Walking to New Orleans?
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Artist:
I expect to be on my feet a lot in New Orleans next weekend during my annual early-Carnival weekend visit. Trekking through the French Quarter and the Marigny; strolling by the mighty Mississippi; scampering alongside parades; dancing in clubs and all-night parties; and doing a joyful second-line strut wherever I happen to be standing at any given moment. But, with all due respect to the immortal Fats Domino and his classic hit “Walking to New Orleans,†I’ll get there by airplane, thank you. Which should in no way undercut how fine I feel whenever I hear Fats - the grand high poobah of NoLa rock and roll.
When the Fat Man’s rolling piano licks and warm, drawling voice tickle my ears, I can’t help smiling and longing for his beleaguered and indefatigable hometown. In fact, I’ve been eager to once more breathe in the dank, humid, intoxicating atmosphere of the City That Care Forgot since the first king cakes were being baked for the kickoff of Carnival season on the 12th day of Christmas, January 6. That evening, which is also called Twelfth Night, marks the Feast of the Epiphany. The first of the season's king-cake parties are thrown - with people scarfing up the sweet, custard-filled treats that often hide a tiny plastic bean or baby, representing the baby Jesus. (By tradition, whoever gets the slice of cake with the baby hidden inside must throw the next king-cake party. Unless they have the great misfortune to choke on the little nipper - and die.)Fancy balls, masquerades and parades are the rule from Twelfth Night all the way to the biggest of all blow-outs - Fat Tuesday, better known as Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday, and the relative calm of Ash Wednesday, the subsequent 24 hours, mark the start of Lent and the 40-day run of Christian sacrifice that ends on Easter Sunday. And since the date of Easter is calculated by following the lunar cycle, it never falls on the same Sunday each year, and the date of Mardi Gras fluctuates accordingly.This year, Mardi Gras is relatively early, falling two days after the Super Bowl. So I’m there even earlier for the first weekend of the official 12-day celebration. Believe me, I don’t mind.By the way, if any of my Trusted MOGgers or other trustworthy citizens of the MOG-iverse have plans to be in New Orleans between Friday, January 25, and Tuesday, January 29, and want to meet for a drink or some other sort of revelry, MOG-mail me - and we’ll take it from there. In any event, you can hit the button right now and walk with Fats. Trust me. He’ll take you places.
Statue of Fats Domino in the French Quarter.
When the Fat Man’s rolling piano licks and warm, drawling voice tickle my ears, I can’t help smiling and longing for his beleaguered and indefatigable hometown. In fact, I’ve been eager to once more breathe in the dank, humid, intoxicating atmosphere of the City That Care Forgot since the first king cakes were being baked for the kickoff of Carnival season on the 12th day of Christmas, January 6. That evening, which is also called Twelfth Night, marks the Feast of the Epiphany. The first of the season's king-cake parties are thrown - with people scarfing up the sweet, custard-filled treats that often hide a tiny plastic bean or baby, representing the baby Jesus. (By tradition, whoever gets the slice of cake with the baby hidden inside must throw the next king-cake party. Unless they have the great misfortune to choke on the little nipper - and die.)Fancy balls, masquerades and parades are the rule from Twelfth Night all the way to the biggest of all blow-outs - Fat Tuesday, better known as Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday, and the relative calm of Ash Wednesday, the subsequent 24 hours, mark the start of Lent and the 40-day run of Christian sacrifice that ends on Easter Sunday. And since the date of Easter is calculated by following the lunar cycle, it never falls on the same Sunday each year, and the date of Mardi Gras fluctuates accordingly.This year, Mardi Gras is relatively early, falling two days after the Super Bowl. So I’m there even earlier for the first weekend of the official 12-day celebration. Believe me, I don’t mind.By the way, if any of my Trusted MOGgers or other trustworthy citizens of the MOG-iverse have plans to be in New Orleans between Friday, January 25, and Tuesday, January 29, and want to meet for a drink or some other sort of revelry, MOG-mail me - and we’ll take it from there. In any event, you can hit the button right now and walk with Fats. Trust me. He’ll take you places.Statue of Fats Domino in the French Quarter.
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