| Interview Poems |
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colors in the waters filling the city were: rose violet green with oil, rainbow... ...the city that care forgot... (popular description of new orleans)
colors in the waters filling the city were: rose violet green with oil, rainbow rainbow brown black obsidian raven shadow the angel for whom all color is spectrum not white parted the waters and walked through touched the two in their attic, filling, who opened the window to the waters swimming to glory as a boat bobbed by touched the two on their porch who walked on debris just under the water’s surface to dry land and their car, the tank filled on storm’s eve touched the woman leaving everything striking as if punching the vile sea with her grief and guilt equal at last her arms floating out as if she belly- flopped off the roof, and she rocking the child floating inside her the people the hurricane over- took were part and parcel of the “the city that care forgot” that care at last remembered. the city that could not change changed Kid Merv 1 Saturday before the hurricane my girlfriend went into labor. Everybody’s leaving town and we’re going uptown to Touro. My son was born
at 2:13 am Sunday morning
and I was, Wow!
I went through years of music—Sunshine of my Life, James Brown, Bob Marley, some jazz, It’s a Wonderful World, some Brass Band, Curtis Mayfield—
Monday the hurricane shattered windows.so they were the first songs
that he heard.
It’s always said here, Hey, if you’re stuck in New Orleans, go to a hospital or St. Joe’s “the bricks,” which are
Anything else that’s left—the Projects, which they’re
taking down, the strong stuff.
this is my opinion—it’s going to go. It won’t have a strong foundation. Any disaster in the world you should have cash on you.
We could not buy a $2 meal. I said, We didn’t have no cash.
We were there to have a baby.
I’ll write you a check for $20 for food, and they said, No. You could be a millionaire, you’re stuck in a disaster you can’t do nothing.
You can’t call someone.
You can’t log onto a computer.
The world has crashed. The doctor who had our son— I forget her name but her website is Push for me, baby—she was cool. Here’s $100 so y’all can eat.
Everyone said, I’m sorry. Word got out I was Kid Merv
jazz trumpet player and da da da da da.
And I said, Don’t sweat it. You just doing what you got to do. Monday night, we went for a walk and could hear water everywhere—
and did not know what was happening. shshshshshshshshshshshshshsh—
but we could not see it
People called in to the Mayor on the radio, saying, I’m on City Park Avenue sitting on my porch. No power, it’s cool. I got my barbeque.
Is the levees…is the pumps on? We have survived the storm.
Why is there water up to my steps?
The pumps are working, sir. By 8:30 the same guy called back, Why’s the water still rising? Mayor Nagin was stalling,
as if we were all on Survivor. knowing he had a whole set
of people to move out,
If it been Nebraska or Idaho, everybody would have been rescued, given thousands of dollars. This is the land of the free. 2 Next day—oo Lordy, it was hot— the water reached us. We had about 5 minutes to evacuate. A nurse stared at me, You Kid Merv? You played at my friend’s bachelor party. I knew I knew you. She took us to Baton Rouge. We crossed the bridge, first thing she gets a flat. I go outside,
put my hands on the lugs,
and they’re hot hot hot.
changing a white woman’s tire, looked to them like a scam or something. Racial profiling. They go straight to the women, Everything all right? I said, Look, that’s my baby in the car, my baby’s mother, and the nurse that was taking care of my baby. Oh, they said, you all
I need some help with this tire!all right? I said, No,
we are not all right.
Well you got to na na na na na yourself. I was pissed. But I can trip. I wanted to get my son safe. Thanks to Delta, we got bumped up to first. The stewardess says, If you don’t want that baby, I’ll take him. I don’t think so. Everyone toasted with us, champagning and everything. We arrived 8 p.m. that night in Phoenix—Katy’s sister lives here— and it was like a movie
starring Us. We were in
Green Pastures. It was
beautiful. This guy heard me at Chances Are and asked, May I help you? I said, I need a horn and some gigs. So by Monday he bought me a horn. The church I went to, Valley Presbyterian, helped us with a nice little apartment, a car. And that was it.
I was more concerned with Katy’s We were here.
I left everything behind.
healing process than my career, like going back to New Orleans and getting with musicians and start working. I wanted to be right here with her, for her. I think I was very thoughtful. But we were going through
a change. A year today
we’re not together.
3 It’s been rough. I was the type a guy who’d have two gigs on Thursday, three on Friday, five on Saturday. Now I have a 12 month lease and no gigs. Last winter, I got sick from my son, slept for 3 weeks. Food stamps, lights, cell phone cut off, Scared the shit out of me.
We’ve all been through it.But you know what?
I’m all right. I can survive.
I have a cd to put out with Mr. Ellis Marsalis on piano. It was a dream come true. I called him up, asked if he would help me, and he said, Sure. What more can I ask for? Lord a mercy. I’m singing with top of the line guys. The A team. But it’s a Monopoly thing right now,
I lost my pal here this year, Frederick Shepp. Do not go past Go.
Do not collect $200.
He was a big brother to me, kept my sanity. I went to New Orleans for 6 months to help my mother. He said, Man, don’t you ever leave me again. I said, I’m not going to leave you, I promise, it’s me and you,
I come up through the old tradition.kid. I thought, Man, that’s
a switch. I was the Kid.
Never had any formal training. Started on the horn at 11, youngest member of the brass band at 13. That’s the way we did it. Last time I saw Shepp, he was singing, Do do dee dee da do do do. And I asked, What’s the name of that song? Amigo, do dee dee da do do do.
What’s the name of the song?
Amigo. That means, great friend.
Do do dee dee da do do do.We going to record that song, take New Orleans by storm. Shepp, you sound weird. You ok? Aw, I’m fine. I’m just going to hibernate and relax awhile. He’d said, Don’t leave me, but he left me. I’m writing a song for my son, Hector, named for my father, a Jamaican seaman, died when I was 11. Never heard me play.
I’m calling the song,
Has Anyone Seen Hector? |
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