Here's a cute shot from the last NOLA trip in April. It's Jackie Legends Joe Jackson and Champain with me (middle) in front of our house in Marigny. Yup, all that blue is our house - it is HUGE by NY standards.


And, if you've never been in NOLA in April - the shades are absolutely necessary!

Last night at The Phoenix I was talking to this guy and his boyfriend (really nice). We were remembering Boy Bar, the good old days etc. etc. Then all of a sudden I spooked The Motherboards' own "Drama Queen"! I said, "You're Drama Queen? I'm Daddy." He said, "I know. But who's stomache is that?"
(the nerve!)
It's so much fun to spook another Motherboards junkie. Then we started talking about NOLA and I realized that "Drama Queen" really knows the Big Easy! REALLY knows her! He knows so many places that I've never even heard of.
Come on girl...
Give us the 411.

Chi Chi,

Doug and I were in New Orleans this year about the same time as you (odd as that may seem, I don't know how we didn't run into you). But reading your posts tonight brought all the enchantment back for me ...

Such a magic vibe emanates out of the swamp and into the French Quarter. The adventures we had there, too many for words! We can't wait to get back there. And as for where we plan to retire --we've already stared pricing down-trod mansions!!

And The Shopping!!! Being true to our somewhat embarrassingly stereotypical fetish/goth natures, we acquired some of the loveliest treasures we've found in years.

I got a numbered (229 of 250) hard copy first edition of Pandora, signed by Anne Rice; a unique crystal ball in a wrought iron Ibis stand and a star-themed rhinestone tiara.

Doug acquired a gorgeous, one of a kind, hand-tooled leather mask by Matthew Mansour at Rumours, a hand-carved wood card box and a beautiful pewter razor in the shape of a naked woman.

To learn more about Doug's mask: http://www.rumorsno.com/mansour/mansour.htm

Also, Doug and I have four exciting hours of video tape which we now force on anyone interested (or not) in seeing it ...

See St Louis and Lafayette #1 cemeteries, snippets from a spooky French Quarter ghost tour (hosted by the amazingly knowledgeable Randy). See the gators on the Swamp Tour. See the variety of bourbon decanters in Anne Rice's limo and laugh as Tonya, as investigative reporter with no clue, tries to videotape the writer's backyard by flinging the video camera over the fence, only to be chased down the street by a stern looking gentleman (Stan Rice perhaps??)... We wish now, in retrospect, to apologize for this fanatic fan behavior, it was not cool; but it felt fab to act fifteen again ...

So if you (or anyone else on board) is curious about seeing New Orleans through the eyes of Doug and Tonya, you just let us know, and we'll have you over for a four-hour screening (which with my shoddy videotaping ability will make you more sea-sick than a three-hour tour)...

Hope everything is OK with you all in NOLA. We are thinking of you. Be safe!!!

T

ps. for all that don't know NOLA is on the path of a hurricane and is BELOW sea level.

Storm sounded really bad on the Internet radio - said lots of streets are impassable including Elysian Fields, parts of the Quarter and lots of the CBD. Was very worried about our beloved second home but just got off the phone with my brother in Marigny and he says all is well so far, if wet.

So love from everyone here and lets hope the gris-gris (and the leveees) hold..

Though most of the bars are closed and boarded up, the news report said about 25 people holed themselves up at Molly's in the French Market to wait out the storm. I love New Orleans!

French Quarter

That looks like The French Quarter after any storm.

Only the recreation of all things Anne Rice for our bash here is making me feel better about missing my absolute favorite week in New Orleans - Halloween week.

Have MCd most of the past five Endless Night Vampyre Balls in NOLA, and am sorry to be missing this year's edition (especially because it may be the last.) As the ball has never been on Halloween night before I've always been able to do it and fly back to NY to do the 31st with my Click and Jackie families. But this year it was one or the other, and New York seemed to need a centuries-old, period-dressed female voice more!

If you are in NOLA and thinking of going to the EN, or somewhere else and travelling to New Orleans, its at Gallier Hall(!) and all info is at

http://www.endlessnight.com

Delighted to say we'll be blowing in for the last leg of Mardi Gras (arriving on Lundi Gras morning) this year.

I know Drama Queen will be there - any other Motherlovers going this year?

Im packing something simple, like this:

Ms. gramps - Your mail is bouncing back - would love to hook up in NOLA. please empty your mailbox...

sorry Chi Chi -didnt know hotmail was full. We would love to meet you and daddy at your bar of choice and we leave this morning for the Big Easy and are there till friday nite 3/7. Ill have my laptop so email a time and place and well be there.

Happy Mardi Gras!

We are BACK, rather reluctantly from a magic week at Mardi Gras and beyond. The locals were saying Mardi Gras was SLOW, but we found it busy enough, thank you!

Some highlights included

Lundi Gras evening we were first row as the King Of carnival - Rex - with velvet and rhinestone encrusted masked entourage came over by boat to receive the actual control of the city from the mayor. They were then joined onstage by King Zulu and members of his entourage, who all had gwens upon gwens holding umbrellas over their heads as it was pissing rain. This famous, famous ceremony had the production values of The Jackie Awards!! This floored us! On a normal Lundi Gras there would have been thousands of people there, but there were only hundreds of diehards like us, dancing in the rain and up closer than we'd ever be for the omnipresent "throws" (rex beads, dubloons, etc.)

Alt Gras: On Mardi Gras morning a marching band woke me about 10 AM as the Society of St. Anne, one of the newly revived "walking krewes" came right down Royal Street. Went running out sans coffee to see the most heartwarming and divine of any of the parades we saw that day - lots of artists in homemade costumes, with props and handheld floats made out of cardboard cartons, with kids and animals in full drag too. They stood drinking at the corner bars and in the street as they gathered more marchers going towards the Quarter. These walking, local parades really evoke what Mardi Gras must have been like a half-century ago, and I am glad to see them in revival. Other local walking krewes included the Krewe de Poo, which were headquartered right at our corner alt.coffeeshop Floras (lots of plushies, full body paint, imagine Click + Drag as a marching parade..)

Goth Gras: One of the truck krewes (following Rex on Mardi Gras afternoon) was a goth krewe who were throwing black beads. Divine!

Gay Gras: Spending early evening of Mardi Gras on the balcony of Oz, the big gay disco, with my new best friends off a gay cruise, while Johnny Dynell and HIS new friends threw their unwanted beads to cute guys in the street.

The epithet "Zulu Bitch", heard on Canal Street

Alt.Gras part 2: Frenchmen Street, where we ended our Fat Tuesday at this enormous street party where everyone is in elaborate handmade or funky drag, and the whole street for several blocks turns into a big dancefloor. I cannot really do this party justice, between the wild womyn drummers, the body-beautiful Ebony Prince wearing only a sock over his manhood and sneakers, the fisheads in "Bubonic Plague" costumes, the Alt Wizard sipping his beer, etc., etc., etc.

Ash Wednesday, when we saw several versions of this -

Midget crossing Elysian Fields with forehead ashes, wearing beads, and carrying a large takeout cup of beer..

Lessons learned:

Start your Fat Tuesday early - it turns into Ugly Gras after the first 12 hours of drinking by the general public.

Avoid Bourbon Street.

It is worth spending two and a half hours getting dressed for this, even if you do miss the Zulu Parade because of it.

Got to catch up with:

The Motherboards own Drama Queen and BF, Varla Jean Merman (who's just bought a house in The Marigny) and Toni C. and her gorge GF Leenie, at their Bywater manse complete with 8 DOGS!

Missing In Action:

Ms. Gramps, Drag Queen Betty

What a week!

Found these great pics of the St. Ann Society walking krewe on their website..

http://www.kreweofstann.org/menu2003.html

and one more...

The yawning sunshine is priceless.

Well, the Empress certainly said it better than I caould have.
But Hattie...
The three and a half foot cajun coming out of church drunk with ashes on his forehead and a full plastic cup full of beer was right up your alley. We thought of you.

Here was my Mardi Gras plumage before it wilted..

I will be in New Orleans for Halloween this year. Anyone with any info on what is going on this year?

I adore Halloween in New Orleans, but we are too crazed to get there this year.

Halloween weekend is huge, and so much fun everywhere. Not sure what kind of nightlife you like, but Halloween weekend events range from a big annual circuit party to the Voodoo festival, and everything else in between. Of course the graveyards and ghost tours are hopping - our friend Lord Chaz gives great nighttime tours - he is pretty easy to find there.

There is no Endless Night Vampyre's Ball in NOLA this year for the first time in five years, and the Anne Rice Coven ball ceased in 2000, but a wide range of events should be under discussion at the fabulous forums at nola.com

Also, if you are still in town Nov. 1 for the Feast of All Saints, do go to the graveyard in the day to witness this extraordinary only-in-NOLA phenomenon. If you are still up and can go early, take the streetcar to Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District, that is incredible.

Have a great time, and remember it could be 80 degrees, so bring some light clothing just in case (probably wont be that warm, but after being stuck there with only velvet in that weather I thought I should warn you.)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Singer-songwriter Ray Davies of the Kinks was shot in the leg while chasing thieves who snatched a purse from a woman he was with, police said Monday. He was not seriously injured.
Police said Davies, 59, and the woman were walking along the Quarter's Burgundy Street around 8:30 p.m. Sunday when the theft and shooting happened.