A musician friend stopped by the office yesterday to drop off an album for review, and, as usual, we started talking about New Orleans, and all the changes it’s going through.
His Mid-City house has flooded twice in the past year or so, and the stress of repairing his property, as well as the anxiety of it possibly (probably) happening again, is beginning to wear on him.
I think most New Orleanians have that little cloud of anxiety hanging over them because we all know that our weather (and climate change), and the way the city is set up to deal with it, is changing rapidly. There a lot more residents who no longer can say things like “it never floods at my house”—because it does, and it will in the future, as we continue to experience quick, heavy, monsoon-like rains, which do seem to have become the new normal. New Orleans isn’t set up to handle on onslaught of rain with location below sea level and a woefully inadequate drainage system. Plus, the city is sinking, and our wetlands are shrinking in an ever-increasing, alarming rate. It is inevitable that some time mid-century, New Orleans is most probably going to become a promontory ending at the Gulf of Mexico.
But residents of the city don’t seem to be too concerned about it: that, to me, is the typical New Orleans “live for today” mentality. We complain when our houses and cars flood after a disastrous rain—not even a hurricane or a storm surge—but your average Joe isn’t protesting in the street demanding that our pumps be replaced (with a willingness to pay for replacements) or that the Federal government create a serious flood protection (à la the Netherlands) along the Gulf Coast.
We’re so in denial.
So what does this have to do with music?
I think that most of the residents of this city are in denial when it comes to protecting and nourishing our musical heritage. Yes, they give lip service to “loving local music,” and they might go to the Jazz Fest or French Quarter Fest once a year, but I will guarantee you that the vast majority of the people who live in the metro area have no idea why or how music is an integral part of their identity as New Orleanians, and how our music connects us to the rest of the world in a deep, complex way. This is sad, but true.
If I had my way, every single school—elementary, middle school, high school, even college—would have to offer and teach at least one course in New Orleans and Louisiana music and its history and culture. If economic development agencies want to create jobs, think about finding a way to teach music and music history to our kids. Denial would be abolished and replaced by enthusiasm and true appreciation. And our kids would be much better educated. That’s a fact.
The post Mojo Mouth, September 2019: In Denial appeared first on OffBeat Magazine.
