tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5359358707716642068.post4924057436168117245..comments2007-12-29T15:38:49.096-06:00Joe Nick Patoskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10504262446405758375noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5359358707716642068.post-81747352241512255562007-12-05T11:33:00.000-06:002007-12-05T11:33:00.000-06:00Joe Nick, <BR/><BR/> I enjoyed your friend's reminiscences of a Jazz Fest long ago. In my younger days, I could always count on at least one encounter with an attractive (and inebriated) lady resulting in a few minutes of dirty bopping set to a soundtrack of some of New Orleans finest boogie music.<BR/> But my fondest Jazz Fest memory was a brief encounter sharing a joint with Joni Mitchell during Irma Thomas' set. It was over too quickly, as her boyfriend?/husband? soon appeared, hustling her off to some ever-so-exclusive backstage JazzFest celebrathon. Ahh!<BR/> Of course, your friend had it right. In the end, driven by the necessity of appealing to more mainstream tastes so that box office numbers and revenues would grow exponentially, the Festival books artists who have no connection with New Orleans or Louisiana (Tim McGraw (???) will perform in 2008). So, if you consider 100,000 folks crammed into the Fair Grounds to see Rod Stewart or John Mayer a success, I suppose it is. At least, some people may catch a bit of Kermit or Trombone Shorty or Geno Delafosse as they grab a softshell crab Po'-Boy on their way to the Acura Stage to listen to Brad Paisley. <BR/> As for me, I'm totally down with the French Quarter Festival. The roster of musicians is much smaller but it's all local. Also, there's no need to get a puny buzz off of Miller Lite,the JazzFest staple, since one is never more than a few steps away from a real bar in the Quarter and an alchol-packed Hurricane.<BR/> Based on the excerpt, I'm looking forward to reading this book.Stanleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5359358707716642068.post-49714642604981540392007-12-04T05:22:00.000-06:002007-12-04T05:22:00.000-06:00Searingly beautiful writing...heartbreaking at times...really,really real. You brought me home. Are you still in Austin? <BR/><BR/>Love and Peace,<BR/>Rosalind BellAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com