Tag: New Orleans

Thirty Years with Slackjaw: A Personal Obituary for Jim Knipfel, 1965-2026

My friend Jim Knipfel died on October 7, 2026. Smart and funny as hell, also generous with his time and attention, Jim was the original blind punk. His voice has been in my head for thirty years. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon. In 1996, between college and grad school, I lived in New Orleans. Back then I could see… Read more

Revisiting the Tremé By Way of ‘Treme’, #52essays2017

I’m a little late to the party, but then again I was sort of early too. I just started watching the HBO show treme, and I love it so much, I don’t allow myself to binge watch. I save it for a good ole romp on the treadmill—one episode a day, if I make it to the treadmill. The opening… Read more

Where They Lie, A New Orleans Story

  John sat on his stoop smoking and staring across the street to the neighborhood cemetery. It was small and neglected, not much like the well-manicured parks where the New Orleans tourists flocked. With their wrought-iron gates, famous dead people, plastic flowers, and marble, they were not as haunting as this shabby place. One could not forget death here. Although… Read more