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anthony: the thundering hooves of many horses. the sound of a thousand beer cans popping open. and music, always music. be afraid. be very afraid. no, really. woo! mardi gras. mardi gras! mardi gras! i took a walk through this beautiful world felt the cool rain on my shoulder found something good in this beautiful world i felt the rain getting colder sha la la la sha la la la sha la la la sha la la la la la [ engine revving ] anthony: there are parts of america that are special. unique, unlike anywhere else. cultures all their own, kept close. much loved but largely misunderstood. the vast patchwork of salt water marshes, bayous, and prairie land that make up cajun country is one of those places. while the rest of the usa got stitched together by super highways, southwestern louisiana remained relatively isolated. i-10 wasn t completed until the 1970s, finally connecting this part of the state to new orleans, houston, and the rest ....
Deals with the food and the music. and the catholic church is a big part of it too. dave lemelle: trail rides and horseback riding is just a way of louisiana now. you know it s been going on for so long. herman fusiler: the music was always part of it, but the music got to be more of it, and then slowly but surely became a party, where, you know, kind of this social scene. anthony: there s a lot of pieces coming together. you ve got food, horses, and music. trail rides go back a long way. they happen all year, but are also the way creoles celebrate mardi gras around here. kind of a moving tailgate party ....
Nothing else. dave: right. anthony: i m having lunch today with historian and radio dj herman fusiler, creole cowboy, dave lemelle, and musically inclined business owner, sid williams. the spot is laura s plate lunch ii. popular all the time, but particularly busy on sundays after church. rice and gravy, fried fish, ribs and smothered stuffed turkey wings, which i am all over like a heat-seeking missile. damn. that looks serious. sid: mhmm. dave lemelle: when you say louisiana, they think of cajun. cajun is a big part of louisiana, but creole is a big part of louisiana too, you know. anthony: it used to be native to louisiana. herman fusiler: yeah. anthony: that was the original meaning as i understand it. herman fusiler: it still has hundreds of definitions, but for us, it s descendants of slaves and free people of color, and it ....
And barbecue. interestingly, and i almost want to dig up john wayne just to tell him this, creoles are widely believed to be the first american cowboys. herding cattle in the plains and bayous of louisiana long before white dudes in ass-less chaps started showing up in the west. in fact, zydeco music was born out of cowboy culture. the rhythm of the washboard mimicking the trot of a horse on the trail. dave lemelle: we don t want to lose our culture we have here because this is a true thing that goes on every weekend. and i think the world needs to see it, you know. yeah, we are creole black guys riding horses, wearing cowboy hats, dancing to zydeco music. herman fusiler: playing the accordions. dave lemelle: playing accordion. at one time maybe it wasn t cool, but now if you being country, and trail riding, and ....
Herding cattle in the plains and bayous of louisiana long before white dudes in ass-less chaps started showing up in the west. in fact, zydeco music was born out of cowboy culture. the rhythm of the washboard mimicking the trot of a horse on the trail. dave lemelle: we don t want to lose our culture we have here because this is a true thing that goes on every weekend. and i think the world needs to see it, you know. yeah, we are creole black guys riding horses, wearing cowboy hats, dancing to zydeco music. herman fusiler: playing the accordions. dave lemelle: playing accordion. at one time maybe it wasn t cool, but now if you being country, and trail riding, and listening to zydeco music, you re cool. ....