"Come on!" "Hey, baby." "Oh, my God..." " That ain't right." " Should be ten." "Price was 12, bro." "Say, bro, 1200 was for eight pieces." "And you said you was going to have Shorty kickin' it with y'all." " Shorty gonna make it." " Yeah, well, he ain't here now." "And I seen y'all ain't got but the one 'bone out there, bro." "Now look, we already cut our price." "And we now have seven to step off." "Say, baby, seven don't get you 12." " Seven get you ten, seem to me." " Yeah, you right." "Man, look around." "Look at this damn place." "Look at it." "How much water y'all get up here?" "Shit, you see the line over my head." " Six, six and a half." " Look, I feel for y'all." "But less than 200 a man?" "That shit ain't right." "Say, baby, if shit was right, you think we'd have to scrape up a couple o' dozen of us to do this here?" "You think we'd all be paradin' on the same day?" " Come on, bro." " Most of us wearing' last year's suits." "Last few dollars went to Meyer, baby, to pay for these fedoras." "Yeah, Meyer, you know." " Y'all do look correct, though." " Well, we got to, baby." " It's a tradition, man." "It's a tradition." " Come on, now take it." "My man." "Ha-ha!" "All right, brother." " 12, right?" " Money hard to come by." "At least, that's what I hear." "Rolling us again." "Black men, mount up, baby." "Let's go get 'em." "Let's go get 'em, daddy." "Always for pleasure, baby." " Always for pleasure." " Let's do it like we do." "Uncle Jerry!" "Get that thing, boy!" "See, I'm short, I know, but if you had went down City Park Avenue and then Esplanade and St. Claude instead of the interstate, it would've been less." "If you want to take City Park and Esplanade, then say so." "Man, I thought you knew." "You say Esplanade, I'll take you Esplanade, no problem." "Look, man, when I catch up with them and play that parade, I'm-a have it, all right?" "I'm-a find you." "I will." " Ha-ha." "Thank you, brother, I owe you." " Right." "Yeah, you're right." "Oh, shit, Batiste playin' Rebirth now?" "Who that?" "Running late, huh, bro?" "What's up, bro?" "What's up?" "Aw, shit, look who the fuck showed up." "When the last time you saw this motherfucker play a second line?" " First thing to go is those legs, old man." " And he stole that from Tyrus." "Man, Tyrus used to play that riff to death." "Negro, if you are referring to Mr. Chapman, the fact is he appropriated that particular musical ornamentation from my repertoire, bro." "Damn!" "That how they talk at them gigs uptown?" " Yeah." " Shorty ain't gonna make it, huh?" "Nah, Shorty sent me to show y'all how to play this here music." "Yeah." "That's the Sixth Ward in my 'bone, baby." "In Treme, y'all don't know nothing about that." "Oh, let's see how you sound six or seven miles from now." "Yeah, blow your horn, fool." "You'll see." "Play for that money, boys." "Play for that motherfuckin' money." "I thought you were hung over." "They're doin' it." "They're doin' it!" "It's the first second line since the storm." "It sounds like Rebirth." "Ah!" "Hey!" "No!" "First shower is me!" " No, I have to get to the restaurant." " I have to get to the second line!" "Whatever hot water you have in here is for me." " Not you, me." " Fine." "Davis!" "You know what?" "I'm this close to getting a new water heater." "Hey, do you think you could float me a loan?" "Oh, good God." "Well, I'm a musician." "What do you want me to say?" "You're a disc jockey." "I can't believe I didn't go home last night when I had the chance." "Yeah, no cold shower for you, huh?" "You are a cold shower." "Last night... not so much." "Yeah." "Well, what girl wouldn't be seduced by all this?" "Seriously, Davis, this place is a shithole." "Three of the furious five on duty and on call, I salute you!" " Hey, hey!" " I thought you weren't gonna make it." "Oh!" "You mock me, sir." "If you persist in doing so, I will have satisfaction." "Be satisfied." "It's all good." " You satisfied now?" " Aw, I'm playin' with you, dawg." ""I will have satisfaction" is like what a gentlemen says when he wishes to duel." "You know, pistols at ten paces." "I will have satisfaction." "You say that shit, then you slap the bitch with a glove!" "Go." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey!" " Jacques!" " Mademoiselle Desautel." "It's so quiet." "How can you work?" " Where is everyone?" " Pedro's running late." " Wardell?" " Irene's." " Ten an hour." " Dishwashing?" "Damn, things are outta whack." " What's your cousin doing?" "Raymond?" " I could call him." "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind." " What about Pedro?" " Oh, I'm so over Pedro." " The one I really miss is David." " Daymo!" " That's my boy." " Ah!" "Oysters." "See?" "It's gettin' better." "It's oyster season." "How bad could life be?" "Janette, it's half." "That's not going to get us through the night." "I could run to Dorignac's." "They got crawfish." "And we could parade naked down Prytania Street too, but I'm not gonna do it." "No fucking frozen Chinese crawfish in my kitchen." "Charmaine, she should be setting up." "Fuck me." "I was about to say she called." " And?" " She's not coming in." "Fender bender on Canal." "Says she was distracted." "We're all distracted." "How's your house?" "Don't ask me about my house." "Never thought I'd come back to see even this much of it." "This goddamn bridge." "Gretna police standing' there with their guns out, waiting to make us walk the hell back." "And here we are, drivin' the other way like it didn't even happen." "You don't have to stay." "Just drop me and turn around." "I'll be fine." "Drop you where exactly, Daddy?" "Cold beer." "Nice to see you too." "Get me a shot of good whiskey, son." "Y'all hangin' out?" "Go get three." " You know what I'm saying?" " Give me one." " One day with no panic attacks!" " Coming back at you, man!" "Man, you gotta put those stinky dogs away, man." "Nobody want to smell that." "Man, I'm like to die here, fool." "Thought you could hang, huh?" "Thought you was gonna teach us young'uns something?" "Oh, yeah." "Oh, hell yeah." "That note he was looking for on the last chorus?" " The high note?" " What note was that, maestro?" " What the fuck came out your horn, man?" " Fuck you, man." "Was definitely a clam I heard." "Now see here." "I came up flat 'cause y'all decided to end the damn parade at my ex-wife's joint." "A man can only take so much shit in his stride." "You two were married?" " A long time ago." " Man, how you let that slip away?" "Let me?" "Shit." "I busted out of that situation." "What went wrong?" "He wasn't treating' you like I would be treatin' you?" " Wanna know what went wrong?" " Tell it, darlin'." " Tell it." " I married a goddamn musician." "Ain't no way to make that shit right." "Damn!" "Y'all don't even know." "The explosion people heard was actually an unsecured barge ramming into the canal wall, not dynamite." "People think there was a conspiracy to breach the levees." "To what end?" "Drown 80% of the city?" "In whose interest was that?" "Why displace so many working-class folks, black and white?" "It makes no sense." "Are you saying this was a natural disaster, pure and simple?" "A natural disaster?" " A hurricane is." " What hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast was a natural disaster, a hurricane, pure and simple." "The flooding of New Orleans was a man-made catastrophe, a federal fuck-up of epic proportions," " and decades in the making." " Daddy!" " We can edit that out, no worries." " The levees were not blown." "Not in '65 and not three months ago." "The flood protection system built by the Army Corps of Engineers, aka the federal government, failed." "And we've been saying for the last 40 years, since Betsy, that it was gonna fail again unless something was done." "And guess what?" "It was not." " Seriously, Daddy, you're gonna stroke out." " No worries, sweetheart." "Cool as a cucumber up an archbishop's ass." "The levees weren't blown." "The floodgates failed, the canal walls failed, the pumps failed." "All of which were supposedly built to withstand a much greater storm." " Are you suggesting criminal liability?" " Absolutely." "Find the responsible parties, put 'em on trial." "Corps of Engineers, federal, state, local government, the contractors who used substandard materials and the goddamn sleazebag politicians that they have in their pockets." "So, given that it's all gone pear-shaped, why should the American taxpayer foot the bill to fix New Orleans?" "It's going to cost billions." "Well, since when don't nations rebuild their great cities?" "For the sake of argument, let's say New Orleans was once a great city." "Are you saying that New Orleans is not a great city?" "A city that lives in the imagination of the world?" "I suppose... if you're a fan of the music, which has rather seen its day, let's be honest." "Or the food, a provincial cuisine which many would say is typically American, too fat, too rich..." "Then yes, of course." "New Orleans has its advocates, but what about the rest of the country?" "Provincial, passé, hate the food, hate the music, hate the city." "What the fuck are you doing down here?" "You fucking Limey vulture motherfucker!" " Really, you can't just..." " This is goin' in too." " Come on, God damn it!" " You go, Daddy." " Into the river!" " Let's just finish this in a civilized manner." "I'm just going to take it for a little swim." "Come on!" "You can't stay here, Daddy." " I hate this." "Why did we even..." " Just wait." "When the insurance settles..." "Daddy?" "Daddy?" "Take me to Miro Street." "You mean Poke's?" " What's up?" " What's up?" "We need something for those mealybugs." "Sure." "Pick up some coleus..." "There he is." " Hey, Mama." " Hey, baby." "Don't stop." "It sounds good." "Where's Daddy?" "In the study, getting ready for a phone interview." "Another one?" "How'd it go on the levee today?" " Daddy rocked." " Oh, no." "I didn't hit anyone." "I would have, but I couldn't catch 'em." " Was it live?" " No." "Daddy threw the guy's microphone into the canal." "He tried for the camera, but they fought him pretty hard on that one." "They're Brits, they'll never use it." " Well, why wouldn't they?" " They might." "It was pretty, wasn't it, Sof?" " Who's this one with?" " NPR." "It'll be fine." "It'll be fine." "It's NPR." "They get it." "NPR, the N stands for "nuance."" "Hello." " How many F-bombs?" " Yeah, I'm here." "Five or six." "And that thing he likes to say about the archbishop and the cucumber." "How's school?" "I hate Baton Rouge." "I hate it more than words can say." "Oh, it's just for another few weeks." " The girls must be nice, huh?" " The girls are not nice." "They're so, like..." "The exact opposite of nice." "You'll be back in time for Carnival." " Christ, I hope so." " Sofia Bernette!" "Catholic school." "It's ruining me." "No..." "No, it's not!" "The old city was built on a natural levee on the high ground." "No, that's not true." "That's a misconception, a myth, a canard." "Fucking NPR." "The old city is not below sea level, it never has been." "That's because the media... and all due respect to your program, but you are one of the worst offenders... likes a simple narrative that they and their listeners can get their tiny brains around." "Who are you or anybody else to say which neighborhoods should come back?" "He's about to blow." " I know." " Hell yes, it's worth saving!" "The whole damn thing!" "You mean the federally-induced disaster?" "This is not a natural disaster." "This is a man-made fucking catastrophe of epic proportions!" "And, yeah, go ahead, bleep the whole goddamn thing!" "What do I care?" "We're dying down here!" "This ain't Lake Wobegon, God damn it." "Oh!" "Red beans and rice." "And it ain't even Monday." "Thank you, baby." " How your mama and them?" " Makin' do." "She still tore up about Daymo, you know?" "Nothing?" "No word still?" "Damn." " The good dentist?" " Good." "He coming' down here or you goin' up there?" "Most weekends, I go up there." "How his practice goin' up there?" "He got a lot of his old patients." " He coming' back?" " Not to New Orleans East again, he does." "That building's a teardown for sure." " Spoke to Alcide the other night." " You could come see him." "Said he got a B on his algebra." "Yeah, he doin' good." "Randall too." "I ain't got no wheels, LaDonna." "Now, what's wrong with the bus they got running up to Baton Rouge, huh?" "Free ride, you got no excuse." "You know I got gigs on the weekends, what gigs there are." "Go see 'em during the week." "They miss you, especially with me comin' down here all the time, both of us gone." "I miss them too." "I miss our routine." "I'm just sayin'." " Yeah, I know you just sayin'." " You know we could..." "Well, he up there, you down here." "Who would know?" "I would, baby." "I would know." "Better be goin', me." "Tell the boys I'll give 'em a call." "You better." "I will." " We gotta get that pork chop cleared." " All right." "Oh, that's pretty." "Take a picture of that, man." " Two minutes on this, Jacques." " Workin' it." "I need two pecan tarts." " We ran out." " Well, what's left?" " Lemon ice." " And if they don't want lemon ice?" "It's New Orleans, darlin'." "Everybody wants lemon ice." "You think I don't deal with that kind of thing every day?" "No doubt." "A little more anger might be good for you too." "Yeah, but is it going to do your argument any good?" "That's what I'm asking." "Vinegar, no flies." "It's honey gets the job done." "A big-ass fly swatter, that's what fucks up the flies, darlin'." "What's all this about flies?" " Not in my place, I hope." " Oh, of course not." " Our dinner was flyless." "Flawless, as well." " Thanks." " You're busy tonight." " Oh, every night." "I could stay open till midnight every night if I had the staff." "What do people in this town crave now?" "Good food, companionship, community." "I crave dessert, myself." "I'm out of everything but lemon ice." "Sold." " Can't eat lemon ice." " What?" "It's homemade." " It would be disloyal." " He's waiting for Brocato's to reopen." "Oh, I understand that." "How about a Hubig's?" "Hubig's?" "What flavor?" "Apple, for sure, maybe sweet potato." "Sweet potato if you got it, apple if you ain't." " OK." " Hey, how's your house?" "Oh, don't ask me about my fuckin' house." "Hello." "Everything OK?" " So, can I comp the salad?" " Whatever." " Hubig's?" " Dress it up, baby." "Drizzle something on it." "He in the bar, Del." "He living' in the goddamn bar." "He all up in there right now tossing shit around, acting a fool." "He got no business even being in New Orleans right now." "You don't think I've been tellin' him that since before we left Houston?" "Maybe he just needed to see for himself, you know?" "I've got to be at work in the morning." "I ain't got time to hang around here waitin' for him." "You need to come down here and talk some sense into him." "I know I can't." "All right, I'll be down there." "Tell Don I'm one for Bird." "Look, I got gigs, Davina." "I'm in New York couple more days, then I'll be in Boston on Wednesday." "We all got gigs, Delmond." "Life is a goddamn gig." "Me?" "I'm not even going to get home tonight till damn near two in the morning." "Well, what ya even drive him over there for, Davina?" "Damn, boy, this is our dad we're talkin' about." "When you ever know anybody to change his mind about any goddamn thing?" " And you think I can?" " I think it's your turn to try." " All right." "I'll be down." " When?" "As soon as I can." "I've got to move a couple of things around." "All right." "Bye." "I hate that fucking song." "Try the main line, Jojo." " See, I think your wrench is broke..." " Miss La-Dee!" "Hey!" "Boy!" "Where you been?" " Oh!" "You home?" " No, ma'am." "Not yet." " Still in Memphis with my uncle and them." " They coming back, right?" "Don't know." "He found work out there." "I tried to come for the parade today, you know?" "Car broke down near Manchac." " So I ain't get back in time." " Well, you here now." "What you drinking?" "A Bud." "How Daymo doing?" "He second line?" " He ain't still locked up, is he?" " Locked up?" "What you mean?" "Daymo locked up in the storm." "At OPP?" "You seen him?" "We was up on Broad Street Bridge together all the damn day after the jail flood." "I thought we was going to die." "So Daymo ain't home yet?" "Demetrius, I ain't seen my brother since the storm." "None of us have." "That's the king on WWOZ." "And the emperor, Ernie K-Doe." "I don't know what's wrong with him, but the nurses and the doctors and the people that went in there with the yelling, with the screaming, with the hollering..." "Jeffy Jeff, what up, my negro?" " Davis McAlary." " K-Doe rides again, huh?" "Mm, yeah, a little Ernie rant to finish out a show." "Yeah, master of the universe." "Hey, so, dig..." "I'm not hung over, I'm all psyched because of a post-sex, post-marijuana dream had me talking to the ghost of Earl King last night, who gave me the exact theme for my show." "Earl's doing good, by the way." " That's good to know." " Yeah, in heaven, the horn players don't make him tune down to E-flat to play Big Chief, so he's got that workin' for him." "But... anyway, so Earl comes at me with this political relevance, which is weird because Earl wasn't that way in life." "But hey, it's my dream, right?" " And Earl brings it." " Brings what?" "The Mafia." "The Mafia?" "That's your theme?" "Dude!" "The Mafia is better equipped to run New Orleans than the United States government," " the State of Louisiana..." " They used to run it." "The Marcellos used to run it all." "Yeah, and fuck if it isn't time to bring 'em back!" "I mean, hey, do you think the mob would have dragged ass the way FEMA did and left little old ladies to rot on rooftops?" "I mean, look how good Carlos ran things when the mayor and the governor was in his pockets." "Look at the Lafitte." "Beautiful Sicilian roof slate." " Did they fall over?" "Did they flood?" " But music..." "Louis Armstrong, managed by Joe Glazer who had to pair up with the mob, feel me?" "From there I segue into Louis Prima, who was managed by the Segreto family." "After which, I'm close enough to some old-school RB, get up into Cosimo's shop, start spinning some Ray Charles, some Spiders, Lee Allen, may..." "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!" "One in every three songs from a pledge-drive compilation?" "It's that time of year, bro." "Well..." "Here we are, supposedly the greatest alternative radio station in the greatest musical city in the sad, failed history of the planet and we're playing the same, admittedly great, 20 tunes that everyone hears on every fucking Big Easy," "Crescent City, Care Forgot compilation ever released?" "The fucking New Orleans fucking canon?" " Fuck me!" " Yeah." "And you gotta plug the CD at every break." " Darnell said so." " Iko, Tipitina..." "They All Asked For You, yeah, yeah, fucking yeah!" "Fuck Darnell Nichols and his fucking pledge drive!" "For true?" "For real?" "For the love of God, already." "Fuck!" "You know..." "Shit." "And I'm here." "Sorry." "Yeah, DJ Davis..." "Check this out." " Boy, I knew you'd come back." " Yeah." "I knew you'd never leave." "You know it'd take more than a hurricane to pry me outta New Orleans." "So, what?" "Beer?" "Gin?" "Juice?" "What you need?" " Water, son." " Water?" "I could use a bath." "Boy, done had water in this neighborhood two weeks now." " Where you stayin' at?" " Around the corner." "What?" "Poke's bar?" "Seem Poke need to pay his water bill." "Come on, man." "Come on in here." "Hey, baby, look who here!" "Shit." "Aw, Desiree!" "God damn it." "So, finally, I pick up the phone." "It's been ringing off and on for the first two hours of the show." "Bitch-ass motherfucker is all," ""Didn't you get the memo for the pledge-drive playlist?"" "And I'm all, "Yes, I did receive your correspondence, sir," ""but I felt compelled to regard it as musically and creatively invalid."" "You don't say." "So what did he say to that?" "Cocksuckers!" " Hey, hey!" "Where you going?" " Who's in charge here?" " Hey, you can't be here." " What's up, Davis?" " What's up?" " They're liquidating this location." "Everything's going in the truck." " Are they paying you?" " Two more days and that's it." " Hey, we're closed." " Hey." " What's the problem?" " You have my music." "My old band." "Uncut Funk." "Six copies each of the two CDs here on consignment." "Armstrong Park and New Orleans Nasty." "Either that or you have money for me." " Fella, this store, it's out of business." " Oh, well, I just want my music." "Look, there's nothing we can do." "The inventory gets sent to New York." "Let us..." "Dude." "Let us pause, sir, and define the word "consignment."" "Consignment means shit be mine and if y'all sell it, y'all break me off a piece." " And if you don't, give it the fuck back." " We're out of business." "OK, are you gonna jack my shit because you can't handle yours, man?" " Toss him." " Fuck you, man." "Fuck you, you pussy fucks!" "You come down here with your chain-store shit, huh?" "Fuck you for running away at the first fucking hurricane!" "Louisiana Music Factory is gonna make every fucking dollar that you'll never see, you pussy fucks!" " Come on!" " Fuck you." "Fuck!" "I'm out!" "What the fuck?" "I will have satisfaction." "Get your stupid ass up." "No, you pick up where we left off yesterday." "You want 4800 America, and go all the way to Pressburg." " Yes, sir." " Go on." "Not so many back over here, huh?" "Water was up to your waist in most of these shotguns." "People waitin' on insurance." "Those that got." " Well, you got yours squared away." " Me?" "I'm making money." "$200 every truckload I clear off them New Orleans East streets." " That's FEMA contract." " FEMA, huh?" "It ain't good for most, but if you got a hauling' business, it's good enough." "Speaking of which, I got a ton of muddy shit" "I hauled out of the bar room need to be dumped." " Shit." " I'm askin' as a chief here." "Albert, all due respect... you ain't my chief." "My chief Monk Boudreaux." "I been Golden Eagle all my life." "You know that." "Well, I need the bar room for practice." "Ain't none of your gang even around." " Practice is Sunday." " You out your damn mind." "Every day I'm over at New Orleans East on that government contract," "I'm making six to 800 dollars." "No, I'm sorry, homes." " Thanks for the beer." " You welcome." "Yeah." "No, no, no, I understand." "I..." "No, you were smart to call, but I think your court date's been postponed." "I'll check and call you back." "Isn't that Toni Bernette?" "Hey, Rich." "How's it going?" "We're expecting someone." "Sorry, I didn't realize." "Meetin' someone anyway." "I guess I'll just wait for a table." "You're workin' out of your car?" " Office took about five feet of water." " Ours too." "How's your house?" "We're up on Octavia." "The isle of denial." " We did lose our roof, but can't complain." " No, you can't." " What about you?" " Still livin' on the fuckin' boat." "I'm sorry." "There's my date." "I'll talk to you soon, Rich." " Who's joining us?" " Fuck that cunt." " It's not personal, Lonnie." " Fuck it ain't." " She sues everybody." " Whatever." "What you got?" "So this boy come into the bar after the parade." "Demetrius Bray, Sylvie's brother," " from over on Pi..." " Excuse me." "OK, but anyway, he say he was with Daymo at OPP when the jail was flooded." "He says your brother was locked up during the storm?" "He said they was together on the bridge before the buses came and took them to St. Gabriel." "And after that?" "He ain't see him again." "LaDonna, I checked with NOPD, the sheriff, OPP." "They have no record of David, no arrest, no report, nothing." "Don't mean he wasn't there." "You know that." "The way they do up at the parish even when there ain't a hurricane, Toni." "I'll check again." "It's a good thing, LaDonna, huh?" "A place to start." "Ain't gonna tell my mama about it this time." "Don't want to get her worked up about it again." "I think he dead." " All this time and that boy ain't call?" " LaDonna..." " No." "He would have called if he could..." " We..." "No, no, no, no." "We don't know anything yet, all right?" "Give me a day or two to work on it, OK?" "Had no idea we'd have to wait like this." "Yeah, well, I gotta get back to the bar." "I'll call you, OK?" "There you go!" "I'll get up if your friend shows." " What's wrong with him?" " You sued him, remember?" "Brutality complaint last summer?" "All right." "Tell your mama and them I said all right." "Hey, Rich." "You remember a couple of months back I was asking about a missing kid," " young man from Valence Street?" " A lot of people still missing." "A lot of people want to be missing." " You ran his name." " And got nothing." "But do you think it's possible he might have been locked up" " just before the storm..." " Sure, it's possible." "Anything's possible, you kidding?" "All I know is we don't have him." "Let me ask you something, darlin'." "This kid a fuck-up?" "I saw those priors." "Theft, drugs, FTA's." "He was doing better before the storm." "Right." "Humor me." "David Maurice Brooks." "Bread pudding'?" "Never mind brutality, he ought to be sued over this right here." "Look, it's $24 right now, God damn it." "I got you, bro." "I got you covered." "I'm leaving my damn 'bone, man." "You know if I'm leavin' my 'bone in your damn cab," "I ain't running' out on you, shit." " 24!" " Listen, that's another thing." "I don't know about all that $24 from the parish line." "If you had listened to me and taken Earhart, you wouldn't have run into all that mess on Claiborne." "Shit." "Man, it's 24 or I'm-a call a cop." "Come on now." "Just calm down." "I'll be right back, bro." "Hold on." "Be right back." "Yeah." "Hey, now, Batiste, baby." "How you doin', darlin'?" "I was worried y'all wasn't home." "Kermit's out back." "Where you been livin' at?" "Livin' out beyond the parish line." " Jefferson Highway." " That ain't right." "Yeah, I know." "It's wrong and it's wrong." " Yeah." " It's wrong." "Oh, man!" "You live to barbecue." "Batiste in the house." " How you doing, man?" " How you doing?" " What's up, D?" " Where you at?" "Yeah." "You chained to that thing, huh?" "I'm a master chef." "I just play music on the side." " Y'all got a lot of water?" " Oh, not much." "Less than a foot." " The Treme?" " Yeah." " Not much." " That's good." "Good." "Listen, Kermit." "You still got that gig at Vaughan's tonight, right?" " You got that goin' again?" " Vaughan's still havin' it." " The crowd comin' back, huh?" " Comin' back slowly, but surely." " Yeah." " It's comin' back." " Listen, bro..." " You need a gig, huh?" " Oh, brother, I'm hand to mouth." " Oh, man, I gotcha." "Come on down to Vaughan's and swing out with us, huh?" " All right." " Come on down tonight." "All right." "See, but the thing is, can I get an advance on that shit?" "Taxi outside got my 'bone in it." "He can't help it." " I got ya." " Oh, good, man." "Yes, sir." "I got ya." " Motherfucker, it ain't that funny." " It ain't?" "Broke-ass horn player." "Yo, Juicy!" "Where my wallet at?" " Hey, you back?" " Not yet." " Man, you gotta come home, man." " You know it." "Thing is, he's not playing anywhere nearby, I checked." "I heard he's working on a record with Toussaint." " All right, I'm gonna talk to the guy." " Davis, don't fuck with the guy." "He's just here to hear some music, not to talk to you." "Dude, he's at Vaughan's for Kermit." "This needs to be acknowledged." " What's happenin', man?" " What's happenin'?" " You holdin' it down?" " Hey, Kermit." "Oh, Davis." "Do you know... do you know who this geeky-lookin' white guy is sitting over here with the glasses?" "That's that cat that writes for the Times-Picayune, eh?" "What?" "No, man." "That's Elvis Costello!" " Elvis?" " Costello!" "He's a star, Kermit." "He's a fuckin' rock-'n'-roll legend." " Got me that time." " Dude..." "Yeah!" "All aboard!" "And we got the Sixth Ward stylings of the legendary Antoine Batiste workin' out here with us tonight, y'all." "Oh, yeah!" "Indians!" "Indians!" "I the Big Chief!" "With the fire!" "Can I get to make a coun-tah fay-ow?" "Can I get to make a coun-tah fay-ow?" "I the Big Chief with the fire!" "Can I get to make a coun-tah fay-ow?" "Can I get to make a coun-tah fay-ow?" "I the Big Chief!" "Guardians of the flame!" "Mardi Gras day I shoot the fiyo in the name!" "I make lew-lew dewey-dewey bottle bomb-bow!" "I make 'em jump over St. Louis Cemetery, roll that lightning', kick down the tombstones, wake up the dead and make a hoom-bow!" "I'm lookin' for a trail chief." "Got fire." "Can't put it out!" "Oh, Chief, that's pretty." "That's real pretty." "Wonderin' if I was ever gonna see something like that again." "I'm lookin' for the trail chief got a heart o' steel." "Albert, you gonna clean out that bar for practice and not one of your people can even make it back?" "There might not even be no Carnival this year!" "No St. Joseph's neither." "Coochie-ma!" "Hoom-bow!" "Don't know how." "Albert, ain't nobody home." "Ain't nobody even thinkin' about no needle and thread." "Some of them houses still got bodies up in them." "Hoom-bow!" "Don't know how!" "All right." "Put your suit away, Chief." "I'll be around by the bar tomorrow afternoon." "National treasure." "If the nation but knew." "Yeah." "We... we used to play together." "Hey!" "Maker's, three cubes!" "Yeah." "Yeah, early on, Kermit and me played in the same band." "I play guitar... and a little piano." "I taught him everything he knows." "About..." "Keynesian economics." "Enjoy your evening." "Where's the after party?" "I told you to stay your ignorant ass away from that no-good son of a bitch." " Ma, you hurtin' me!" " Oh, you think this is hurt?" "I will show you what hurt is." "Get in the goddamn car." "Can't keep my hours as it is, and I gotta come bail your stupid ass out of jail." "Most up-to-date list we have." "Everyone who was at OPP before the storm hit, where they were sent, what parish... whether they're still incarcerated or been released." " This is everyone?" " Every last one." "We don't have him, Tone." "Never did." " Thanks for this." " Any time." "All y'all holding' it down, huh?" "Have a good night." "So, Davis, man, that boy's named Elvis?" "Kermit, you don't know Elvis Costello?" "Alison, Pump It Up, Everyday I Write The Book." "Come on, you're kidding, right, Kermit?" "Jeez, brother, go talk to him." " About what?" " Music." "Make a friend." "Make a contact." ""Kermit Ruffins opens for Elvis Costello on his American tour."" "Who knows?" "Go." "You know this boy Elvis?" "Goddamn, Kermit." "Go talk..." "You deserve..." "Don't you want to get famous?" "You deserve to be famous." "America needs it some Kermit." "You're... you're just standing there telling me that all you wanna do is get high, play... play some trumpet and barbecue in New Orleans your whole damn life?" "That'll work." "God, man." "I mean, that's just so sad." "This is against policy." "But you said the kid is still missing?" " Yeah." " An exception, then." "Understood." "And appreciated." "We actually didn't get any photos of the prisoners on the overpass." " But you can see it right from here." " Couldn't get into our building." "But the wires had some shots we picked up and ran on the website before we were back in print." "This screen and the next." "Just click to make any shot bigger." "Let me know if you need anything else." "Times-Picayune." "Walker." "No, he's left for the night." "OK." "One of the best deals we've ever had..." " Your son called." " Which one?" "From Baton Rouge." "Older one." "Alcide?" " What did he want?" " Told him you had a gig." "I was backin' up Kermit Ruffins at Vaughan's tonight." " You played with Kermit?" " He asked me." "Yeah." "And I'm leavin' this right here, girl, knowin' that that last 50 is mine." "Can't be takin' no bus into town from Jefferson damn Parish." "This'll cover the gas and electric." "Another 30 could get our cable turned on in here." "How are you talking me into this, just for the record?" " You're striking a blow for liberty." " Yeah, I don't really give a fuck, actually." "All right, then you're doing it because we played JV soccer together, because I dated your sister for three months." "My sister says you're an asshole." "Oh, yeah." "I can see why she might." "You know, if the cops come, we're totally fucked." "This is New Orleans, dawg." "The police never come." "And if they do, they'll shove us out of the way and start looting they own selves." "It's a town of ornate and inviolate tradition." "Three minutes, McAlary, that's it." "No fucking around!" "Come on!" "Dude, come on!" "Let's go!" "Pin Stripe Brass Band, Live At Donna's." "This goes with me 'cause, I swear to God..." "I played guitar on track seven, uncredited, and never got a copy." "Check it out." " Whatever, dude." "Let's go." " Closer Walk With Thee." "Oh, fuck me!" "No." "OK, The Genius Of Dave Bartholomew." "All his lmperial recordings in a single set, totally out of print." "Dude, justice aside, this shit's karmatically mine 'cause mine got stolen from my car." "Let's go." " Where he at?" " I don't know." "And why ain't he fuckin' call?" "What now?" " What are you doing here?" " Hey, darlin'." "Celebrating victory over the forces of..." "unfettered corporate arrogance." "You opened a Conterno?" "For a small establishment, you have an excellent list." "A '98?" "A fucking '98 Conterno Monfortino." "It's a remarkable year." "It's a remarkable wine." "Huge aromas of tar, truffle, roses, cocoa and licorice." "Notes of... mineral and leather, sweet dark fruit." "Super-fine elegant tannins, finish that goes on forever." " It's one of the finest red wines in the world." " It should be, at 350 a bottle." "Retail." "And a little overpriced, if you don't mind my saying." " But I know you need the markup..." " What the fuck, Davis?" " Davis, what the fuck are you thinking here?" " I'm celebr..." "Oh, I can pay for it." "Dave Bartholomew?" "We are not amused here." "Darlin', you don't understand." "This is out of print." "But I offer it to you freely as barter for this drink and fine repast that must surely accompany it." "And as you know, I am deeply partial to your étouffée." "Jacques, throw him the fuck out." "What?" "You can't throw me out, I'm your boyfriend!" " What?" "No..." " Kinda." "Though not specifically or on a consistent basis." "But still, you have to admit, I am a very close friend." "With benefits." "You find me charming." "Not so much." "Fuck off, Davis." "You're putting me out of business." "You have him." "You had him the whole time." "Take some responsibility." "I'm not leaving this office till I see the sheriff." " Ma'am..." " I am not leaving until he sees these photos" " and answers for them." " Ma'am, the sheriff is in meetings." " I'll wait." " Could be all day." "I'll wait." "Let's go." "Shove that all the way to the back." "Who that?" "All this here too?" " All of it." " Welcome... to the City That Care Forgot." "Hey, Daddy." "Boy." "I had to cancel a gig up in Boston, come down here instead." "Why?" "'Cause my daddy done lost his mind." "True that." "So, you think you stayin'?" "No." " I know I am." " In the bar, Daddy?" "Don't nobody around here seem to mind, except you and your sister." " Daddy..." " Daddy, shit." "If you're not gonna help us fill up the goddamn truck, make yourself useful and go down and pay the water bill." "Get the pipes turned back on up in here." "Wait, let me understand something." "So, you thinkin' I changed plans, canceled gigs, came all the way down here from New York City to pay the water bill on a bar we don't even own?" "That's what you're thinkin'?" "All right." "I'm just checking." "Relocated to help with St. Bernard Parish." "At this time, there are about 7,000 permanent residents living in that parish." "Before the storm, almost 70,000 people called St. Bernard home." "Very few homes in the parish have electricity and utilities." "Coming up in just a few minutes, we'll be telling St. Bernard Parish residents how to tell if your utilities are on even if you're not living at home." "Well, tonight, customers in parts of..." "Sons of bitches!" "Fuck every last one of 'em!" "Fuck 'em!" "Damn it!" "Now, you see, I told you I had but 20." " 26 on the meter, dawg." " Oh, man." "Hey, mama!" "Where ya at, baby?" "I know that Geraldine." "I believe I do too." "You should've let me out at 20, bro." " I told you." " Listen, you ain't tell me shit." "Man, yes I did." "This last six on you." "Gimme the 20, brother." "Now get out the cab." "You ain't got to be like that, bro." "Hey, give me a card, I'll mail you the six." "I will." "Aw, go on, man." "Like I'm a damn fool." " Hey, Bunchy!" " Little dude!" " How you been makin' it?" " I'm good, man." " Tryin' to get from this world to the next." " I hear ya." "Thanks for makin' it on short notice, man." " Aaron took sick this morning, bro." " Bro, look, I'm glad for the gig." " Got it." " Who goin' home?" " Bojack goin' home." " Beau Jacques?" " From over Algiers?" " No, man." "Bojack from Gert Town." "The one that played sax with Huey Smith?" "Naw, bro." "The one who stole cars for the motherfuckers down in St. Bernard Parish!" "You know, man." "Miss Hattie nephew." "The big head motherfucker with the lazy eye." " That dude." " Oh, yeah, yeah." "I thought he been dead." "No, he went to Houston after the storm." "He fucked around and got himself shot to death in one of them Telephone Road bars, man." " So, now he home to stay." " Yeah, I heard that." "It's 40 to the graveyard, right?" "And 40 cakewalk back, right?" " That's it, cuz." " All right." " Antoine Batiste." " Benny Jones." "Closer Walk to start." " All right." " Key you feel comfortable with, cuz?" "I'll flat that B, Bunchy." " Play for that money, boys." " All right." "Play for it."