As a huge fan of The Wire and also a local New Orleanian, words cannot express how excited I was to hear of the convergence of these two things in HBO’s new series about the music and culture of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina: Treme.

Not only is Treme important as a dramatic television series, but also in that it provides the perfect medium and context for exposing the many insanely talented New Orleans musicians that often struggle for mainstream exposure.

Now that the anticipation has subsided, and the second episode has aired, it’s time to recap the episodes and provide some explanation of the more esoteric New Orleans references in the show that may be a little difficult for outsiders to penetrate.

The pilot introduces us to the principal characters whose lives and rebuilding efforts we will be following for the rest of the series:

• Antoine Batiste: Played by the spectacularly talented alumnus of The Wire/New Orleans native, Wendell Pierce. A trombone player and fictionalized member of one of New Orleans’ premiere musical dynaties: the Batiste family.
• Creighton Bernette: Played by fellow New Orleans resident John Goodman. A surly college professor and fierce devotee of the city and its cultural heritage.
• Janette Desautel: Played by Kim Dickens. A local restaurateur struggling to revive her business.
• Davis McAlary: Played by Steve Zahn. A music afficionado, partial conspiracy theorist, and DJ at the legendary WWOZ.
• Albert Lambreaux: Played by the exceptionally dignified and talented Clarke Peters (Freamon on The Wire). A Mardi Gras Indian Chief who has returned to New Orleans in spite of the protests of his 2 grown children.
• LaDonna Batiste-Williams: Played by Khandi Alexander. The ex-wife of Antoine Batiste and a localbar owner.
• Toni Bernette: Played by Melissa Leo.  A local civil rights advocate/attorney.

I must admit that I maintain a staunch bias when it comes to the cinematic portrayal of New Orleans culture and that I have been universally disappointed to the point of near offense at embarrassments like Benjamin Button or K*Ville. Treme, however, does not fall prey to any of the stereotypical blunders of its forebears, due largely to the diligence and commitment to authenticity of David Simon. From the characters’ accents to the uniquely New Orleanian references, Treme proves from the start that this is a show about New Orleans as it really exists, not some dusty archetypal stronghold of antiquated Old South bourgeoisie and Disneyesque frivolity.

It is due to its genuinely authentic tone that Treme may at first seem opaque to the outside viewer. I must assure you, however, that this is worth it. In the same way that The Wire captured the essence of the Baltimore streets, Treme captures what it really means to grow, live, and work in New Orleans.

What you need to know this episode to feel like a local:

-Crawfish: In one of the early kitchen scenes, Janette derides “F**ckin’ frozen Chinese crawfish.” This is a reference to the type of crawfish that are available out of season and were some of the only ones in the city in the aftermath of Katrina. New Orleanians are fiercely devoted to local crawfish (NOT CRAYfish, crawdads, etc), every local has their own recipe and thinks of theirs as the only way of preparing the delicacy.

-Hubig’s Pies: A short bit later in the restaurant scene, Janette has a Hubig’s dressed up as dessert for Creighton. These local pies can be found in every convenience store and gas station in South Louisiana. They come in flavors from lemon to sweet potato and their unique packaging and shape have remained unchanged for as long as anyone can remember.

-Brocato’s: Creighton refuses lemon ice when offered it as an option in Janette’s restaurant, citing that “it would be disloyal.” He is referring to the fact that beloved local gelato and italian ice shop, Angelo Brocato’s in Mid City, had not yet reopened after the storm. Brocato’s lemon ice is the stuff of legend and the over-100 year old shop has remained largely unchanged in New Orleans since its opening.

-Mardi Gras Indians: Albert Lambreaux is a Mardi Gras Indian chief, explained in the scene in which he dons the chief’s full regalia in order to request help from a separate tribe member. Somewhere between social club, gang, and tribe, Mardi Gras Indians are an integral part of Mardi Gras festivities. Most Indians spend the entire year leading up to Mardi Gras working on their intricate and beautiful costumes and head dresses. While, I do not presume any level of expertise on the subject, growing up in New Orleans, Mardi Gras Indians have always been and remain one of the extraordinary and magical parts of New Orleans culture and Mardi Gras that are almost completely inexplicable to outsiders.

-Second Line: The opening scene of the show takes place in the moments leading up to and through a Second Line. These are parade/gatherings, generally put on by the various Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs belonging to specific neighborhoods that take place either for funerals, Mardi Gras, or special occasions and their canon of songs remains largely the same. In this particular instance, Antoine is shown playing with the Rebirth Brass Band, local music heroes who play a dizzying amount of gigs throughout the city.

-Kermit Ruffins: Kermit is a local hero. In true New Orleans form, he is not one specific type of public figure, but a hybrid of world-class trumpeter/composer, BBQ guru, and genuinely cool dude. Co-founder of both the Rebirth Brass Band and The Barbecue swingers Kermit plays around town quite often and can be found cooking up his signature barbecue at his shows.

-The Music: There are a couple of New Orleans shout-outs included in this episode’s diegetic music, namely the “Nolia Clap” by local rapper and Cash Money artist Juvenile which is heard playing from a car early in the episode, and a number of tracks from fellow New Orleans and Cash Money artist Mystikal’s album Let’s Get Ready that are played at loud volume by Davis in his apartment.

-WWOZ: New Orleans’ world-renowned Jazz and Heritage station. This is where Davis is employed as a DJ.

-Elvis Costello: While not a New Orleanian, Costello recorded the album The River in Reverse in the city at Piety Street Studios with local piano legend Allen Toussaint shortly after Katrina (although some recording also took place in CA.)

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All in all, I couldn’t have been happier with the tone set by the pilot of Treme and am extremely optimistic about the talent of the creative team as well as their attention to detail in all things New Orleans. It would be impossible for any show to capture exactly the spirit that lives within New Orleans, but Treme gets as close as anyone ever will.

As always, we look forward to your comments, thoughts, and ideas.

-Patrick R

patrick@rabbitholeconsulting.com

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