As I sit here and watch the continuous coverage of hurricane Katrina on CNN (yes, that is what I do on a Sunday night because I cannot always be fabulous!), I cannot help but think of my favorite blues bar and favorite person in New Orleans and hope for their safety. That place would be The Funky Pirate and that person would be Big Al Carson. Forget the fancy restaurants like Antoine's. Forget the lame bars like Pat O's. Forget all the trendy new places that opened in the Warehouse District. The coolest place in New Orleans by far is The Funky Pirate with Big Al belting out 450 lbs of pure New Orleans blues every night. I go to this dive bar everytime I go to the city because he truly is a blues legend. It is also a personal favorite of Ms. Kung-Fu and to a lesser extent Clarky. We have had some good times in that place, drinking "Shark Attacks" and "Hand Grenades", getting hit on by various men in uniform (we always seems to attract military men!), and chatting with Big Al. Our most memorable event: I was proposed to by one obviously drunk man. Ms. Kung-Fu almost died from embarrassment when I went to the front to accept the ring which was made from a cigar wrapper! Later on that evening when I was in the ladies room, one customer told me that was the most romantic engagement she had ever seen. I had to inform her that I had just met the guy!
Anyway, I called Ms. Kung-Fu tonight because we were worried about Big Al and how he would possibly evacuate the island. We can only hope that The Funky Pirate is saved from the destructive path of Katrina and that Big Al doesn't blow away! Big Al, we are praying for you buddy and we will be there soon to hear you sing our favorites!
Update: I just checked the internet safe list and Big Al Carson is listed. We are thankful for his safety. Rest assured the legend of The Funky Pirate will sing again!
2 comments:
Big Al is THE man in N.O. and The Funky Pirate is THE place to be. My wife and I have been wondering/worring about Big Al also. Half of my wife's family is from the South Louisiana area of Houma and Franklin, slightly to the west of N.O. We have been wondering how Big Al fared, but we were glad to see that, so far, the Quarter seems to have made it thru the storm, flooding, and looting better than any other part of the city!
On a side note, our church took in 250 N.O. evacuees from the Dome, I-10, and Causeway. These people are in MAJOR need. I beg everyone who can, dontate to the Red Cross, who is doing a wonderful job of organizing the shelters that are feeding, clothing and caring for these people.
-Jason in East Tx
I've checked nola.com's "missing" and "been found" lists and there is no Big Al to be found....
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