfish Festival when the bounty is served. At New Iberia, Weeks Hall, a renowned artist and photographer, restored Shadows on the Teche a once rundown ante-bellum home that would become a piece of art in itself. The town is also the site of the Bayou Teche Museum, which provides a visual journey down the waterway. Michael Tarantino, a member of the museum’s board, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the 125 mile long bayou, as well as the museum and the surrounding Cajun country. In a state blessed with many bayous, the Teche is one of the most historic and picturesque. Had fate allowed, It would have been a great stream for Gabriel and Evangeline to appreciate many Sunday afternoon pirogue rides.

It is not the most poetic of nicknames but it is backed by science. Author Ned Randolph joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his new book, "Muddy Thinking in the Mississippi River Delta," and his experiences covering the state’s landscape including the river known informally as “The Big Muddy.” Because the Mississippi River drains much of the central part of the continent, the water carries sediments from upriver along the way that in turn has built riverbanks and nourished marshes and swamps and, near the river’s mouth, given the Gulf of Mexico its chocolatey color. It has also built land that would one day give the region, “the blues.” And speaking of colors, the sediment’s rich soil also enriches the land for our indigenous “Creole tomato.” You will likely gain a new appreciation for mud including it being the building substance for the Mississippi Delta region – all the better for sitting on a  levee and listening to the blues.

For this the 200th edition of Louisiana Life magazine’s “Louisiana Insider” podcast, we feature the magazine’s most awarded feature writer. Kevin Rabalais has been the first place winner several times as designated by the International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) for his articles mostly on the outdoors. A 2022 feature on alligator hunting helped the magazine win its second Magazine of the Year award from the association. The native of Bunkie in Avoyelles Parish, who teaches journalistic related courses at Loyola University, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about his experiences covering the state’s landscape including his encounters with feral pigs and a visit to a turtle hatchery. He has explored throughout the state although to date he has still not spotted a legendary “Rougarou,” but if anyone gets an interview, it will be him.

You have heard of Basin Street and its blues? Well intersecting that street on the edge of New Orleans’ French Quarter is “Conti,” a street that was part of the neighborhood that gave Basin its reputation because of the surrounding Storyville red-light district. Storyville has been closed since 1917 but now there is a great new museum that creates an immersive journey into the city’s, and the district’s, past. Claus Sadlier, the owner/curator of the New Orleans Storyville Museum, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, and podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss the museum including its virtual visuals, holograms, videos, vintage photographs, narrations and artifacts. Sadlier is also a compelling storyteller with tales to tell about the district – including the music actually played in the bordellos. It wasn’t just the blues.

Presidential politics and energy expert Jay Hakes, a former University of New Orleans Political Science professor, has written a compelling new book about contemporary presidents and their response to environmental issues. He helped organize Jimmy Carter’s Louisiana campaign in 1976 and he would go on to manage the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta for 13 years. As an energy expert, he spent time shaping energy policy for the state of Florida and, under Carter, headed the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Hakes joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss his latest book, “The Presidents and the Planet: Climate Change Science and Politics from Eisenhower to Bush,” published by LSU Press. The wide ranging discussion also includes shaping public opinion (such as the awareness of the dangers from second hand cigarette smoke) and the future of electric vehicles. It is high powered conversation.

Sometimes life seems to move in a circle taking its passengers from where they started, to other destinations and then back again. Some of the literary figures who were regulars at the historic Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans’ French Quarter – like Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams – might have experienced that in their journeys for discovery, or maybe they were just enjoying a great cocktail at an unforgettable bar. Customers at the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Bar have now been able to explore the circle of life for 75 years. The namesake libation lounge has reached a significant anniversary while still powered by a one-fourth-horsepower motor that enables a full turn every 15 minutes. Beverage Manager and historian for the hotel, Marvin Allen joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with Producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the bar and its signature cocktails including the Vieux Carre, which was created to reflect the culture of New Orleans. How so? Join the ride to find out.

One evening in 1949, a group of women stormed into the lobby of the majestic Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans. They headed straight to the bar and demanded to be served Sazeracs, the house specialty and a New Orleans legendary cocktail. What else could the bartender do? A round of Sazeracs for everyone? The geo-social implication of the event was that prior to that night, women were not allowed in that bar, except – of course – for Mardi Gras Day. But now another barrier was broken. The hotel’s Director of Sales & Marketing Cam Rinard joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with Producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about to the annual re-creation of the event now known as “Stormin’ of the Sazerac.” The Roosevelt, by the way, had been a favorite hangout for Gov. Huey Long, who enjoyed the bar. The hotel was managed by Long crony Seymour Weiss. That may or may not have anything to do with the “storming” but it does show that there was a lot of colorful history at the hotel. Listen and learn more.

As a former Louisiana Secretary of State, Insurance Commissioner and State Senator, Jim Brown has had to cross many rivers including the Mississippi, Atchafalaya, the Red and the Pearl. In his retirement, Brown has had the chance to wade in the Jordan River.                          Brown joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde to talk about his new book, “Jesus, Jews, Jihad and Me: My Jerusalem Journey.” He visited the holy land last year, a region known for the wisdom of the prophets but where he also learned and sensed something was wrong. The day after he left, the war began.