SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Hoochie Coochie Ladies!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #9! TJ Fisher and Di adventures! Drinks and tea with TJ and Di! Start the day with the zany duo, and enjoy a rollicking behind-the-scenes French Quarter morning! Wake up with CNN’s anchorwoman Robin Meade, but come home with TJ and Di, and live their life! So absurd, absolutely fabulous, and slightly off kilter!
The retro-style short film begins with a montage of imagery — a colorful gay parade, the Natchez steamship, Jax Brewery, the Cabildo and St. Louis Cathedral — then the camera zooms in on zany TJ and Di breakfasting in TJ’s old-timey kitchen, in a historic Vieux Carré home on Bourbon Street. TJ’s two blonde-and-blond dogs, Colonel Dudley Boudreaux Waddlesworth and Madame Calliope de Bourbon, join the Belles of Bourbon for mealtime. A dose of local-local comedy, satire and renegade behavior!
After a wakeup-call breakfast at TJ’s haunted house, the two friends check out a French Quarter adult clothing store and happen upon Marilyn Monroe (bawdy local drag queen character and showgirl Princes Stephaney); Marilyn offers up titillating tidbits of advice, along with an outburst of vivacious singing and storytelling. Afterwards TJ plays with Baby Totie, the loudmouth squealing miniature pig, deep in the heart of one of the French Quarter’s famed secret gardens. Private. Exclusive. Surreal. Insider sneak peek at life in the Quarter. From there TJ and Di move on to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, the oldest bar in American, then they encounter a silver-painted street performer mime. Finally the double-trouble pair wind up in front of Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.
Jack Jones makes a cameo appearance in his boutique Alternatives.
Eccentric French Quarter author/Bourbon Street resident TJ Fisher and Boho-chic stylemaker Di Harris fit the mold for outrageous New Orleans characters. Both enjoy hare-brained escapades and loony-tunes humor.
See Sandcastle Queen TJ Fisher and her fiesty friend and comrade Lady Marigny Di Harris in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings: http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug.
Swamp Empress TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. TJ is the nationally acclaimed author of multiple New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction works. Award-wining designer/artist Di owns Zogwald’s, an eclectic French Quarter boutique, and her original pinup-girl artwork graces celebrity homes. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.)
Learn more about TJ at:
http://www.tjfisher.com
http://www.tjfisher.net
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! The intersection of fact and fiction! Louisiana has a legacy of many lifetimes of passionate, flamboyant and parading women, magnificent and meaningful larger-than-life personalities, women of many mindsets, passions, nationalities and exotic traditions. Leaving an indelible mark on the world are the ladies of New Orleans: femme fatales, noblewomen, glamour girls, baronesses, placées, literary lionesses, nuns, singers, Mardi Gras maids, jazz musicians, restaurateurs, Creole belles, artists, burlesque dancers, Voodoo priestesses, entertainers, women of letters, politicians, sculptors, beauty queens, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, gens de couleur, society matriarchs, painters, shopkeepers, Storyville seductresses….??
Their stories live on, their essence lingers, their threads remain, embedded deep within the fabric of New Orleans.
The three-centuries-old French is like nowhere else in the world. Beyond the clamor and fracas of the Quarter, ancient prayers of patron saints sprout like briars of damp growth, calling forth memories. People feel a draft and thoughts of old pierce the heart. History traipses through the mind. Delicious ambrosia seems nearby, just beyond the brambles and thistles. The Vieux Carré houses the sundown and scintillation of checkered characters and centuries faintly known, misting all around. History intrudes. Filigree twists of the rise and fall of man and memories remain seamed into the bricks.
The French Quarter exudes the undertones of a tragic quality that cannot be denied; yet the hypnotic effect is otherworldly beauty, stark and startling, pure and paramount. She is a city that stirs the senses and seduces the soul, for she tampers with a person’s inclinations and toys with the mind. In New Orleans, time passes differently.
——————————————————
HBO and David Simon’s lush new drama series Treme “gets” New Orleans; they definitely get it, do you? Do you get the resilient heart, soul, spirit and humor of the people and places of New Orleans…?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:5:14
SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Pink Caddy (3 of 3) Palm Beach Road Trip!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #18 posted! PART THREE OF A THREE-PART ROAD TRIP! TJ Fisher and Di Harris adventures! Mockumentary of disruptive misadventures! Madcap mad-hattresses! The zany Southern Belles of Bourbon Street roar through Palm Beach — in a big pink ’59 Cadillac convertible named Lulabell! Saturated with a look-at-me character and an irreverent attitude, TJ and Di relish theatrical hijinks, and juicy gossip grapevines. Eccentric provocateurs TJ and Di dare to be different, to stand out, to court controversy. In this series the unforgettable high-wattage duo descend upon the tony Town of Palm Beach like a cloudburst of electrified pink flamingoes, kitschy and embellished. Think…”I Love Lucy”…meets “The Golden Girls”…meets “Thelma and Louise”…meets “The Beales of Grey Gardens”…meets “Laverne and Shirley”…oh dear…watch out…
This third episode of a three-part series guest-stars the scene-stealers Robin Radar Beans and Alexandra Harrison, in cameo role appearances. The two actresses are real-life friends with VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! co-hosts TJ and Di.
Like vintage postcards poured from a jeweled decanter, at first the retro-style film focuses on a sneak-peek view into the colorful escapades of flamboyant Di, while spending holiday time in ritzy Palm Beach. Apparently, Di has attracted the attention of the media, the society news, gigolos, gossip columnists — and the police — due to her outrageous antics of driving Lulabell Aussie-style, on the opposite side of the road, and leaving her New Orleans “Di Harris” cooler, somewhere, along palm-tree-line swanky Worth Avenue. The dialogue indicates that New Orleanian Di has accumulated a variety of Palm Beach admirers, friends and foes, while visiting polo, Donald Trump’s Mar-a-lago, and a host of other posh soirees and galas, befriending those in high and low places. Repeatedly, Di assures her husband over the telephone that, no, the sun has not gone to her head. Part-time Palm Beach TJ sounds very worried about her friend’s headlines-making behavior. Shiny Sheets!
When it comes time to depart Palm Beach and head back to New Orleans, TJ and Robin are seen yelling at Di to hurry up and jump in the Caddy. It is not revealed what Di’s particular delay is, why she is slow-pokey about getting in the car and taking off. In previous episodes, Di has been forced to ride in Lulabell’s trunk on multiple occasions. Later on the clip, TJ and Robin discuss Di’s whereabouts (back in the trunk) with Alexandra, and the trio also discusses the impending road trip back to New Orleans, with Alexandra and Robin in tow. Di remains quiet, stashed in the trunk, hidden from prying eyes, i.e. perhaps the authorities or “powers to be.” Shush! Hush-hush! It’s a secret! The traveling rat pack of gal pals crisscross the bridge back over to Palm Beach, as ditzy Di has left the luggage and cooler behind…
And so, they drop the pedal and go…go…go…in TJ’s pink Cadillac…they keep rolling along. Feeling out of sight. Who knows how far a car can get before they think about slowing on down. The possy pals take off, spending all their money on a Saturday night. Temptations always come along. There’s always somebody tempting somebody into doing something they know is wrong. But there they go — TJ, Di, Robin and Alexandra — rolling along, oozing down the street.
Finally, TJ drops Di off back off at the steps of her Faubourg Marigny “sugar shack” cottage, where the whirlwind journey began. The two argue about the return Palm Beach road trip, and how they busted Di’s Grandma Amy out of the nursing home, to bring her back to New Orleans with them. Silk stockings, arsenic and old lace!
Swamp Empress TJ Fisher and Peacock Princess Di Harris are known for their passion and soap-operish comedy. Bourbon Street resident TJ is the nationally acclaimed author of multiple New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction works. Award-wining designer/artist Di owns Zogwald’s, an eclectic French Quarter boutique, and she is the originator of the trademark Oonkas Boonkas style.
Always at the cornerstone of eccentric behavior, TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.) The colorfully outspoken and idiosyncratic friends can be seen in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug
Read more about TJ at:
?http://www.tjfisher.com
?http://www.tjfisher.net
The famed “social season” barrier Island of Palm Beach is the uppercruster home of millionaire moguls, polo patrons, privileged people, socialites, debutantes, ambassadors, Forbes 400 CEOs, Old guard Wasps, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Buffet, Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump, etcetera.
——————————————————
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:8:52
SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Bourbon Street Aquatics!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #4 posted! TJ Fisher and Di Harris adventures! Formal silver-gloved swimming with clothes on! It’s Saturday afternoon live! In the French Quarter! Campy Esther Williams style swim meet! Divinely outlandish and out-of-sync twin Lollipop Ladies TJ and Di illustrate the fine art and peril of how to jump into a French Quarter pool — free form swim, frolic, dive and bob around in the water — while fully clothed! Dressed up in Harlequin Hooligan Queen attire costuming.
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! provocateurs TJ Fisher and Di Harris reveal the insider secrets of what prying eyes want to see, private sunbathing hidden behind the Quarter’s tall walls, thick vegetation and brick gates. Splish, splash, sploosh amid the secret gardens of the Vieux Carré! Sensational soaking wet mermaid women in wet clothes. Wetlook. Mascot Big Boy quietly looks on, and grins, watching the pool antics, while his two elephant pals stand sentry guard.
In this vintage-style film clip, absolutely fabulous TJ, Di cool off from the New Orleans humid heat, and entertain themselves, in the dramatic style of formally-clad swashbuckling bayou ladies, banned from country club admittance.
Madcap French Quarter author/Bourbon Street resident TJ Fisher and Bohemian-chichi tastemaker Di Harris fit the mold for New Orleans characters.
TJ and Di are known to share a raucous sense of black humor. TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. TJ is the nationally acclaimed author of multiple New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction works. Award-wining designer/artist Di owns Zogwald’s, a trendy French Quarter boutique, and her original pinup-girl artwork adores celebrity homes. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.)
See the Belle of Bourbon TJ Fisher and her glamorous friend and compatriot Peacock Princess Di Harris in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings: http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug.
Learn more about TJ at:
http://www.tjfisher.com
http://www.tjfisher.net
From the heart of a storied city brimming with romance and corrosion, sophistication and tawdriness, TJ’s swimming pool was filmed at her Bourbon Street residence, a historic 1850s French Quarter property — known to be a haunted house with documented paranormal activity. The 150-year-old Vieux Carré structure, a balconied building with a long and colorful history, is situated on the same block as Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop.
——————————————————
HBO and David Simon’s lush new drama series Treme “gets” New Orleans; they definitely get it, do you? Do you get the resilient heart, soul, spirit and humor of the people and places of New Orleans…?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:1:35
SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Pink Caddy (2 of 3) Palm Beach Road Trip!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #17 posted! PART TWO OF A THREE-PART ROAD TRIP! TJ Fisher and Di Harris adventures! Absolutely fabulous mini sitcom! The loopy ladies of New Orleans stir up a trouble in swanky Palm Beach! On a whirlwind weekend! Pink ’59 Cadillac convertible! Hello, Di, riding in the back, with TJ at the wheel, oozing down the street! Feeling out of sight! The outrageous Hoo-hah Queens are ready to terrorize white tails and tiara balls!
Flamboyant raconteurs in a big pink pumpkin car…the two offbeat Grande Dames hit their stride…cut a swath a mile wide…and leave a trail of arched eyebrows in their wake! Whirlwind! Double jeopardy! Whoo-hoo! TJ and Di bring a breath of fresh air and the classic “New Orleans state of mind” to South Florida’s diamond-studded sandbar. It is a perfect, pristine paradise town, sedate and tranquil. Dodging a slew of island police cars as they race along their merry way, the uptown/downtown provocateurs gallivant from one uproarious escapade to another. Come ride along! Hijinks! Dust-ups and mash-ups! They know how to have a party in their pink Cadillac! Pushing the envelope, TJ and Di crash the boundaries of appropriate Palm Beacher socialite behavior and stuffy, staid social protocol.
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! At the beginning of the vintage-style film clip, TJ says she’s going on a Palm Beach shopping safari. She wheels and back-back maneuvers Lulabell out of her gated driveway. Slow, slow, slowly. Inch by inch. Booble-head dogs Dudley and Calliope gaze out from the backseat. Di, adorned in a bath towel and madhattress bonnet assures her New Orleans husband “Don’t worry.” She also claims “Everything is fine.” Hmmm…. according to the documented history of these two scandalous media magnets and well-known pranksters…that statement is very doubtful, at best… Next the illustrious, infamous and larger-than-life TJ, adored in a glittery evening hat and colorful boa, zooms Lulabell up and down tranquil seaside streets, careening around the corners, as coconut palm fronds sway gently overhead. Di lays low in the backseat. Cop cars. Everywhere. Lookout! Eyes peeled. Hold the presses!
Afterwards, TJ swings Lulabell down the ultimate destination, famed Worth Avenue. TJ eases her pink Caddy into a parallel parking slot, then she hops out for bit of afternoon shopping, clad in her evening gown. Old World Palm Beach of yesterday had an array of headlines-making colorful denizens and island eccentrics (including Addison Mizner) which TJ seems to channel, like a blast from past. The Gilded Age meets the 50s! All-original Victorianurbanite! TJ carries a New Orleans-emblazoned cloth tote bag, with her French Quarter essentials, a boa, mask, Corona Light, bottle opening and voodoo doll. Again, Di is seen in bath towel and wild “tea party” headpiece, this time with a glass in hand, as she attempts to sooth and calm her worried husband about what kind of shenanigans the two might be up to.
TJ heads up legendary beach route ALA, driving along the Atlantic Ocean, then, with Di in tow, she whips around Sloane’s curve and drives Di straight up into the driveway of Donald Trump’s celebrated Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago Club (once owned by Majorie Merriweather Post). There she gives Di the inside scoop and an earful about Melania Trump’s newest QVC ventures, with faux diamond jewelry. The Who Dat Nation takes Palm Beach clip ends with TJ climbing out of Lulabell’s trunk, claiming diamonds and pink Cadillacs are a girl’s best friend.
Firebrand French Quarter author/Bourbon Street resident TJ Fisher and whimsical fashionista/artist Di Harris make a memorable mark as absolutely fabulously outrageous New Orleans notables. Capricious and colorful, Tj and Di are the queens of comedic storytelling, prone to unrestrained bursts of political and societal incorrectness, mimicry and out-of-the-ordinary escapades.
Merrymakers and troublemakers TJ and Di have a reputation for a chameleon-like style, that plus an innate flair for high-stepping hijinks, antiquities of time, daredevil humor and thespian misadventures. TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. TJ is a bestseller author of diverse works of New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction. Di is a prize-winning designer and artist, and the proprietor of where the stars shop, Zogwald’s of the French Quarter, an ever popular and trendy international boutique. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.)
See outrageous Sandcastle Queen TJ Fisher and her idiosyncratic friend and partner in shenanigans Lady Marigny Di Harris in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings: http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug
See more about TJ at:
http://www.tjfisher.com
http://www.tjfisher.net
——————————————————
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:6:38
SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Quiz Naughty Marilyn Monroe & Dinkie!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #14! TJ Fisher and Di Harris adventures! Mature adult humor — drag queen style. See the fun-loving ladies of comedy investigate the secret side of New Orleans, capturing the pulse of their humid city and offbeat friends on vintage film, with hilarious outré style! Hijinks! Shenanigans! Meet absolutely fabulous French Quarterites TJ and Di — and their suitably eccentric and outrageous neighbors! Kooky and entertaining soap queen people! Some with a proclivity for racy humor and off-color jokes! New Orleans is a town of decadence and elegance, sinners and saints.
First the pair of provocateurs/storytellers get a ribald Marilyn Monroe to talk on camera, while standing outside Bourbon Street’s Café Lafitte in Exile. Lafitte’s is the oldest gay bar in the United States. During his years in New Orleans, Tennessee Williams used to frequent Lafitte’s. The famed 24/7 Clover Grill sits across the street, at the intersection of Bourbon and Dumain. Risqué Marilyn Monroe is actually local female impersonator, celebrity bartender, showgirl and comedy entertainer Princes Stephaney. Next Di cuddles and confers with two-day-old baby goat Dinkie, while seated on the living-room sofa of TJ’s storied French Quarter home. The heavily photographed 19th century residence has a long and colorful history, and was built by a free woman of color. The building is noted to be haunted. The clip closes with TJ leading the Steamship Natchez calliope music, along the Mississippi riverfront.
French Quarterites have embraced for three hundred years — an unvarnished carousel of life at once capricious, cruel, kind, entertaining, murky, dreamlike, dangerous, mysterious, mad, mocking, contradictory, absurd, otherworldly, farcical and allegorical. New Orleans is a sardonic city intended for anyone with a yen to be a saint, sinner, survivor, winner, loser, pathbreaker, tastemaker, rebel, renegade, maverick, rogue, rabble-rouser, nonconformist, malcontent, misfit, visionary, hero, coward, pirate, prophet or philosopher — that is, for those who seek to explore and fan the flames, the ecstasy and agony of the human existence. No prerequisite experience is required to jump down the rabbit hole of Louisiana soil. To get bitten by the Creole and Cajun fever. Bad-bad!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! co-hosts TJ and Di are known for their zany humor and trademark style — their imaginative and sharp wit, festive drama and theatrics. TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. TJ is the award-winning author of multiple works of New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction. Accolade-winning designer Di is the proprietor of where the stars shop, Zogwald’s of the French Quarter, an ever popular and famed international boutique. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.)
See the irrepressible Belle of Bourbon TJ Fisher and her fanciful pal and crony in hijinks Peacock Princess Di Harris create a sensation in additional YouTube postings: ?http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug
See more about TJ at:
?http://www.tjfisher.com
?http://www.tjfisher.net
Beyond the faded walls and day-to-day struggles, New Orleanians strive to live and savor life, to mark the celebration of triumph over adversity. Taboos are few. Mirth and merriment prevail, trumping sadness. Hardships are many. Corruption and debauchery, grace and elegance meld. Rejoicing takes hold alongside mourning. Something intensely powerful persists in a crumbling city with a battered and bruised soul. The local French Quarterite can be outrageous and eccentric, a total over-the-top character yet totally clandestine, hidden in the murk and shadows beneath the cloak of anonymity. Most find this unfettered, rebellious attitude uniquely enticing and attractive, provocative and seductive, dangerous and intoxicating, inspiring and primal, impious and uncanny, cloistered and oxymoronic.
The French Quarter plays host to a glittering LGBTQ community of locals and visitors; the city is home to many famed drag queens and colorful performers.
——————————————————
HBO and David Simon’s lush new drama series Treme “gets” New Orleans; they definitely get it, do you? Do you get the resilient heart, soul, spirit and humor of the people and places of New Orleans…?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:1:39
SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Pink Caddy Palm Beach Road Trip! (1 of 3)
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! episode #16! TJ Fisher and Di Harris adventures! The whacky glamorpusses strikeout for hoity-toity-ville — Palm Beach! Florida! Vintage movie-star style! In a big pink ’59 Cadillac convertible named Lulabell! Ridiculously entertaining! Shamelessly eccentric! Holiday shenanigans! Part one of a three-part Palm Beach road trip! This is a New Orleans and Palm Beach parody! Mockumentary!
First TJ goes to pick up her friend and compatriot Di, so they can hit the road! Arriving at Di’s historic New Orleans residence, a Faubourg Marigny “sugar shack” shotgun cottage — TJ sees the front steps stacked mile high with an overage of Louis Vuitton valet suitcases, a dog cloaked in a pink boa and a fine-feathered pink flamingo. The two argue about how much Di can possibly stuff into the old Caddy, for the weekend whirlwind getaway.
More than 800 miles later, the bodacious duo zoom across the bridge and Intracoastal Waterway, arriving over into their destination — “the other side” — the swanky and perfect chic-chic island Town of Palm Beach, Florida. TJ unloads her critters Madame Calliope de Bourbon and Colonel Dudley Boudreaux Waddlesworth, greets her grumpy family, then explains that her pal Di was demoted en-route to riding in the trunk. Later in the retro-style film clip, TJ gives Di a quick tour bird’s-eye view of swanky oceanfront Palm Beach, as they cruise South Florida’s scenic beachfront route AiA, whizzing past the Atlantic Ocean and super mansions, eyeballing the lifestyles of the rich and famous! Champagne wishes and caviar dreams! Lords and ladies of the manor! Old World high muckety-mucks and scandal mavens! Snobby socialites and high-rolling millionaires! Oodles of fame, fortune and misfortune! Exposé!
Soaking up Palm Beach bootcamp, TJ takes an ocean dip and frolics in the sand, while fully dressed and donning a straw hat. Bizarre extravaganza! A very untraditional look at whippy-cream paradise! Later TJ accosts Di — who is seen talking on the phone and cuddling with Madame Calliope — yelling at her about her choice of flamboyant attire and sparkly blue shoes, for cruising internationally famed Worth Avenue. Anti-couture! Mascara and madness! The clip ends with TJ attempting to back-back her giant pink elephantine car out of the driveway, without crashing to a gated wall. STOP!
Part-time Palm Beacher TJ says that the opinion of the world is that people who reside in the idyllic Eden of Palm Beach live in huge estates on oversized lots with views of swaying palms, the Atlantic Ocean and open waterways; they cavort amid colorful tropical gardens, coquina-covered patios and tennis courts hemmed by high hedges, perfectly trimmed and manicured; estate managers manage the uniformed maids… But then provocateurs TJ and Di hit town, sending tongues a wagging and setting so-called “high society” on its ear! Ooh-la-la!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! soap-opera queens and provocateurs TJ Fisher and Di Harris are adept at raising eyebrows. French Quarter author/Bourbon Street resident TJ Fisher and hipster Di Harris are typically eccentric and flamboyant New Orleans characters. High-spirited and wayward mischeif-makers, who refuse to fit the mold.
Vieux Carré Chic TJ and Di relish plenty of dark humor mixed in with their outlandish hijinks, dry wit and drama-queen style. TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. TJ is the prize-winning voice and author of numerous New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction works. Di is the proprietor of where the international set shop in the French Quarter, Zogwald’s, a style-setter boutique. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.)
See kicky-cool Swamp Empress TJ Fisher and her festive cohort and conspirator in evoking a stir Marigny Princess Di Harris in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings: ?
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug
Read more about TJ at:
?http://www.tjfisher.com
?http://www.tjfisher.net
Sassy and saucy TJ and Di — who do not adhere to conventional wisdom and/or rules of normal social protocol and polite society mores — practice, preach and profess the principle of “Be a New Orleanian wherever you are!” The comedic twosome share a “never-a-dull-moment” sense of daring and outspokenness. These two passionate, funny, gutsy and gilded gals of New Orleans tend to champion the underdogs and dark horses of fate, while poking fun at life’s satirical side; pre- and post-Katrina they remain familiar with the fast track, slow track, and no track at all. Watch out! They live life out loud, and topsy-turvy.
——————————————————
HBO and David Simon’s lush new drama series Treme “gets” New Orleans; they definitely get it, do you? Do you get the resilient heart, soul, spirit and humor of the people and places of New Orleans…?
Duration : 0:5:17
SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Clover Grill Housewife Tales!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #11! TJ Fisher and Di Harris adventures! More slice-of-life dispatches from life in the French Quarter! TJ and Di slurp Bourbon Street milkshakes, gobble French fries and dish gossip-girl style, with the gang at the Clover Grill. The close-knit restaurant is a popular 24/7 French Quarter diner, an old-fashioned eatery for locals, tourists, performers, revelers and drag queens. The perfect “flash back to the past” gritty grill for people watching. The lively waiters are known to shimmy-shake and dance in the aisles — while serving hubcap burgers — to the blaring beat of nonstop jukebox tunes.
Next, TJ cuddles up to a pair of wee baby bunnies, while chatting with local Bourbon Street characters, original humid housewives of the Vieux Carré Scott Lloyd and Jim Farrell of Treme. For a photo-op with their brigade of French Quarter farm animals, most nights Scott and Jim can be found socializing at the corner of Bourbon and Dumain streets in front of Café Lafittes in Exile, with miniature horses in tow. Sometimes their pig and goat join in on the family evening outing. Café Lafitte is a favorite meeting place, offering live entertainment, the oldest gay bar in the United States.
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! mischief-makers TJ and Di fit the mold for New Orleans characters. The two enjoy opening up their world and revealing the whacky side of New Orleans, all that is unique to the city and untethered to convention.
Later in the film clip, Di rides astride a rolling clothing cart, while getting pushed through the historic Farmers Market by merchant Salomon. The Market dates back to 1791. She ends up dancing to planter near the Gazebo Restaurant, motioning to others to join her, rock n’ rolling to the music of a live band.
Madcap French Quarter author/Bourbon Street resident TJ Fisher and Bohemian-chichi tastemaker Di Harris TJ and Di are known to share a raucous sense of black humor. TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. TJ is the award-winning author of multiple New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction works. Acclaimed designer/artist Di is the proprietor of Zogwald’s, a French Quarter boutique with a star-studded clientele. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.)
See the Belle of Bourbon TJ Fisher and her glamorous friend and compatriot Peacock Princess Di Harris in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug. ?
Learn more about TJ at:
?http://www.tjfisher.com
?http://www.tjfisher.net
New Orleans is a town like none other, a magical place filled with whimsical and firebrand people who relish a never-a-dull- moment sense of daring and commitment. French Quarterites are long recognized as impetuous, idealistic romanticists with a curious proclivity for surreal drama. New Orleanians are notoriously unafraid of lending fodder for gossip.
—————————————————–
HBO and David Simon’s lush new drama series Treme “gets” New Orleans; they definitely get it, do you? Do you get the resilient heart, soul, spirit and humor of the people and places of New Orleans…?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:3:17
SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di w/Miss Marion Colbert of Tremé!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #2! TJ Fisher and Di Harris adventures! Miss Marion demonstrates her New Orleanian attitude and bounce-back approach to life to TJ and Di: Shake the devil off your back! The secret wisdom for proper second-lining, survival, happiness in the moment and longevity. Miss Marion is a lifelong parishioner of St. Augustine Catholic Church, the oldest African-American Catholic parish in the country, the cornerstone of the city’s jazz music and second-line parade traditions. Miss Marion’s church has historical connections to nearby Congo Square.
At age 82, Creole lady Miss Marion remains the spirited queen of Jazz Funeral second lining, rejoicing and dancing back from the grave. Her effervescent spirit and magic were captured on film Easter Sunday — during her regular work day, with a little dancing weaved in amid her normal-routine duties and responsibilities.This clip was filmed onsite in the ladies’ restroom of the elegant and famed French Quarter Brennan’s Restaurant. (Audible toilets flush in the background.) Miss Marion has served as the establishment’s beloved washroom attendant for four decades, and she walks to work from her historical Tremé neighborhood.
Miss Marion is a living example of New Orleans ability to recover post-disaster, to triumph over sorrow, through a belief in, and a living testament, to the power of faith, hope, prayer, worship, music, dance, courage, collective memory, history, cultural identify, local customs and religious heritage.
Miss Marion says, “What’s life? Life is what you make it. A smile goes a long way.”
Miss Marion poignantly and proudly reveals her wisdom — the counsel of Father Jerome LeDoux, a beloved Afro-American priest — in post-Katrina New Orleans. During storm, Miss Marion lost her home and stayed with the masses at the New Orleans Saints Louisiana Superdome; post-Katrina her beloved grandsons Damon Brooks, 16, and Ivan Brooks, 17, were murdered in 2007 the 9th Ward. Her story was profiled in The New Yorker (New Orleans Journal) and elsewhere.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/neworleansjournal/2007/02/
http://blog.nola.com/tpcrimearchive/2007/03/a_communitys_loss.html.
Despite breathtaking losses, Miss Marion perseveres and enjoys life, with a smile, joy and celebration, as she continues to take her own advice.
Miss Marion played herself in the Peter Entell documentary, Shake the Devil Off.
http://jsr.fsu.edu/Katrina/Johnson.htm
Miss Marion dances on video with VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) mischief-making provocateurs TJ Fisher and Di Harris!
Quirky French Quarter author/Bourbon Street resident TJ Fisher and style maven/artist Di Harris carve a unique niché among New Orleans eccentric notables and flamboyant characters. TJ previous dedicated an original New Orleans-based 2008 nonfiction book to Miss Marion.
TJ and Di are known for their offbeat sense of satire and signature panache — adventuresome hijinks, biting wit, high-octane passion and theatrical style. TJ drives a ’59 pink Caddy convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. TJ is the accolade-winning author of multiple works of New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction. Award-winning designer Di is the proprietor of where the stars shop, Zogwald’s of the French Quarter, an ever popular and famed international boutique. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.)
See outrageous Sandcastle Queen TJ Fisher and her idiosyncratic friend and partner in shenanigans Lady Marigny Di Harris in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings: http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug.
See more about TJ at:
http://www.tjfisher.com
http://www.tjfisher.net
The vintage-style clip of Miss Marion (an afternoon in the life of TJ and Di, and their intriguingly surreal real world) ends with unforgettable imagery of Miss Marion in motion. Miss Marion regularly doles out her inspirational secrets of life and pearls of wisdom to, and is beloved by, an endless parade of superstars, luminaries, VIPs, ladies of society, the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy, common folks.
The duality of New Orleans and French Quarter life seems extreme. Here the unlikely happens frequently; ironic situations and chance meetings are an everyday occurrence. In New Orleans, history is not merely something observed from afar by leafing through the pages of textbooks. The rich cultural heritage of the city’s forebears still shapes, pervades and surrounds daily life. Here the band plays on, and life goes on. Joie de vivre.
——————————————————
HBO and David Simon’s lush new drama series Treme “gets” New Orleans, they definitely get it, do you? Do you get the resilient heart, soul, spirit and humor of the people and places of New Orleans…?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:2:14
