Louisiana Insider

No sports figure represent mores of an emotional tug of war than Steve Gleason. It was he that, on the glorious night in 2006 when the New Orleans Saints returned to the Superdome after being away for a season because of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina, blocked a punt in the first two minutes of the national televised game that gave the Saints a touchdown. They never looked back the entire game. Gleason’s now legendary big play is even immortalized in a statue outside the Dome. But Gleason’s story also represents one of life’s blocks since he contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), known commonly as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Times-Picayune reporter Jeff Duncan joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde along with Producer Kelly Massicot to talk about "A Life Impossible: Living with ALS: Finding Peace and Wisdom Within a Fragile Existence," the book he has co-authored with Gleason who now communicates through an eye-blink sensitive computer software system. Gleason’s story is one of heroism, including that of his wife Michel, and his family. Duncan weaves it all together beautifully. It is a story that must be told, read about and certainly, through the podcast, listened to.

 Ramon Vargas, a former reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and now an editor/reporter for the London-based publication The Guardian, has for several years been covering sex scandals mostly between adult educator authority figures and school age youth. Most of his work has centered around the Roman Catholic church in the New Orleans area but has wider implications. Recently, information released by the Louisiana State police who gained access to what has been private documents, has opened shocking revelations of new charges many made by alleged former victims. Vargas joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about what was learned from the affidavits including what church officials might have known but not revealed.

Don’t you hate it when three alligator brothers will not listen to each other when trying to find a safe place to build a home? The reason: Well, two of the brothers, Bumpy and Lumpy, ignore the other brother, Stumpy, who they think has a big mouth and who always reminds his siblings that he knows better. If you think Stumpy has problems, there is a story about Wilbur, the neighborhood sheep, who is ignored because his ideas are always very unsheep-like. Such is a day in the menagerie of Leslie (Hebert) Helakowski, a Lafayette native who divides her time in Michigan writing nationally-acclaimed children’s books – 15 so far. She joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with Producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the art of appealing to children through story telling. Will anyone ever listen to Lumpy? And does Wilbur have any credibility at all? These and other questions can be answered by getting to know Leslie and her books.

In 1984, New Orleans hosted the Louisiana World’s Exposition, known more simply as the world’s fair. Through the years the evaluations have been similar – the fair was financially challenging but the locals loved it. Peggy Scott Laborde, a producer for public TV station WYES, was at the time a co-host and producer for WDSU TV Ch. 6’s coverage from the fair. She has since done a documentary on the event, as well as a follow-up featuring some of the people involved with the event. She joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to recall the fair’s many great memories as well as the hardships. The interview also looks into the future and at the possible great legacies from the fair still ahead.

Secretive Men’s organizations –º such as the Free Masons, Elks, Odd Fellows and many more – did not originate just for the sake of privacy. In many cases they had a social purposes such as providing health and security benefits for themselves at a time when neither government nor private enterprise provided much of either. Some groups were also a source of business and social connections.

Jari Honora, an historian and genealogist who curated an exhibit for the Historic New Orleans Collection entitled Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss the organizations, which had a strong presence in New Orleans as well as globally.

In New Orleans and Mobile the structure of the groups even had an influence on Carnival krewes. The groups also left a strong architectural presence either through their lodges; office buildings and memorial sites. The interview offers a rare opportunity to peer inside the world of secrecy.

Louisiana’s longest running weekly news TV program celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. During that time topics have included the Katrina recovery; the David Duke vs. Edwin Edwards gubernatorial runoff; a World’s Fair; the ups and downs of the economy; crime and even the Saints magical season. Marcia Kavanaugh, the WYES TV show’s longtime host, joins Errol Laborde, the program’s producer as well as "Louisiana Insider" host and executive editor of Louisiana Life, to discuss 40 years of big stories as well as top newsmakers.

Words are for reading, but sometimes it is good to pause and have a word or two about words themselves: how they are used; where they have taken us. Louisiana Life magazine Editor Reine Dugas joins Louisiana Life’s Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss Southern literature and who have been some of the best practitioners. They also discuss the art of writing, as well as the future of the book industry and some of their own writing tips.

(They might have added a list of cliches that should be avoided “like the plague.”)

Just having survived in New Orleans as a poor French Jewish immigrant was a major accomplishment for young Leon Godchaux. But having lived a life in his adopted city where he eventually opened his own department store, mastered the use of the newly-invented sewing machine for better clothes quality and then to establish a major sugar refinery upriver from New Orleans – which would be a model or the rest of the sugar industry – was a life well lived.

Peter M. Wolf, the author of “Sugar King: Leon Godchaux: A New Orleans Legend; His Creole Slave and His Jewish Roots,” joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss the history of an amazing man who also secretly purchased a Creole slave in order to liberate him, and would later become a business partner.

Wolf also reveals what happened to the engine for Godchaux's train that was used to haul items throughout the refinery. Hint:  In was relocated to a major theme park.

Louisiana is a state full of images: the swamps, New Orleans, Mardi Gras, sunsets over the Gulf, shrimp boats, musicians and you can add a touch of Voodoo. Longtime curator for The Historic New Orleans Collection John Lawrence joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss the history of photography as presented in the collection’s must-have new publication, “Louisiana Lens.” The book is filled with fascinating images dating back from the early days of  “metal, paper and glass” photography to the present digital explosion. Lawrence also recalls some of his all-time favorite photographs.

Sally Asher is a historian, photographer and tour guide who specializes in the bawdy days of the early 20th century in New Orleans and the life and death of the Storyville bordello district.

Asher joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, to discuss how the city adapted to two major concerns of the times: prostitution and boozing. In both cases New Orleans has its own creative solutions.

As a photographer she also has fascinating stories to tell including the time when the Dali Lama met Dr. John and who was most impressed with whom.