Louisiana Insider

When you need a way to promote your state that will draw lots of attention and is fun to look at, a spin-off of a Mardi Gras float might work, especially if your state is Louisiana.

State tourism promotion is officially under the direction of the Lieutenant Governor’s office. "Louisiana Insider" producer Kelly Massicot went to the source to talk to Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser about the effort during the holiday season for Louisiana to have a presence in both the nationally televised Rose Bowl parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day procession.

Oh yes, we will also hear about a 60-foot-long alligator making his way through Manhattan.

They were raised among French speaking families. Their ancestry traced through Nova Scotia and the maritime provinces. They were teased by Anglo troops when they went to war. They became of enormous value in France as translators. 

Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, talk with Jason Theriot, a Lafayette-based historian whose upcoming book "Frenchies" profiled Cajuns who went to war and whose work inspired an exhibit at the National World War II Museum. Now he has expanded his base by studying troops from French Canada. Were there any similarities to their war experience?

Oh yes, we will also hear about common last names such as LeBlanc heard in both areas.

Jerry Lee Lewis made a lot of music and left a lot of stories to tell about unrivaled popularity, unparalleled scandal and a rocking comeback. Jim Brown, former Secretary of State, Insurance commissioner and State Senator joins Louisiana Life Executive Director Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about Jerry Lee who was a neighbor in the upstate town of Ferriday, as well as his first legal client.

Oh yes, we will also hear about Lewis’ famous cousins.

I guess you might call them faith healers, but they are more than that description because they often rely on certain herbs and plants, as well as handed-down prayer and sometimes even a gentle touch to heal certain maladies. They have long been a part of Cajun culture especially in rural areas away from standard medical treatment. Mary Perrin and Bev Fusel, two traiteuses (the female equivalent of “traiteurs”) from the Lafayette area, and the authors of a newly published book "Healing Traditions of South Louisiana, prayers, plants and poultices" join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about what maladies are best treated by traiteurs and why.

Oh yes, we will also hear about the power of elderberries.

There are some people who claim to do Voodoo but are just doing it for fun. Then, there are others who are the real thing. Sallie Ann Glassman is a Voodoo priestess; ordained in the Haitian ritual. Glassman, who operates Island of Salvation Botanica, stages ceremonies on Voodoo spiritual days such as St. John’s Eve. She joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about Day of the Dead rituals.

Oh yes, she will also answer the question do real Voodoo practitioners stick pins in dolls.

Just watching a brown pelican in action reveals how fascinating they are as they hover over a water body and then suddenly take a crash dive, to surface with fish in their bills. It is one of nature’s more dramatic acts.

Author Rien Fertel joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to tell tales from his new book, “Brown Pelican” (LSU Press). We know it as the state bird but brown pelicans are also an ancient species with a rich influence of early legends and as a common religious symbol. This is an extraordinary interview about an incredible bird.

Oh yes, we will also hear how the brown pelican is different from its white counterpart including size, mating and fishing techniques.

While filming a documentary about ghosts in an old plantation home producer Barbara Sillery once noticed a woman standing outside a window looking in. Later when the camera operator and the sound technician were asked about the woman they responded, “what woman?” Sillery joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to tell stories from her books and public TV documentaries which includes "The Haunting of Louisiana," "The Haunting of Mississippi" and "The Haunting of Cape Cod and the Islands."

Oh yes, we will also hear Sillery’s picks of Louisiana’s most allegedly haunted places.

You’ve heard the expression “love that chicken!” Well, you might like this colorful  interview as well. Al Copeland Jr , the CEO and chairman of the Copeland foundation, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to tell stories from the new book, “Secrets of A Tastemaker: Al Copeland. The Cookbook. Recipes and Spicy Delicious Memories." His late dad founded the business best known as Popeyes, which is being honored this year on its 50th anniversary.

Oh yes, we will also hear about Copeland’s famous standoff with vampire author Anne Rice.

Allison Plyer is an expert on numbers – not the boring kind that we may have experienced in school, but the fascinating statistics that reveal information about our lives and futures, as well as trends in the state. Plyer, the chief demographer for The Data Center,  joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot for riveting revelations about people and places.

Oh yes, we will also hear about the chief causes of stress among Louisianians. One of them may surprise you.

Follow Plyer on Twitter @allisonplyer

Shrimp may be the most versatile of all seafoods. We crave the jumbo shrimp but small shrimp has a use in gumbo. We eat the crustacean fried, boiled, grilled or topped with a remoulade sauce. It is also an industry with its own unique issues and culture. Emma Lirette, author of the new book “Last Stand of the Louisiana Shrimpers,” joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss what ties shrimpers to their boats and nets.

Oh yes, we will also hear about the next generation of workers and will they stay on the bayou.