"He is the duty judge this week, but it's the Friday before Mardi Gras." "His Honor has traditions to keep." " So he's gone for the day?" " Mmm-hmm." "Who's the duty judge come Wednesday?" "Judge Ames." "Oh, I really need Judge Gatling on this." "I mean, I..." "I really need him." "Galatoire's." "Probably seated for an hour now, so he won't be past the appetizer, if that far." " Happy Mardi Gras." " You, too." "Ma'am, may we help you?" "I see my party." "They're expecting me." "Sorry." " Judge?" " Toni Bernette." "How are you, darlin'?" "I'm doing very well." "I know this is not the most opportune moment, but you are the duty judge this week?" "The Friday before Mardi Gras, you have an ex parte, Toni?" " Really?" " Yeah, well, I have this..." "Only if you'll have a drink with us." "John, Ms. Bernette here will need a chair and her preferred drink." " Hot tea, please." " Tea?" "Motion denied." "Scotch, top shelf." "That's my girl." "Make it a double." "Ms. Bernette, happy Mardi Gras." "Chief Marsden, nice to see you." " Captain Rabalaise." " Toni and I go way back." "In fact, I'm her favorite target." " Thought I was." " You guys." " Happy Mardi Gras, Toni, Judge." " Judge." "Glad they weren't reading over your shoulder." "Thank you so much." "Thank you." "So you get out for Muses last night?" " No, I didn't." " No?" " Krewe d'Etat tonight, then." " You know," "I know it's Carnival week, Your Honor, but I got a tip that the department is gonna toss a bunch of investigative files from just after the storm." "If I don't act now, I might not get a chance." "I see." "And Wednesday will be too late?" "Judge Ames has duty next week." " Ames?" " He loves me not, Your Honor." "May your thirst for justice never exhaust your supply of wine." "And this is why you never wanted to leave the 8th District, huh?" "One of the reasons." "There's enough latitude in CID that we both crept down here in the middle of the day." "I guess so." "Oh!" "Oh!" "I wonder if the guys walking a foot post in Sodom and Gomorrah felt lucky." " I fucking bet they did." " Yeah, but you know what?" "I've come to believe that there's a big difference between vice and sin." "New Orleans gets it." "The rest of the world..." "What's the difference?" "Well, vice..." "You know, vice, it's human." "It's one drink too many." "It's an illegal smile in a coat pocket." "It's a bet on a wrong horse." "It's a wrong prick rubbing against a wrong piece of ass." " And sin?" " Well, sin..." "Sin is those bodies over in Central City, the ones that we just keep rolling up on and doing so goddamn little about." "I heard you busted on Bidwell the other day, because he didn't clean his unmarked unit." "L." "I busted on Bidwell, because Bidwell is a piece of shit, who can't solve a case to save his fuckin' ass, and the car was just a happy excuse." "Terry, if you keep jumping in their shit, they're gonna think you ain't on the team." "Fair warning, Terry." "Well, it sounds stupid, but..." "What's bugging you?" " How do you do it?" " Do what?" "Run a restaurant?" " You know how to run a restaurant." " No, I mean everything else." "I mean, I don't know..." "The promo stuff, the interviews, the dog and pony shows." "I mean, they want me to go on The Today Show with Al Roker, and Feeny tells me that I gotta cook something" ""right in the N'awlins' pocket." ""Cook some cravvfish étouffée out there in front of a bunch of tourists."" " Tim called for the étouffée?" " Tim, his people." "He's got people." " We should take a ride." " Where to?" "A restaurant." "Which one of your many fine establishments do you want me to see?" "No, no, this won't take long." " Five minutes." "Come on." " Okay." " Hillary?" " She was good in the Senate." "And come Tuesday, it's all over but the shouting." "You can mark my words." " Tuesday?" "Mardi Gras?" " Down here, it's Mardi Gras." "But for the rest of the country, it's 22 primaries and Super Tuesday." "On the whole, I prefer Mardi Gras." "" " Hey, you have something?" "I've had something, all right." "And if she makes me do any more work before Ash Wednesday," "I'm gonna drag her down Bourbon Street and make her drink Hand Grenades." "" " Yes, Your Honor." "Well, I've got it from here, and happy Mardi Gras." "Back at you." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Can't your lovely assistant stay and have an aperitif or two?" "Clerk's office closes at 5:00." " No, you'd better hurry." " All right." "You are relentless, Toni." "Well, somebody's gotta be, right?" " I mean, if not me, who?" " Uglesich's?" " Yeah." "You know it, right?" "Yeah, of course I do." "Trout muddy water, the volcano shrimp." " Oh, holy Christ." "Yeah." "You see, he kept it small." "Just one spot, just a few tables." "There'd be a line around the corner by 10:00 A.M." " You remember?" " Sure, I do." "Well, you see, they made a choice." "Anthony and Gail made a choice to stay on Baronne Street and keep their hands on what they were serving." "They cooked." "Every day they cooked, until they could cook no more." " It was great." " But it was one choice." "And the other choice is what?" "Getting bigger?" "More tables, more restaurants?" "Less time at the stove, more time in the pass, other people cooking?" "Well, the other choice is that you can build something big, but keep it the way that you wanna keep it." "Take those ideas and try to execute them to the highest level." "You got a lot of people around you now, right?" "You're the captain of the ship." "Or what I should say is that you're the ship, and all these people that look up to you and wanna be around you, they're living on the ship and they're saying, "Oh The ship is doing good." ""Oh, the ship is going to some interesting places." ""Oh, this ship isn't going down," ""just like all the other fuckin' ships I've been on."" "You got it?" "Fuck me." "Yeah, fuck you, Chef." "That's the way it is." "You got a chance to do your restaurant and to take care of these people." "Just do it." " So is it worth it?" " Yeah." "Compared to something like this?" "Something that's just cooking?" "Some days, yes, some days, hey." "Robert, keep your line!" "You look great." "Doing great!" "Eyes front!" "Watch the person in front of you." "If they slow down, you need to be ready to slow down." "And look to the sides." "Keep your lines." " Hey, you all are from Elie?" " Yes, ma'am." "Man, this sounds pretty good for a middle school." "Thank you." " Y'all gonna be in the parade?" " Sunday, yeah." " Congratulations." " On what?" "Two weeks, right?" "Two weeks is two weeks." "Give yourself some credit." " How about you?" " Eight years." "It gets better, brah." "Just stick with the program." " Thank you." " Sure." "She's pretty." "But nothing like the one you had back in Austin." " What was her name?" " Claudette." " Claudette." "It was almost the end of my marriage." "Yeah, here, it's all federal civil service, GS Ratings." "I actually have to take the most qualified people." "So what about the St. Bernard thing?" "It's going to an Atlanta company." " It's not local?" " Not St. Bernard." "Now, Lafitte, I'm told they're looking for a demo company that can handle it." "They're built solid and none of the usual firms have the expertise to get it done." "That's interesting." "But right now you think you can get me a piece of St. Bernard at least?" "Yeah, I'll run it by the boss and, you know, I've gotta call Atlanta, but I don't see it being a problem." "You going to the Mardi Gras thing?" "Headed back as soon as I finish my business here, sure." "Mardi Gras here, best ticket in town." "Louisiana puts on a Mardi Gras in Washington every year." "It gets wild." "You got your senators." "You got your congressional delegation..." " Everybody you wanna meet." " For real?" " You want a ticket, I'll score you one." " Great." "So tell me about this demo problem at the Lafitte." "I got a friend who's part of the group slated to redevelop that mess." "You got a friend, huh?" " Hail to the dictator." " Oh, what?" "This is the throw of the night right here." "I love how Krewe d'Etat has a dictator instead of a king." "If you think about it, it's the same thing." " Yeah." " No, dictator's funnier." " Yeah, you're right." "You're right." " Oh, shit!" " Davina?" " Kimmy!" "Hey, girl!" "I ain't seen you in forever!" "Since the second line right after the storm." "That's right." " Hey, Delmond." " How you been, girl?" " I've just been keeping on." "You heard me?" " l hear you." "Scratching out a few dollars, doin' what I gotta." " Born hustler, huh?" " You already know." "But one thing been going right for sure." "Remember I was telling you about that video that I made?" " Yeah." " No, what..." "What video?" "Kimmy videotaped everything that happened to her during the storm, water rising and all." "Now it's being used in a movie." "Won a film festival prize for best documentary." " Say what?" " Sundance Film Festival last week." "Yeah." "Been working with these New York film people." " They followed me ever since the storm." " Wow." "Scotty and Kim from around the way in a movie." " Damn, girl." " You can keep that copy." "Check it out and let me know what you think." "I'm so proud of you." "I'm proud of me, too." "You heard me?" "You should be." "A movie?" "Damn." "But we gotta go, though." "I'ma holla at y'all." "Bye!" " Y'all enjoy Mardi Gras." " Bye!" " Sundance?" " I know." "They big-time now." " Thanks." " Yeah." "Hem!" "I get a suite?" " Comes with the gig." "You should see the rooms they give the Nevilles." "So this event is for politicians?" "Mystick Krewe of Louisianans." "State does it every year right before the real Mardi Gras to show off here in D.C." "Man, they got money to burn." "Anyway, sound check's tomorrow at 2:00 P.M., grand ballroom." "Otherwise, you're free to hang out or go see the monuments or whatever." "Anything else you need from me?" "No." "This is amazing." "Thank you." "You know, this is a real nice room to write a song in." " Okay." " I'm just saying." "Bye." "Everybody!" "Make your crawfish étouffée" "Chill a bottle of wine" "May be the last meal you make on your stove" "For a very long time" "You must have some candles for sure" "A master lock on your front door" "And some hard liquor you enjoy" "At room temperature" "That's what I'm talkin' about." "And some hard liquor you enjoy" "At room temperature" "Oh, yeah" "What?" "And?" "Uh, one minute, Davis." "That was the best." "That was the best by far." "How are we gonna tell him he just can't do it?" "I mean, he just can't." "Well?" "I don't think I have a better take in me." "I think that's the one." "Maybe give it to one of the old-school cats." " Sounds good for Robert Parker." " Yeah." "What, you don't think I can front it?" "I mean, I see myself as the flood control specialist." "Davis, darlin', what do they call it when somebody has a problem with drugs or drinking or gambling or such and all the people that love him just gather round and they tell him how much he is hurting himself?" "An intervention." "And fuck you both." "Oh, really, Davis?" "L." " Oh..." "You know what?" "Shame on you, especially Don." "You know what?" "I had this entire opera right here." "I see it all, I hear it all," "I know where all the pieces go, and all the pieces matter." "Not only will this be the definitive story of Katrina and everything that's followed, it will honor the musical legacy of your father and Cosimo Matassa and all the great artists that come out of JM Studios!" "And you, the scion of that great musical legacy, you just sit there like a..." "Like a clot in the..." "In the..." "In the pulsing carotid artery of..." "Of true, sensate creativity!" " Davis, man..." " No!" " I demand an audience!" " With who?" "My father?" "Yeah." "Hello." "Yeah, can I order room service?" "Awesome." "Can I have a cheeseburger?" "Yeah, with fries." " And a glass of merlot?" " We'll send them right up." "Great." "Thank you." "How were the parades?" "Good this year." "Wish I had time to go to a parade." "Use your eyes." "Keep your lines straight." "Back up, please." "Back up, please." "Back up." "Darren!" "Darren!" "Hey, baby." "Back up, please." "Back up, please." "Back up, son, please." "Thank you." "If you ask me one thing I'll tell you, darling" "We ain't got time for sitting around" "You'll be waiting on your lover but he's gone and found another" "And it's time to get on up and leave this town" "Do whatcha wanna" "Do whatcha wanna" "Do whatcha wanna" "Do whatcha wanna" "Do whatcha wanna" "Do whatcha wanna" "Where you going?" "Do whatcha wanna" "I'll be laughing till I'm dead" "My little darlin'" "I'll be laughing till I'm six feet down" "Thanks, y'all." " Thanks." "Appreciate it." " Not at all." "All right!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Ow!" "Yeah!" "All right, go back." "Get in line." "Get back in line." "They're loose and then they're tight." "They're a marching band, right?" "They Marines." "They real Marines, Mr. Batiste?" "Semper fi, brah." "Better get back." "Sofia may seem, at times, mature for her age, but really she's..." "Seventeen is 17." "And having lost her father suddenly," "I'm sure you can see how she might be projecting something onto a man who's older." "And you can see that there's a reason we hadn't met until today, that, on some level, Sofia understands that she's in a relationship that is..." "While I'm sure you're respectful, it's age-inappropriate." "Have you talked to your daughter lately?" "Right now, if I were to object to her about this relationship, it would just make her more determined to go on with it." "But that's why I am talking to you." "I think you and Sofe should talk maybe." "Oh..." "We called it quits." "A week ago." "Yeah, she broke up with me." "That was crazy." "I mean, it took me almost an hour just to get to the I-10 ramp on Orleans and then another hour to come across the bridge." " It's Mardi Gras." " On Tuesday, I know." "It's all week, son." " This your first Carnival?" " Uh-huh." "When you saw the parades coming down St. Charles, you should have turned right around." "Yeah, that was kind of silly of me, I guess." "Anyway, I want you all to be aware..." "Oh." "Thank you so much." "I was able to find an out-of-state pathologist, who was present when your son's body was brought into DMORT and who did an initial exam before handing the case over to Dr. Minyard and his people." "He thought that it was entirely probable that Henry was murdered, that his death was a homicide." "You understand that what I'm saying is that..." "Just 'cause you finally got someone to say it doesn't mean we didn't already know it in our hearts." "Right, but now I can actually write the article." "I have enough to publish." "Then what?" "Well, the article's not the end, I hope." "It's a beginning." "Maybe we get a reaction from the police." "Who knows?" "Maybe we find someone who knows something about what happened to your son." "This is like the 14th slice of king cake I've had this week." "Keeps coming at me." "I just keep eating it." " That's how we do." "Mm." "Oh, man!" "These dogs got no more fight in 'em." "I feel like I got run over by one of those floats." "I've never been so tired in all my life." "Can we do another parade, Mr. Batiste?" "Everyone wants to." "Said they'd even skip Mardi Gras to do Zulu." "Robert, I think we're gonna rest on our laurels today." "Besides, I'm sure the Zulu already got their bands lined up." "Saint Patrick's Day, then?" "Come here." "Go put your horn up." "You're learning Bird, huh, girl?" " Huh?" " Charlie Parker." " I heard you." " He play so fast." "I mean, those tempos." " That's bop, baby." " You could play it, right?" "I'm more traditional, me." "But you could if you wanted to, right?" "Yeah." "I mean, with practice, sure." "What was..." "What was funny?" "If you don't mind?" "Mr. Matassa, may I just say what an honor it is for me to have you here looking at my lyrics?" "I mean, it was more than I could hope for." "For Don here to call his father on this, but for you to come as well, you're..." " Don, let's hear this track." " All right." "You got your flashlights And your batteries" "You know all about your basic needs" "Well, step right up and I'll tell you these" "Helpful hurricane hints From Hellouisiana" "Everybody!" "Make your cravvfish étouffée..." "Gentlemen, if I may..." "Chill a bottle of wine" "Might be the last meal you make on your stove" "For a very long..." "We stopped in Charlotte Bypassed Rock Hill" "And never was a minute late" "Ninty miles out of Atlanta by sundown" "Rollin' across Georgia state" "Right away I bought me a through train ticket" "Right across Mississippi clean" "I was on the Midnight Flyer out of Birmingham" "Smokin' into New Orleans" "Somebody help me get out of Louisiana" "Help me get to Houston Town" "There's all sort of folks who care a lot about me" "And they won't let the poor girl down..." "Yo, you see how high this shit is?" "Holy Jesus!" "This is in my face after just opening my back door." "Here you go, my friend." "This city won't ever die" "Just as long as our heart beats strong" "Like a second line steppin' high" "Raising hell as we roll along" "Gentilly to Vieux Carré" "Lower Nine, Central City, uptown" "Singing "Jock-a-mo fee na-ne"" "This city won't ever drown" "Doesn't matter, 'cause there ain't no way" "I'm ever gonna leave this town" "This city won't wash away" "This city won't ever drown" "This city won't wash away" "This city won't ever drown" "Thank you." "The water started rising in the attic, ma'am, and I'm gonna drown in the attic." "Can you break a hole in the attic?" "I tried." "I broke..." "I broke a chair apart." "I cannot pry this wood off this attic, ma'am." "The police are not coming out, until the weather conditions get better." "So I'm gonna die." " Hello?" " Yeah." "I can't get out." "My God." "Thank you so much." "Oh, my goodness." " Great song." " I think so, too." "You know, my friend wrote it." "You tell him he should write some more like that, no doubt." "And I really like the way you play it." "Thank you so much." "Thanks." "I just..." "You know, I wish we had made more of an impression on them." " It's a tough town." " That's for damn sure." "Do you know the song "Louisiana 1927"?" "We went over there to where that..." "The brown building is, that brown checkpoint." "So I said, "Why can't we stay overnight?"" "They said, "Well, we can't help you." "You're on your own."" "So I said, "What about the women and children?"" "They said, "Get off our property or we're gonna start shooting."" "Feel good music" "I've been told" "Makes your body" "I wanna rock 'n' roll" "Hey, hey, hey, hey" "Hey, pocky Way" "He)', POCKy way..." " Done deal." " Yeah?" "This is why we came." " Just that?" " Just this." "Laugh back, foolin'" "Ridin' in your car" "And they say that they had evacuated that Tuesday." "Come to find out they never did move her." "I saw the images on TV of the hospital and a lot of bodies laying there covered up." "It's hard to look at it and try to figure out which one of them is your mom." "Still today, we haven't received her body yet." " How long has it been?" " It's been since..." " Two weeks, huh?" "It been two weeks so far." "They left her behind." "They left my mom behind." "It rained hard" "And it rained for a real long time" "Six feet of water" "In the streets of the Lower Nine" "The river rose all day" "The river rose all night" "Some people got lost in the flood" "Some people got away all right" "The river had busted through" "Cleared down the Lower Nine" "Six feet of water" "In the streets of Evangeline" "Oh, Louisiana" "Louisiana" "They're tryin' to wash us away" "They're tryin' to wash us away" "Oh, Louisiana" "Louisiana" "They're tryin' to wash us away" "They're tryin' to wash us away" "We got to go see how other people was living." "It opened up our eyes." "I mean, it's like they're preparing them for the future." "Here in New Orleans, it's like they're preparing us for prison." "I'm here to represent the people who wasn't able to make it." "Ms. Daisy Stewart, her daughter Ms. Jean." "I'm here for Larry Sims, Brian Nobles." "I'm here for my Uncle Nate, because he died in the storm." "I'm here for my grandmother who died and myself, also, because I'm a citizen of New Orleans." "Not today, not tomorrow." "Why not?" "Pham, Kieng, they don't want to go on the boat for the holiday." "For Mardi Gras?" "But you're Vietnamese." "You don't do Mardi Gras, right?" "" " You work all the damn time." "Pham, he says to me, "Boss, let the good times roll."" "Vietnam in New Orleans now." "Right." "Hey, Sonny, are you gonna be okay?" "Yeah." "Tomorrow maybe, for the holiday, you stay out here." "One of the motels." "I'll be fine." "I'll find a meeting." "After the holiday, you come early to work, right?" "Come to dinner after." "Thank you." "Thanks." "She has been turning heads with her fantastic "New South" cuisine." "Even though born below the Mason-Dixon Line, she got her training with the top toques in New York City, recently returning here to the Big Easy to open up Desautel's on the avenue." "Chef Janette Desautel will be making one of this city's signature dishes, cravvfish étouffée with a twist, and I'm gonna help." "Right, Chef?" "Yes, that's right." "All righty." "So how do we get started?" "Well, we get our pan going here." "Shouldn't the butter be melting?" "Yeah, we should have preheated it." " I thought it was on." "Okay." " Wow." " We got plenty of sun..." " There we go." "Unfortunately, we've only got about three minutes for this." "Okay, so..." ""Hey, Chef, hurry, hurry!" ""I want to meet my fate." "Help me!"" "So let's make a roux, right?" "We make a roux?" "Well, ordinarily we'd be making a roux, yes." "But this is a lighter version, so..." "I'm in New Orleans." "I wanna make a roux!" "Yeah, we won't actually make a real roux." "Okay, we're not making a roux." "Okay." "Can I chop an onion, then?" " Yeah." "That would be great." " I can help you out." " Let's get that going." "Okay." " All right." "Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, my friend." "It tolls for you." "Okay, how are we doing?" " Two more nights." " No, I can't." "Annie, I scored you an invite to the Midnight fuckin' Ramble." "This is Levon Helm we're talking about here." "I have to be home for Mardi Gras," "for Harley, for Davis." " All right, no problem." "So go back tonight as planned and do a little Mardi Gras, catch an afternoon flight to Kennedy." "We'll take a car up to Woodstock." "I'll go make the arrangements." "Don't go anywhere." "And when it's done, it should look something like this." "Fantastic!" "Beautiful." "Etouffée." "Never seen anything like it." "It's special." "Atta girl I knew you when." "Okay, that's what appears now for Super Tuesday, just one day away." "Twenty-four states are holding primaries and caucuses tomorrow." "We've got the news covered on both sides." "Babe, I got it, our costumes." "You were made for the 18th century." "Tomorrow?" "When?" "The latest Gallup Poll shows" "Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama..." "Great." " Hey!" " Hey!" " In the back good?" " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "I cleared out a space in the back by the freezer." "You'll see it." "Leave whatever y'all are gonna need in the morning." " All right." " You all still sewing?" "Of course." "Anybody finish early ain't really trying." "For real." "You finish early, you're doing it wrong." "Yeah, that's what I used to tell my first husband." "Check this motherfucker in the back." "You've got your mind made up" "Motherfucker, come on" "You're gonna get that girl" "Come on, baby, baby" "You've got your mind made up" "Motherfucker Come on" "You're gonna get that girl" "I like the whole drunken mayhem vibe they got going." "It's a good attitude." "If you like that kind of thing, I'll give you one more recommendation." "The Valparaiso Men's Chorus tomorrow night at the Saturn Bar." " Valparaiso..." " Men's Chorus." "Trust me, if you like the whole mayhem vibe, it'll work." "White powder" "White powder" "White powder" "You broke up with your guy, huh?" " Your mom will be relieved." " She never met him." " Yeah, she knew he was older, though." " How?" "I told her." "I'm sorry, but if I was her," "I'd wanna know if there was a guy that much older..." "He isn't that much older." "He's my age." "I know you're holding out on me" "White, White, White, White" "Yoo-hoo." "Come on." "Constance." "Wa key, wa key." "Hey" "Hey." "Hey" "Booking!" "ls there any coffee, Ms. LaDonna?" "I can make some." "You make this suit yourself?" "Every stitch." "It's beautiful." "You a handy man, Mr. Lambreaux." "Pretty, too." "Happy Mardi Gras." "TONY." "Sofie'?" "Show me my flag boy" "Flag boy..." "Flag boy of the Nation Oh, wild creation" " He won't bow down No, he won't bow down" " On that dirty ground" " On that dirty ground" "Because I love to hear him call" "My Indian red" "Show me my gang ﬂag" "Gang flag!" "Gang flag!" "Gang flag" " Gang flag of the nation" " Gang flag" " The whole, wild creation..." " Gang flag!" " He won't bow down" " No, he won't bow down" " On that dirty ground" " On that dirty ground" "Because I love to hear him call" "My Indian red" "Show me my Second Chief" "Second Chief" "Second Chief of the nation" "The whole, wild creation" " He won't bow down" " No, he won't bow down" " On that dirty ground" " On that dirty ground..." "I'm coming!" "We're here." "Jesus." "Is it already..." "I'm sorry." "I got in late." "I must've overslept." "Come on in." " You want me to come back?" " No, no, no, no." "I gotta get dressed and then we'll find Saint Anne." "They might be on Esplanade already." "I don't know." "Davis?" "Hey, did you see anybody on the porch when you came up?" " A guy?" " Me?" "No." "I just got out of the cab." "Fuck." "He must have left." "And left his phone, too." "Fuck." "Okay." "Anyway, how was your flight?" "Did you get in okay?" "No worries." "The airlines, they wanted me to check the case." " Yeah." " I told them if it came to that," "I'd buy Harley his own seat." "Okay." "Okay." " Annie." "Annie T." " My God." " Jim, right?" " Yeah." "Good memory, yeah." "God, all the way from..." "I can't believe you came back for this." " I couldn't miss Mardi Gras." " Yeah, well..." "This, I mean..." "I know." "Lucinda, this is Jim." "Jim, Lucinda, Harley's sister." "Oh." "I'm so sorry." "He was such a lovely man." "Let's go." "Treat the river like whiskey, old man." "Treat it like whiskey." "Love you, mama." "That's Harley." "Hey" "Bye, brother." "Bye, Harley." "Chief." "We're going across Canal Street." "Back in the day, going across Canal Street would get your skulls cracked." "Consider yourself lucky, son." ""And when it's done..."" "Oh!" ""It should look like this."" " Oh, God!" "I have never been so humiliated." "Did you see that mess?" "That plate looked like something somebody would shit off a cliff." "No, it was amazing. it was amazing." "And no one was looking at the food." "They were looking at Al and they were looking at you." " I wanna vomit." " Stop!" "You were fucking brilliant." "People love you." "Your place is gonna get mobbed." "And it's Mardi Gras Day!" "And you're eating?" "Why aren't you drinking?" " What?" " No, Davis..." "No." "Strap on a helmet and get in the game." "Come on!" "Step 3, we made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood it." "Step 4, we made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." "Step 5, we admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs." "Step 6, we're entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character." "Step 7, we humbly ask him to remove our shortcomings..." " Airport, JetBlue." " You got it." "Thank you." "Everybody, come and run, come see." "Mardi Gras more than got clouds of green." "Coming!" "Attention!" "You better look at me." "Where I'm supposed to be." "Can't beat this." " Brand-new, but you're not brand-new." " Big Chief." "I am Big Chief." "I'm am Big Chief Golden Comanche from way uptown." "I'm Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame." "Mardi Gras Day, I shoot the fiyo in the game." "lam Big Chief!" "I tiptoed through hell and didn't break a sweat." "I swam the seven seas and didn't get wet." "I'm the prettiest big chief you ever met." "Loody-Ioody-loody-bam-bow." "I jump over St. Louis Cemetery, kick down the tombstones, wake up the dead, and make 'em bow." "I got a spy boy tap a hole in the ground." "He make your whole gang fall down." "I'm the prettiest big chief." "Look like you took a wrong turn at Canal Street there, Chief." "It won't go down like this again." "Woo-chi-ma." "Pretty, Big." "Pretty." "Looking good." "Forward!" "Let's go get 'em!" ""I told you three veal, two sweetbreads," ""and I canceled that short rib app." ""Are you deaf back there?"" " Derek Watson, as I live and breathe!" "Do you know this guy, Derek Watson?" "He's the best fuckin' waiter I've ever seen." "Davis McAlary." " How are you doing, brother?" " Happy Mardi Gras, man." " Same to you, brah." " Are you still working at Stella?" " No, I had to give that up." " Why?" "That was such a sweet spot for you." "I did a play. "Waiting for Godot."" "I put it all up over in the Ninth Ward and then over by the lake." "I saw that play." "Wait, I saw you." "You were fucking great, man!" "That play was great." "So on point." " Thanks, man." " So what now?" " What, you off to Hollywood or what?" " No, shit." "I'm a New Orleans actor, which is to say I'm just a fuckin' waiter." "Well, do you need a gig?" "Eventually." "I was gonna hang loose until after Mardi Gras." "Your new place, huh?" "Tomorrow for sure." "Yeah, I could use you, Derek." "Come on, the front of my house right now can't find their ass with either hand." "All right, I'll see you there." "Look, 'cause I don't wanna grow up." "Ahh!" "See?" "He can play." "Hey!" "Hey, throw me something." "I'll be glad when you're dead you rascal, you" "I'll be standing on the corner high..." "Indians!" "My bis chief!" "Oh!" "It's cool." " Donald." " Antoine, what up?" " Happy Mardi Gras." " Happy Mardi Gras." "Man, I miss y'all?" "I've been out all day looking for some Indians." "I ain't seen but a couple." "Yeah, we done made that walk." "Finished up around the corner at Sylvester's." "Oh, man, that's bad timing." "You wouldn't wanna, you know..." "This dude..." "No, no." "Uh-uh." "Put it back on, man." "Been rolling in this stuff since 7:30 this morning." " I'm done." " Man." "Look, feel that." "Go ahead." "Damn." "That's all sweat?" "Yeah, that's me." "Walking around in a big chief suit that's over 100 pounds..." " That's what happens to you." " Whoo!" "Yeah." "Good Lord!" " So how've you been, man?" " Me?" "You know, mostly teaching up at Elie." " I'm assistant band director." " Cool, man." " You've been gigging much yourself?" " A little." "You know, same old, same old." "You know, man, I had a student ask me something." "It kind of messed me up some." "What's that?" "You've been playing modern a long time, right?" "You know that." "You think a cat like me can get from where I'm at there?" " Why not?" " I don't know, man." "I mean, y'all be flying through them changes." "You gotta rip that 'bone." "But, Antoine, you really asking?" "No." "What?" "This is gonna be amazing!" " You think?" " Yeah." "Big-time location." "Plus, you can burn, girl." " Yeah, I can burn." " Wow." "Man, it's too bad you guys didn't get this place open before the holiday season." "If we did, I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun." "I'd be sobered up right now for tomorrow's service." "Yeah." "But instead I have this right here, which opens this restaurant and its fully stocked bar, on the top shelf of which sits a full bottle of afiejo tequila." "And you know where I live, Davis?" "You know where fuckin' Feeny stashed me?" "Seventh floor, right above the place, so I can never get far enough away." "Come on, let's get more happy juice." "Yeah, good idea." "And this one is just right." "Why aren't their lights flashing?" " What's going on here?" " I didn't see anything, man." "No ambulance, Terry." "Yeah." "I didn't do nothing, man." "Relax." "We're getting you an ambulance." "4101 to dispatch." "What's your location?" "Let's start an EMS to the Beachcorner, 4905 Canal Street." "You said you saw a gun?" "I don't know, man." "So it was you who had that fuckin' gun on the ground right there?" "No." "I didn't have no gun." "No way." " You see a gun?" " Yeah." " Where?" " Right there." "So it was him that had the gun?" "All right, come on, man." "How many shootings we catch this Mardi Gras?" " How fuckin' many?" " Five, I think." "Eight or nine wounded." "And in the wake of that happy little bloodletting, what is NOPD doing on Mardi Gras night to occupy its time?" "Getting in a fucking bar fight." "We're beating the fuck out of uniformed transit officers." "Bus drivers, Anthony." "We're beating down fucking bus drivers!" "Now we're tossing drop guns on 'em." "Jesus." "Do you believe in that karma shit?" "That we create our own circumstances?" "No." "Something is coming, Tony." "Something big and ugly and overdue." "What do you mean?" "Keep yourself clean." "What the fuck are you talking about?" "Something is coming, so stay clean of this shit." "Okay, wait." "No thinking, okay?" "No thinking." " It's a Mardi Gras fuck." "I know." " Yeah." "You got your girl." "I like her." "She's nice." "I got my restaurant, whatever the fuck that means." "So it doesn't count, right?" "Yeah." "I own a restaurant." "You don't like her." "Doesn't count." " No, I like her." " Okay." "I know." "Doesn't count." " It's not even happening." "This isn't..." "We're not even here." " That's better." " Okay?" "It doesn't count, all right?" " Wow." "These are tight." " I got it." " Okay." " Fuck." "You Okay?" "Here, I got 'em." "Here." "Okay." " I can't get 'em." " What?" "" " Shh." "Way up she rises Way up she rises" "Way up she rises Early in the morning" "Early in the morning!" "Early in the morning!" "What shall we do with a drunken sailor" "What shall we do with a drunken sailor" "What shall we do with a drunken sailor early in the morning?" "Yeah, we will shave his prick with a rusty razor" "We will shave his prick with a rusty razor" "Early in the morning!" "Way up she rises!" "Way up she rises!" "Way up she rises early in the morning!" "One more time!" "Way up she rises!" "Way up she rises!" "Way up she rises early in the morning" "That's what we do with a drunken sailor" "That's what we do with a drunken sailor" "That's what we do with a drunken sailor early in the morning" "Hey, hey!" " What do you call that?" "It's called a tin whistle." " Yeah?" " Yeah." " Are you from here?" " No." " Is this your first Mardi Gras?" " Yeah." " Me, too, man." " Yeah?" "WHOO!" "You early." "Yeah."