Garrison Keillor Released His Hordes

 News from the Quarters

There are 37,000 Lutheran teenagers visiting and repairing New Orleans.  Everyone wants to fix New Orleans but it's a tall order.  Better call in Mr. Big, the Garrison Keillor in the sky.

These Lutherans aren't like the many religious holier-than-thou folks who regularly invade the enemy territory of New Orleans.  So far none of them have shouted at me about how I am doomed because of my zip code.  Not even a damnation pamphlet from a half human, half smiley-face guy.  And I can't even imagine these folks doing the Bourbon Street "Crusader In the Intersection" proselytizing or shout/singing religious tunes and slogans outside my window late on a work night.  Garrison is right, these Lutherans get their thrills by being nice.   

But teenagers + New Orleans = adolescent disaster and we've got the music and interstitials to prove it.  The first set of music starts as sweet and innocent as the idealized teenager but via interstitials between songs we're reminded of the more painful reality of those angst-ful years.  Sound clips and music about youth drunking, fighting, and car crashing culminating in a movie trailer for Teenage Psycho Meets Bloody Mary ("In bloody color").  Garrison, whatever grows out of placing teenagers in the Petri dish of the French Quarter is on your head.

Next:

A round of New Orleans music then a salute to Nikita K and Fidel C celebrating my French Quarter insularity.  Really, they just kind of quit trying?  And how far beyond Slidell are these far-away lands?  

Finishing the show with rounds of New Orleans music.  The first set's song are separated by Edwin Edwards' quotes.  You know Bush didn't grant Edwards a pardon because Edwards could win the governership again.  Second set of interstitials are Frankie and Johnny's "Special Man" commercials.  The guy that gets you credit with "No problem."   

Tonight's Box Score: 

 37,000 teenagers all jamming every elevator within a mile of WWOZ

119 selections over three hours from Midnight to 3am

  66 songs

  55 selections from New Orleans.  

  53 interstitial ranging from:

The entire Casablanca movie compressed into 30 seconds, plus Butterfly McQueen from Gone With the Wind, the Wizard from Wizard of Oz and Jimmy Stewart from It's a Wonderful Life.  In the necrophilia radio salute department, "Here lizard lizard" from this week's dearly departed, Gidget - the Taco Bell dog.   

15  number of times Ed called to make requests for interstitials and Chris Kenner

 1   number of times Ottawa Pete called to talk about his WWOZ flag (the envy of the neighborhood)

And a big thanks to Henry of the Lost Souls Brass Band of San Francisco.  A guy with finely-calibrated ears who's vampire gig keeps him up all night.  You can't do late-night WWOZ shows without Henry's approval.    

And as I return home to go to sleep:

   9 prostitutes within the three block area around our French Quarter house and

   4 goofy guys making all kinds of noise under my bedroom window at 4am and 

   1 missing New York Times.  Not that the prostitutes or goofy guys would steal it...  The delivery guy probably rented temporary love in the three blocks around my house.