The Night of the Saint's Win

I didn't get to watch the Big Game.  I was working.  I work at a sporting goods and outdoors store.  We are a major source of Saints products: shirts, hats, pennants, etc.  Since they've won the NFC championship we've been selling a lot of Saints stuff.  If the Saints win we were going to open right after the game and start selling Superbowl championship product.  The merchandise was there, we couldn't open it until the end of the game.  If the Saints lost than it all went back.

We had the game on the radio so we could listen.  We had a store full of associates standing around waiting for the outcome.  Before the game was over, once it started to look pretty good for a Saints' win we had people start lining up outside the store.  By the time the game was over we probably had a few hundred people waiting. As the game ended we started opening boxes and putting the product out on the tables.  Every register was manned and we had people behind all the tables getting the shirts and hats out.  I was in charge, making sure everything was ready.  We had police there to help control the crowd.

The plan was to let twenty people in at a time, once the first twenty was in and moving along we would let another twenty in, and so on.  Once the tables were packed with the shirts and hats I gave the signal to the police office to start with the first twenty.  By now the line was all the way down the strip mall and around the side.  We had to have over a thousand people in line.  The parking lot was parked, all you saw on the road was headlights headed towards us.  Horns were blaring, car alarms were going off, people were screaming and all you could hear was "Who Dat!!!!"  The fire department came with an engine with lights and horns blaring, parking out front of the store.

Everything went smooth.  People poured through the store, buying shirts and hats and moving through the registers with no problems.  Everyone was cheering and yelling as they came through.  It was as close to a party you can have while still working.

43 years in the making.  There was a lot of emotion that night.  The people here love their Saints and have stood behind this team through a lot of bad years, so it was great to see all that loyalty finally being rewarded. Within three hours we were sold out of everything Superbowl related and we still have hundreds of people outside.

I have to admit I was a little nervous about having to go out there and face that crowd.  Some of those people had been standing in line for hours.  One of the firemen came in and volunteered to go inform the crowd through the fire trucks' speakers.  The police officer at the door told the people that had waited so patiently and were now at the door to be let in that sadly they were going to be turned away, we had no more product.  After thousands of hats, shirts, pennants, license plate holders, magnets we were out.

This was crucial point, even the police officers were a little worried.  What would this crowd of hundreds do after standing outside, drinking and partying, waiting for Saints product that they were now told was not here. New Orleans did me proud.  They turned away with no problem.  Of course there was some grumbling, a few people could be heard that this wasn't fair, but the majority, the vast majority of the people understand and went off cheering and chanting for their Saints.  They knew we'd have more product the next morning and even more important than to be the first to get that shirt or hat I think they just wanted to be out with fellow fans to celebrate after the win.

So for me I've been seeing the win from a slightly different perspective.  I haven't even had a chance to see the local news to see how the rest of the city has reacted.  The next day I was back again, with another big crowd, but nowhere near the size of the previous night, and lines of people with the shirts and hats we received again.

I heard from someone that when the Saints came home today from the airport that the streets were lined for miles around the airport with fans.  I'm off Tuesday so I'm looking to be able to watch some news and see what's been happening otherwise with the Saints.

Who Dat Picked the Saints?

Before the game a lot of celebrities are polled to see who they thought would win.  The majority picked the Colts, mainly due to Peyton.  Just thought I'd share two picks with everyone.  I always knew I liked Valerie and Ms. Jett is one of my favorite rockers.

VALERIE BERTINELLI Actress

New Orleans, 24-21. With those two quarterbacks, there has to be some scoring because they are both brilliant. The Saints have a deep offense and the defense is so good, they will hold them back. It will be a great game no matter what ... especially when the Saints win.

JOAN JETT Rock star

New Orleans, 45-33.

Saints Win!

I know I'm late, but I had to work for the Superbowl and afterwards we re-opened to sell Superbowl shirts and hats.  There literally was thousands of people in line tonight.  I'm sure I'll have more to talk about the Saints win later, but it's time for bed.

Glory Bound

Thanks to Aimee for sending me this cause somehow I missed it.  And me being a really BIG Theresa Andersson fan.

Who Dat!

Mary Gauthier

I found this video while I was preparing my "Song of the Week" for my other site Voices to hear. Mary is from New Orleans and an acclaimed singer/songwriter. Her song "Mercy Now" is one of my favorites, but this song and video are pretty powerful.

NOLA Comic Con

I was going to post yesterday but not much of anything was accomplished yesterday. The first NOLA CON was held Saturday and I think it was pretty much a success. I only have a few pictures to post as I forgot to check the batteries in my camera and they died on me. Normally I have my camera bag and I always have back up batteries in there, but I just brought my small digital camera and stuck it in my pocket. So only a few pictures. The pictures don't show the crowd, most of them were made earlier, just as the con was getting started. Evidence of pictures aside, there was quite a turn out for the show. Good enough that I think Ronnie will have another one next year.

I enjoyed myself. I made some money selling some books. I signed some autographs. (Something I will never get used to...someone wanting me to sign my name for them.) One kid even wanted his picture taken with me. Very big ego boost I have to admit, even if it only lasts while I'm at the show. Sitting at the table I got to meet some fellow writers and artists from the area, which is always nice. Was able to talk shop with some fans who are interested in writing and hopefully able to give them a little advice. I mean it's not like I'm some big shot pro, but I know a few things I hoped I was able to pass on.

The picture below is of my spot. The empty chair should have me in it. The comics in front are some of the ones I've written. The big bald guy on the right is RJ, another writer, who writes a cool strip called "Vampire Brat" and the guy in green is Tim, an artist that is really good and has illustrated such comics as "Picket Fences" for APE Entertainment.

Hey, you can tell it's a real comic book convention. There's stormtroopers. It can't be a real comic book convention unless there's someone dressed up as a stormtrooper. I know it's kind of hard to see, but look towards the back, the lighting in this picture sucks.

Someone dressed up as a comic book character.

The guy standing in front holding the plaque is Ronnie, the mastermind behind the convention. The guy standing behind him, in front of the guy in the wheelchair is his Dad. And the guy in the wheelchair is Carl. Now I'll explain more about them. Ronnie and his Dad, who is named Ron, used to own and operate the comic book shop I dealt with back in the 90's called Paper Gold. Ronnie was just a young whippersnapper back than. I think when they first opened up he was maybe 16 or 17. I became pretty good friends with Ron, Ronnie and Ron's wife and Ronnie's mother Pat who is not pictured. After they closed Paper Gold they all moved back to Houston, where I thought they still were until recently when I discovered Ronnie was back with his own shop. While in Houston I found out Ron had a heart attack and nearly died. He actually has had a heart transplant. I was really glad to see all of them again.

Now the guy in the wheelchair is Carl and around here he's kind of the King of the Comic Book Stores. I won't say he had the first comic book store in the area, but he's probably had one the longest and one of the biggest and best. Most everyone that sat behind that table that is any type of professional or semi professional spent time hanging out at Carl's shop and talking with Carl. And I include myself in that number. Carl is one of those guys that always talks tough and acts like he's putting you down, but he actually would give you the shirt off his back. Ronnie had a plaque made up for him thanking him for all his work and dedication. After Katrina Carl sold his shop and I haven't seen him since. It was a really nice thing Ronnie did.


Ok, that's my trip down memory lane.

John Boutte and Paul Sanchez at French Quarter Fest

French Quarter Fest

This is one of my favorite pictures from the Fest. That's LeRoy Jones and John Boutte and the paddle wheeler "Natchez" sailing behind them as they sing.

Old School Fridays: If I Were A Boy

This one made me think. I decided to pick a video that made me think of a time when I was a boy, years past. My thinking is now I'm a man, but if I were a boy. I don't know if that makes sense or not. This song is by a local artist that sings about New Orleans and life in the city past and present, Benny Grunch and the Bunch. Most of his songs are done more in a comedic mode, but this one is not.

John Boutte

I had heard the name of John Boutte long before I first saw or heard him sing. It wasn't until a French Quarter Fest that I actually saw him. It was during one of Paul Sanchez' Traveling Road Shows. Paul once played guitar and wrote a lot of the songs for Cowboy Mouth. After many years he left to go on his own, but he's really never on his own. He's always performing with other local artists. At this show he had John Boutte, Shamar Allen and Susan Cowsill with him. The show opened with John Boutte singing "City of New Orleans." I was sitting on the ground in the front and I was blown away. This man could sing. He reminded me a lot of Sam Cooke, but with his own New Orleans flavor.

I've put two songs here by him. The above mentioned "City of New Orleans" and also "Louisiana 1927" both songs are from the 2007 New Orleans Jazz Fest. The year before he did a show at Jazz Fest, the first one after Katrina. I missed his show and they didn't record that one, but the reviews said it was the show of the entire Fest. And this was the show where Springsteen performed what I thought one of the best shows ever. There wasn't a dry eye after he did 1927 from what I heard. These two versions may not be those, but they still hold a lot of power. And while you listen to "Louisiana 1927" he's updated it some, taking out President Coolidge and putting in W.

Coco Robicheaux

Tipitina's is a music club that is famous beyond the city. This is a club that has seen some of the best come through its door and play on its stage. Upon entering there is a bust of piano legend Professor Longhair. It's considered good luck to rub Fess' head. This piece of art was created by Coco Robicheaux. As good a sculptor Coco is he is better known as a musician. He has created his own style of blues/cajun/swamp music that to put simply is great. He puts on an awesome live show, often the greats blues singer Irene Sage accompanys him on stage. The following song is from an upcoming album that I can't wait to have come out.


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The Music Scene In New Orleans Since Katrina

Rolling Stone.com has a really good article about the music scene here in New Orleans since Katrina. Go here to read it. The article was written by Alex Rawls, a local that writes for the New Orleans local free paper Offbeat.

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Mardi Gras Come and Gone

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Yesterday was Mardi Gras. It's officially over now. I didn't go to one parade this year. I even forgot to blog about it. Mardi Gras is one of those things that I can't go to every year. It can be fun, but it can also be daunting. It's best when you're with people that have never been. As much as I didn't want to go this year, I'm glad for the years I've went and think it's something that everyone should experience. People that I know that live out of state don't understand it. One friend was telling me about parades in his hometown, but I tried to explain it's different. The city of New Orleans shuts down for Mardi Gras.

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Snow In New Orleans

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeTuesday Night the weatherman said it was supposed to get cold Thursday. He even mentioned the S word...snow. Every so often they tease us with that word and act like it's going to really snow in New Orleans. Every now and than we'll get some snow, but by the time it hits the ground it's already melting. When I got up Thursday morning I was expecting it to be really cold, but it was't. I went to work and as the morning went on it got colder. And than something happened.

It started to snow. At first it was like every other snow, it melted as it hit the ground. Than it really started to come down. And it started to stick to the ground. Before long it was a few inches deep.

Snow in New Orleans.

It didn't stay around long. Within a few hours the snow turned to rain and the snow on the ground melted away. But it was kind of cool while it lasted.

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New Orleans Waltz

I found this song from Grayson Capps from his album of last year "Wail and Ride." Grayson moved from New Orleans after Katrina to Tennessee, Shannon McNally is in Mississippi now...so many of the city's musicians have left and not come back. I was reading an interview in Offbeat awhile back with Susan Cowsill and she as talking about deciding to move from New Orleans and I was actually feeling sick, another artist leaving, but by the end of the interview she had declared that her and her husband decided they couldn't leave the city.

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Earl Palmer Dies

The legendary drummer Earl Palmer died yesterday after a lengthy illness. He was 84 years old. Palmer was born in New Orleans and started his career as a tap dancer with his Mother on the black vaudeville circuit. Palmer helped create the early sound of rock and roll with Fats Domino, Little Richard and Smiley Lewis. His playing on "The Fat Man" features the strong backbeat that has become part of the rock and roll sound. In 1957 Palmer moved to California and played on more people's albums than I have space to list. A partial list includes: Ricky Nelson, Ray Charles Eddie Cochran, Frank Sintra, The Monkees...he played on The Righteous Brothers' hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'".

He is quoted as saying "I've been asked if people could borrow my drums because they like their sound. What the hell, they think the drums play themselves? I said, 'You really want 'em? Really? Okay. Cost you triple scale and cartage.'"

Fats Domino "The Fat Man"

Those That Don't Learn From History....

From USA Today:

Signs are emerging that history is repeating itself in the Big Easy, still healing from Katrina: People have forgotten what happened after the last hurricane, four decades ago, that caused catastrophic flooding and again believe the federal government is constructing a levee system they can prosper behind.

Go here to read the rest of it.

New Orleans

Theresa Anderson