I should have gone to New Orleans for Mardi Gras Carnival in 2010.
I fantasized relentlessly about it. I dreamed constantly about it. I wanted desperately to go. I started making plans. I tried to convince any one of my friends to go with me, to sign on for this incredible adventure of a lifetime. No takers. I would have gone alone but I was warned, rightly, that was not such a great idea. So, I did not go. Now I’ve resigned myself to experiencing New Orleans vicariously through the HBO series Treme.
I admit it. I am hooked on Treme. I am bedazzled by David Simon’s incredible stories about life in certain New Orleans neighborhoods after “Katrina”. Some people--yes, including me--often lazily refer to that tragedy as “Katrina” as if the hurricane alone caused the devastation. It didn’t. It was the floods following landfall of Hurricane Katrina that buckled the levees causing wholesale destruction and unimaginable loss of life. It was heartbreaking; it was tragic; and as we now know, it was preventable.
I have searched high and low for people with whom I could share my obsession with this series--or any of David Simon’s incredible work (e.g., The Corner, The Wire)--but to no avail. I eventually found the camaraderie I craved via Facebook and random blogs. But not with any of my friends! The most common reasons they gave were “I just couldn’t get into it” and “I thought it was boring.” Boring? Really? I wondered why.
As it turns out, these responses came mainly from my white friends and associates...people who are mad about Mad Men, nuts for Nip Tuck, and gaga over Glee. But none of them could give a rip about any of David Simon’s shows. I probed further. I asked them to explain their indifference to shows like The Wire and Treme. (I concede that The Corner is pretty tough viewing for anyone.) I pointed out that each episode of Treme offers a rich array of themes, fully realized characters, and a heart stopping soundtrack teeming with the work of music legends. They remained unmoved. They could not, or would not, elaborate. So it falls to me to find the answer for myself.
It seems to me shows like Treme, The Corner and The Wire are so steeped in ethnic themes that some people cannot relate to them. Some of my friends talk about The Bill Cosby Show with great affection, but they can’t get into Good Times. They think Girlfriends is cool and very funny, but they’re not big fans of Living Single. They fondly remember the show Julia starring Diahann Carroll as a widowed mother raising her son alone, but don’t remember the incredible, albeit failed, series South Central about a divorced mother raising her three children in a dangerous urban environment. The South Central series did not survive. Big surprise.
I see a pattern here. I get it. If it’s palatable to them, they watch. By palatable, I mean not too poor, not too gritty, and definitely not too real. Bill Cosby fits their vision to a “T”. So do the “Girlfriends” and Diahann Carroll’s “Julia”. They can relate to these characters. But they can’t relate to a real character like Esther Rolle's Florida of Good Times, or Tina Lifford’s Joan of South Central. Too inner-city, I guess. Damned shame. I’m just saying...
But, back to Treme. I watched Season One episodes multiple times and I can barely wait for Season Two beginning 24 April, 2011. I’m on the edge of my seat! I’m ready for the continuing sagas of Antoine Batiste, Ladonna Batiste-Williams, Toni Bernette, Davis McAlary, Delmond Lambreaux, and my superhero, Albert “Big Chief” Lambreaux. He was so pretty in his Indian regalia! They are all like family to me. I will definitely miss Creighton Bernette, but I will move on.
I look forward to hearing incredible music from John Boutte, Kermit Ruffin, Allen Toussaint, Terence Blanchard, the Neville family, Doctor John, Jon Cleary, Steve Earle, Lucia Micarelli, and the rest of the family. I look forward to the excoriation of the “rebuilders” who come to New Orleans with money in their pockets and greed in their hearts. Yes, that’s what's up. And, by the way, I welcome Jon Seda to this stellar cast!
For now, I live vicariously through Treme. But I plan to be in New Orleans on 21 February, 2012 for Mardi Gras Carnival. If anyone wants to join me, just holla! I’m ready to testify!
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