Barbara Sillery has her favorite haunts, not just to visit but to write about. She has written several books about hauntings including in Louisiana, Mississippi (as well as its Delta country), Cape Cod and Nantucket. Sillery joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, with stories to tell. Sillery, a longtime resident of New Orleans, now lives on Cape Cod, where the ghosts might not have lived on plantation but sometimes as sea captains....
Oct 12, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 154
In 1873, though little known throughout the state, the Shreveport area suffered one of the greatest tragedies in Louisiana history. The region faced what is recorded as the third largest Yellow Fever epidemic in the nation’s history. In the course of three months there was an estimated 1,200 victims, approximately 1/4 of the city’s population. Cheryl White, a history professor at LSU-Shreveport, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, in c...
Oct 05, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 153
Jim Brown has had quite a career including terms as Louisiana’s Secretary of State; Insurance Commissioner and a state senator. He is also a publisher, a columnist and a font of knowledge about the state and its politics. Brown joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about several topics including why college sports has, in fact, become professional; his thoughts on allowing TV coverage of trials; the state's insurance crisis, and ...
Sep 28, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 152
Millions of people listen to music on the radio. Over a half million people listen to radio each week to hear Nick Spitzer talk about music. Spitzer’s pioneering broadcast American Routes is way more than a D.J. spinning songs but a weekly two-hour public radio program that presents the breadth and depth of the American music scene and cultural landscape. Syndicated by 225 radio stations American Routes is the most widely heard regular presence for tradition-derived and community-based music on ...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 151
A teenager named Abraham Lincoln was once part of the crew of a packet boat bringing goods downriver to New Orleans. As they approached the city they camped on the river banks up shore from New Orleans. There were rough characters who worked along the river. That night, young Lincoln and his group were attacked and beaten up. Fortunately, for history's sake, he survived and made it to New Orleans where he had another experience that also favored history’s sake. He saw the city’s slave markets an...
Sep 07, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 150
Whenever polls are taken of Louisiana’s most popular restaurants Commander’s Palace in New Orleans is usually near or at the top. That’s quite an accomplishment for a state already known for its great restaurants. Ti Martin, co-proprietor of Commander’s Place, and Executive Chef Meg Bickford join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to stir into topics including Louisiana-grown products – the quality and availability, plus, revelations about t...
Aug 31, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 149
There are thousands of hurricane stories. Some stories are tragic, others are heroic and many are truly compelling, especially for podcast listening. A documentary recently released by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, the statewide public broadcast system, entitled “Cajundome City” tells the story of how a college sports arena suddenly became the center of survival in the 2005 aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and then Rita. Trent Angers, a Lafayette-based author and book publisher who served as a c...
Aug 24, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 148
Remember the comedian George Carlin? In 1958, when he was an airman at nearby Barksdale Air Force Base, his first appearance on a stage was in Shreveport. Carlin was the star of the Shreveport Little Theatre’s production of “The Happiest Millionaire.” That is one of the many surprising facts about the theater which, in another surprise, celebrated its centennial in 2022. Robert Darrow, the theater’s managing and artistic director, as well as Sherry Kerr, a Shreveport-based drama consultant, writ...
Aug 17, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 147
There are two things, among many, that we all need to do – eat, and be fit. The problem is that sometimes doing one contradicts the other. Fortunately, there are some dietitian who keep and eye on that sort of thing and who have the connections to help us walk the thin line. Molly Kimball is a one person fitness information boutique. She administers the popular Eat Fit programs for Ochsner hospitals; has several books on fitness recipes (including one about booze); she makes television appearanc...
Aug 10, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 146
If you confuse the Louisiana Children’s Museum for a boat permanently docked alongside a small bay that is understandable. The museum, located in New Orleans’ City Park, is a masterpiece of whimsical design and learning creativity. It is as much fun as it is educational – and there is plenty of both. Tifferny White, the museum’s CEO joins, Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the museum not only as a great place for young and ol...
Aug 03, 2023•38 min
New Orleans was once a fertile area for developing championship boxers. Mainly because of the large Italian immigration many of the boys who came from poor families and grew up in tough neighborhoods were attracted to boxing. Not only were the skills a matter of survival, but they could also be a way, for some, to fame and wealth. One example was Tony Canzoneri who grew up in the New Orleans area, eventually moved to New York City where he ultimately won several boxing championships. Ramon Anton...
Jul 27, 2023•42 min
Who would have thought that there would be a working farm on Jackson Avenue right in the heart of Uptown amid the mansions and the magnolias? Well, there is, and it is more than tomato plants stuck in the ground but all kinds of vegetables and fruits grown scientifically—all part of the urban farm movement . Michael Richard, farm director for Recirculating Farms – a non-profit group committed to being ecologically resourceful yet bountiful in its produce – joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor E...
Jul 20, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 143
When hurricanes rumble from the Gulf, the high winds and storm surges sometimes re-locate unwilling sea mammals into surrounding land masses and waterways. That happened after Hurricane Ida in 2021, which displaced a dolphin into a bay near Grand Isle. While the bay water was ecologically sound to support the new arrival, it offered no access to the Gulf. With the cooperation of several sea life specialist, plans were made to re-locate the mammal who during the interim had delivered a calf that ...
Jul 13, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 142
In 2010, during the time that Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser was Plaquemines Parish’s President, the BP Oil Spill took place. He became immersed in the issue, so much that the national media referred to him as the “Face of the Spill.” As Lt. Gov., Nungesser has additional battles including developing and promoting tourism. Nugesser joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to express strong feelings about diversion projects as well as attracti...
Jul 06, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 141
Fifty years ago there was a tragic fire in New Orleans’s French Quarter at a bar with a largely gay clientele called the Upstairs Lounge. There were 32 deaths. Documentary maker Royd Anderson joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the disaster, which had a galvanizing effect on the gay community. The suspected arsonist, who himself was gay, reportedly admitted to a couple of people that he had set the fire. He would later com...
Jun 29, 2023•31 min
If the subject is restaurants don’t call Stanley Dry; if the subject is kitchens, then he’s your man. Dry is the long time writer of the “Kitchen Gourmet” column for Louisiana Life magazine. He has also authored cookbooks; two of which; “The Essential Louisiana Cookbook” and the “Essential Louisiana Seafood Cookbook” were published by this magazine's parent company, Renaissance Publishing. He has written for national publications including The New York Time s; Food and Wine Magazine and Travel &...
Jun 22, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 139
We learn history for several perspectives including political, social and military, but to really understand a place and the influences that shaped it, we need to hear from a geographer as well. Richard Campanella, a Tulane University research professor, combines the thoroughness of an academic with the communications skill of a popular journalist. Campanella joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the geography that made the ...
Jun 15, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 138
One person who most identifies a city is its mayor. There are council members, legislators, judges, sheriffs and police chiefs, but it's the mayor who usually, for better or worse, is in the best position to direct the future. Friday Ellis, the first term mayor of Monroe, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about not just his city but also the vision of the state from his perspective and that of other City Hall colleagues. We w...
Jun 08, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 137
LSU is known for its achievements on the playing field and in the classroom, but before any of that could happen there were political battles and maneuvers to grow the university and to make it nationally prominent. Chief among the maneuverers was Huey Long who, during the seven year span when we he governor then Senator until being assassinated in 1935, made the university a personal cause. Robert Mann, a historian, author and a political consultant joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol L...
Jun 01, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 136
There is a crop that is grown here in Louisiana that is not found anywhere else in the world. Even in Louisiana it is a rarity sprouting from the ground in only one parish. Perique tobacco has been cultivated in Louisiana for as long as there have been settlers, who learned techniques from the native tribe. The crop grows only in St. James Parish, where Convent is the manor town. Mike Matherne, whose family own one of the 25 perique farms, tells the story about the growth and fermentation of the...
May 25, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 135
When ordering, one might wonder why the cup in which their coffee is served has an image of the devil on the outside or, especially, why the coffee when poured into a serving bowl is on fire. The real jolt is yet to come as the server ladles Café Brulot into the bedeviled cup. There is a rich history, much tracing back to France, in which ingredients were burnt and mixed with seasonings before being enriched by another liquid. Café Brulot is the most famous example, and few cities do it better a...
May 18, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 134
In the years prior to the passage of the federal Civil Rights Bill, the responsibility of offering higher education to Black students went to a few segregated universities. After the bill passed the doors were open and Black students were allowed to apply to any of the state’s other universities. Still, though legally integrated, the once all Black universities maintained a mission providing, what some in the Black community was better social and educational environments. Consisting in Louisiana...
May 11, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 133
French is perhaps one of the most beautiful languages. It is also a vital part of Louisiana’s history. Through the effort of some dedicated individuals looking to preserve our culture, we have the opportunity to hear more of the language and various local dialects. Because of the organization Télé-Louisiane, a language revival will also be part of the history of Louisiana. Will McGrew, chief executive officer and co-founder of Télé-Louisiane, and Caitlin Orgeron, the organization’s chief operati...
May 04, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 132
Chris Thomas King has been close to the blues all his life. His is the son of a legendary blues musician, Tabby Thomas, who operated a blues club in Baton Rouge. King has excelled not only on guitar, but also as a performer whose movie credits include the quirky “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” and the biofilm “Ray” about Ray Charles in which King also served as a music consultant working with Charles. King joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massic...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 131
Kouri-Vini is the name given to Louisiana’s endangered, indigenous Creole language. It is spoken largely in rural south Louisiana by both Louisiana Creoles and Cajuns. Linguist and performer Clif St. Laurent joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about this language that developed in the Colonial era and that still survives. He also discusses the recently produced “Tambou,” the first film spoken in Kouri-Vini. Hear about the film c...
Apr 20, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 130
Here are some questions about our native jambalaya that you might not have thought about, but should: Is our native jambalaya an offshoot of Spanish paella? Is seafood jambalaya more of a casserole since jambalaya originated as a meat dish? These and other questions are pondered by tailgate chef Jay Ducote, who knows so much about the right way to make jambalaya that the state and a seasonings manufacturer pay him to travel the South to do demonstrations at fairs and other outdoor events. Ducote...
Apr 13, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 129
According to legend, the original cocktail was invented in an apothecary in New Orleans’ Vieux Carré. The neighborhood, with its many restaurants and bars, is such a watering hole for classic drinks it seems only right that there would be an actual cocktail named The Vieux Carré. There is, and it has been around since the 1930's. Though less known than other mixed drinks, it is now having a revival! John De Mers, an author who specializes in food and drink, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor ...
Mar 30, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Officially known as “Hansen’s disease” but the world recognizes the jarring, more familiar term “leprosy.” A place in south Louisiana known as Carville was, along with a facility in Hawaii, the national center for the care of patients with the disease. Author Anne Harmon Brett joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell her moving story of being raised by parents who first met at Carville. Based on the memoirs of her father and her own...
Mar 23, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 127
So, you thought you knew a lot about crawfish. Well, how about this? What global event triggered the interest in boiled crawfish in Louisiana? Sam Irwin, the author of the book “Louisiana Crawfish, A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean,” joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell tales of the crawfish including the impact that the critters had on the rice industry, the most productive growing areas and the ongoing debate over "s...
Mar 16, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 126
There is so much talent in Louisiana that selecting finalists for Louisiana Life’s annual Louisianian of the Year issue is one of the magazine’s toughest challenges. But, It was accomplished! And, there are many promising prospects left for the future. Louisiana Life Editor Melanie Spencer joins Errol Laborde, the magazine’s Executive Editor, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to boast about this year’s list consisting of a woman working to preserve the Houma Indian culture; a champion o...
Mar 02, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 125
