Tyler Bridges has stories to tell, so many that this edition of Louisiana Insider will feature two of them. One is the shocking saga of former governor Edwin Edward's body being exhumed and then cremated at the orders of his widow and, allegedly, without the knowledge of his family by earlier marriages. And the other is from Bridges’ new book, “The Flight: One Father's War, a Son’s Search,” about his dad, a bomber pilot during World War II being shot down and then held as a prisoner of war befor...
Nov 04, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 61
Stanley Nelson is a north Louisiana journalist who has made a specialty out of investigating Ku Klux Klan-related murders. His newest book, "Klan of Devils: The Murder of A Black Louisiana Deputy Sheriff" tells the harrowing story of a 1965 crime in which two Washington Parish deputies were shot while on duty. One deputy died, but the other was only - though severely – injured and able to provide some witness information. The book traces the ensuring investigation and the eventual involvement of...
Oct 27, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Craig Colton looks at Louisiana’s endangered wetlands not only as an environmentalist, but also as a geographer and anthropologist. Colton, a professor of geography at LSU, joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss the plight and hopes of coastal residents, as reported in his new book, “State of Disaster: A Historical Geography of Louisiana’s Land Loss Crisis.” Oh yes, we’ll also hear about the math, as Louisiana’s land loss i...
Oct 21, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 59
Steve Roberts has experienced life from many different angles. He is an accomplished journalist who has written a nationally syndicated political column. He was the husband of the late Cokie Roberts, who reported for ABC News and National Public Radio and wrote several books, some specializing in women’s political history. His mother-in-law as the late Lindy Boggs, who was a member of congress from Louisiana and went on to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, and his father-in-law was Hale B...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 58
Which Louisiana town has Dolly Parton as part of its history? Which town was settled as part of a German religious sect? These and other questions are answered as Louisiana Life magazine’s travel writer Chere Cohen joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to reveal her picks of the state’s most charming towns. Oh yes, we’ll also hear about why Natchitoches became famous for meat pies and about a nearby town that’s known for its tamales...
Oct 07, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Europe was ablaze with the biggest war that the planet had experienced up to that time. In Louisiana, there were also lots of battles; including an end to the Red Light District, racial tensions and the coming of prohibition. And there were a few clear victories with the evolution of Jazz and women’s suffrage. Historian Brian Altobello joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell stories from his new book “Whiskey, Women and War: How th...
Sep 23, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 56
Even through the COVID-19 slowdown and taunting by hurricanes there has been lots going on in Louisiana over the last couple years. To prove its point, Louisiana Life magazine presents its annual La Nouvelle Louisiane awards. Melanie Warner Spencer, the magazine’s managing editor, joins Errol Laborde along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss the best of what’s new in the state including places, things, culinary adventures and even people with stories to tell. Oh yes, we’ll also hear ...
Sep 16, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 55
When the story of the protests for more civil rights in Louisiana is told there were several key stops along the way including a church in Shreveport, a march to Bogalusa and Dooky Chase restaurant in New Orleans. Organizer Brenda McKinley and former TV news anchor Norman Robinson join Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to tell stories about the height of the Civil Rights struggle. The story is now made more visual by the state's new Civ...
Sep 09, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Shane Bernard has Louisiana culture in his blood. He also has splashes of Tabasco sauce. Bernard, a historian who has chronicled Cajun culture and the Swamp pop music scene, is also the archivist for Tabasco hot sauce. He, a scholar on the hot stuff, joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about, not just the sauce, but its home base of Avery Island, one of the few places in Louisiana where there has been mining activity below ...
Aug 26, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Bob Mann has been in the boiler room with many important Louisiana political figures including Russell Long, J. Bennett Johnson, John Breaux and Katheen Blanco. He has also written about Louisiana politics as a newspaper reporter and as an author of several political books. Mann, who is now the Manship Chair in Journalism at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communications, joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell stories from his n...
Aug 19, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Clare Chennault led the country he was fighting for in defeating the Japanese in the air war. Surprisingly, that country was China and without his aerial combat skills Japan may have conquered the nation in 1937. Accordingly, the outcome of World War II, which was just beyond the horizon, may have been totally different. Author Richard P. Voohries, Jr., a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massico...
Aug 12, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 51
This year marks the 30th anniversary of casino type gambling being legitimized in Louisiana. Pulitzer-winning journalist Tyler Bridges joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with producer Kelly Massicot to discuss the political history of the games of chance. He should know. His book, "Bad Bet on the Bayou" (published in 2001) followed the many twists in the tale. Oh yes, they will also discuss who went to jail and why.
Jul 29, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Former Secretary of State Jim Brown talks about Edwin Edwards; Louisiana politics and back home in Ferriday When Jim Brown, a young attorney from Louisiana first met Edwin Edwards, who was in Congress at the time, the two men sat on the steps of the U.S. capitol and talked about Louisiana politics and their ambitions. It was a fateful meeting. Edwards would go on to being elected governor four times; Brown would serve as Secretary of State and Insurance Commissioner. Brown joins Errol Laborde, e...
Jul 22, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 49
It was 1966 and racial tensions, which were always high in Plaquemines Parish, were boiling over—a group of male Black students was fighting against some white males. Gary Duncan, a local who was related to one of the Black students, saw the action and wanted to help calm things down. In the process, he put his hand on the shoulder of one of the white males. That cost him. Duncan was later arrested and charged with assault. Thus, began the case that the United States Supreme Court would one day ...
Jul 16, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Imagine, you’re the pilot of an ocean freighter working its way up the Mississippi River. There’s something important you should know. Regardless of your destination you should dock the big ship somewhere before you reach the “old bridge” in Baton Rouge. After that, the river gets shallower all the way up to Minnesota. At this point you’re better off being the captain of a tow boat pushing barges. Photographer Philip Gould joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podc...
Jul 08, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Imagine, walking down the street one night in Opelousas and hearing in the distance music from Ray Charles or maybe James Brown. Only that was no jukebox that you were hearing but Charles and Brown themselves performing live in St. Landry Parish. There was a day when the state was dotted with dancehalls and big name entertainers travelled the circuit. Within those walls the sounds of Zydeco also began to flourish including Rockin’ Sidney commanding “Don’t Mess with My Toot-Toot.” And, swamp popp...
Jul 01, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 46
A levee’s riverside is called a batture. For a few hearty souls it is also called “home.” Author Macon Fry lives in a camp on a batture at the edge of Orleans Parish. He has been chronicling stories of people who live so near the water they can sometime feel the wave action through their floor. Fry, who once canoed down the entire Mississippi River, has stories to tell about life as a “river rat’ and shares them with Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer...
Jun 24, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Louisiana has always had some dry parishes where booze was limited by local law, but the state and especially New Orleans did not take too well to the period from 1920 through 1933, when alcohol sales was curtailed nationwide. Prohibition was a raucous era with colorful characters, hot jazz and behind the doors activity. Author Sally Asher joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell tales about the days when the cork was supposed ...
Jun 17, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 44
What does it mean when the top 10 movies set in Louisiana are discussed, two of them have the word “Easy” in the title? After much discussion, we have concluded that it is probably only a coincidence because the competition is tough. Film critic Alfred Richard joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, in a lively conversation to reveal his choices of the top 10 films set in Louisiana. (Spoiler alert: While the “Easy” films make the list...
Jun 10, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 44
For many, the image of Jewish settlements in the United States have been mostly on the East Coast and in major cities. However, there has long been a Jewish population spread across the South and in rural areas. Dating back to the 1700s, some of the earliest Jewish settlers were peddlers selling their wares to eagerly awaiting customers across the landscape. Executive Director of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience Kenneth Hoffman and Morris Mintz, a founding board member of the museum,...
Jun 03, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Br’er Rabbit was a trickster who loved to defy authority and who pulled his stunts throughout the South. He is known for finding seclusion in briar parches but in Louisiana, his spiritual home was Laura Plantation where former slaves told stories that traced back to their West African roots. Norman Marmillion, a co-owner of Laura Plantation (located near Vacherie, 39 miles up river from New Orleans), joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Mass...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Don’t you just hate it when you’re walking in the yard of an old farmhouse and there is a ghost staring out the window? How about that strange noise some folks claim they have heard coming from the barn? And do you sometimes get the feeling that someone is looking over your shoulder only to turn and find no one there? Those are stories that Kenneth Brown, an archaeologist from the University of Houston, heard as he went digging at Magnolia Plantation near Natchitoches, Louisiana. Brown did not s...
May 19, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Louisiana was one of the pioneering states at offering free healthcare to its citizens. And there were several state-run Charity hospitals, with the New Orleans facility being one of the largest in the nation. James Ciaravella, a retired surgeon turned author, who spent several years at “Big Charity” joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell stories about medicine for the masses and some of the medical breakthroughs. Oh yes, we w...
May 13, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Louisiana, we know, is the creation of many ethnic groups but one that doesn’t always get the credit it is due is the Sicilians. The port of New Orleans was the largest arrival point of migrants from the island off the Italian coast. The group would become very active in agriculture and also influential in food, music, politics and religious celebrations. Historian Justin Nystrom joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell tales ab...
May 06, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Imagine a Lieutenant leading a platoon through a French village during World War II. He has questions to ask the locals but everyone in his group only speaks English. What does he do? He calls for the soldier from French Louisiana to translate. Historian Jason Theriot joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life magazine, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell about his upcoming book, “Frenchies.” Through years of interviews, Theriot has accumulated stories about the uniq...
Apr 21, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Imagine being Vice-President of the United States and having killed Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Imagine that later in his career the same person possibly committed sedition by trying to make the newly purchased Louisiana territory part of an independent empire. Imagine that this person gets off without any punishment and spends the last years of his life as a practicing lawyer in Manhattan. UNO historian Charles Chamberlain joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Lou...
Apr 16, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 35
What is the better fish for eating, red drum or red snapper? They’re both good but food writer Stanley Dry know the differences. Dry has a long list of credentials including being food editor for Louisiana Life magazine and the author of the hardback book “The Essential Louisiana Seafood Cookbook” published by the magazine. Seafood is the entire topic as Dry makes a return visit to the podcast. He joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to ta...
Apr 08, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Is Voodoo a religion or is it a way of life? According to Sallie Ann Glassman it is both. Glassman, who travelled to Haiti to study Vodou and to be initiated into the priesthood explains the complexities including the parallels with Roman Catholicism and certain saints. Glassman joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the mysteries of Voodoo. Oh yes, we will hear about the impact of drumming to the spirit.
Apr 01, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Churches in the Black community are historically known as places where preachers preach with more fervor and where choirs rock the house with hand-clapping joy, hoping for better days. A documentary produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting entitled, “Louisiana’s Black Church, the Politics of Perseverance,” examines religion in around the state. Executive producer Linda Midgett and producer and reporter Kara St. Cyr join Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast prod...
Mar 24, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 32
It all began with the word “Acadian," which became Americanized to “Cajun” and then popularized to define life’s necessities including a two-step in Mamou and the spiciness of fried chicken. Join Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot as University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor and documentary maker Nathan Rabalais discusses his production “Finding Cajun,” which made its broadcast debut on Louisiana Public Broadcasting. We will hear a...
Mar 18, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 31
