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© 2025 Obligations at the Lounge
Description
A podcast from New Orleans about the current events, history, and tall-tales surrounding infamous BJ's Lounge and its Ninth Ward neighborhood.
40 Episodes
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Singer/Songwriter, BJ's Bartender and Bestie Sabine McCalla stops by the King Room to tell Scully and Howie about her new single that just dropped on Garhole Records and the upcoming full album release. She shares stories of growing up with Haitian activist parents, living in Africa for two years as a child, attending a service oriented university in North Carolina, having hidden fiddle and photography skills, and how she came to make New Orleans home. Super group surf rock band ...
Rick stops by the King Room to talk to Howie and Scully about growing up in Onion Town, Hanging in Athens, GA during its heyday, being saved from certain death by the late Paris Nesbit who also wrote a song about Rick (featured mid-interview), being forced by the law man to take an alias and hide out in 9th ward in the 90's, regaining his sense of smell on Decatur Street around the same time he met the Morning 40's, how the Old New Orleans Rum distillery became the Morning 40 prac...
Queen of Krewe of Dreux (and basically the universe), Nancy Montoya pops into the King Room to talk to Howie and Scully about how much she loves the Lounge. She shares how the late Gilbert Lopez introduced her to BJ's almost 30 years ago and how it remains dear to her heart. She tells of being a part of helping Carlos and Dewann re-open BJ's after Katrina and how the photo of her in a boy scout uniform in front of a tank with national guard soldiers came to be. She discusses...
Robin walks a block and a half from his house to join Howie and Scully in the King Room for a chat about our beloved neighborhood. He tells how he came to New Orleans looking for inspiration many years ago and how he continues to find it; he explains what its like to play multiple instruments in several different bands including washboard with Tuba Skinny (BJ's regulars), drums with James McClaskey (BJ's every Sunday), and violin and mandolin with his own Italian band The Gloworm ...
The Boudin Man joins Howie and Scully in the King Room to discuss DJ'ing on WWOZ, restarting his father's old record label, and the importance of giving Ninth Ward musicians their due. He tell us how as a child he spent many nights recording bands with father for Houma Records. (His mother send the kids to keep pops from being a "rascal." ) He shares how he fell in love with radio at a young age and how it taught him that money ain't everything. He tells of his love and admiration...
A tuxedoed "Mayor" Starkman joins Howie and Scully in the King Room for a discussion about the campaign. Yes It is real; he will be on the ballot! He shares several of his policy proposals including elimination of liability for all corporations, encouragement of bribery, expansion of bureaucracy (it creates jobs!), and a promise that on day one he will send all Louisiana bound hurricanes to Florida. He celebrates current Mayor Cantrell saying, "She flew so I could run!" Find out m...
Legislative Chair of the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Meg Garvey joins Howie and Scully to explain why all Louisiana voters should say NO!!! to the four amendments on the March 29 ballot. Hint: They are all a means by which Jeff Landry can further consolidate his power in an effort to turn Louisiana into a modern feudal state.
Fran joins Howie and Scully in the King Room to discuss how drinking a High Life at BJ's Lounge can help restore the wetlands. She shares how she once feared the "boogey man" of coastal erosion while growing up in south Louisiana. But she channeled that into action and by college she and a couple friends decided to fight back by developing their own nonprofit glass recycling company which is now producing millions of pounds of sand per year. She explains how climate change apathy may be...
Elliot and Kate join Howie and Scully in the King Room to discuss the fight to stop the activation of the long dormant Alabo Wharf and its connecting rail lines in the lower Ninth Ward. They explain how Sunrise Foods International (Qatar, Turkey, Canada) and Port of Orleans are fast tracking a plan that has been in the works for over a year but was only made public in September. If the plan goes forward, they say, the historic neighborhood of Holy Cross will potentially suffer fro...
Pierre Sings Howie, Scully, and Jennifer a Christmas dittyy; the gang sings "Twelve Bywater Days of Christmas" and Scully and Alex Pianovich sing Scully's original tune, "Forgive me Santa." BJ's wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!!!
Sam and Jeff Join Howie and Scully in the King Room to discuss the fight against the canal expansion project that will have devastating effects on the thousands of people living in it's vicinity (including us at BJ's Lounge). They discuss the history of the canal and the current proposed expansion that was approved in 1956, but is now on the verge of becoming a reality. From the toxic effects it will have on the community's environment to increased flooding vulnerability to the co...
Jennifer pops into the King Room to let us know the details about the upcoming community Friendsgiving!!!
Brian joins Howie and Scully in the King Room to the discuss the beauty of the public bathroom. His book of photography "Occupied" (published by New Heroes and Pioneers Press) captures the unique and unexpectedly compelling images of dive bar toilets including that of BJ's, J&J's, Ms. Mae's and Poor Boy's. He discusses how he came up with idea, how his editor's mother hated the idea but how they collaborated to create something appreciated by both the dive bar lowlife and hig...
Alton and Chaya come to the King Room to drop some baker's knowledge. They discuss the impact of Whole Foods decision to change the recipe of the Chantilly cake, why the public went crazy, and how the New York Times highlighted Chaya's role in the creation of the original recipe. Alton describes growing up in the 7th Ward and how he couldn't wait to get back after his family moved when he was ten. They share stories of getting married during Hurricane Nate, having to get adv...
Sunpie joins Howie and Scully in the King Room to talk about music, nature, Creole culture, photography, neighborhood history, sports, and the spirit world. He describe how playing with Kansas City Chiefs was cool, but not his dream, how eating songbirds helped him ace ornithology, getting lost on his first day in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day, going to the hardware store with Fats Domino to buy nothing, his decision to get his musical eduction from the street rather than the univ...
Howie and Scully return for the first episode of their second season with Mik Grantham co-owner of Ninth Ward community hub, Low Point. They discuss coffee, books, wine, music and more. She tells of how she self published her first book of poems which led to the founding of Disorder Press - her own fearless publishing co., the pleasure of curating Low Point's book selection, how she and Scully were surprised to have a mutual friend in the underground publishing world, the Challenges of ...
Obligations lives!!! (We were just on summer break.) Howie and Scully are back with special guest: influencer and French Quarter vintage clothing store owner Chris Olsen. He popped into the King Room to discuss his journey into French Quarter small business advocacy and beyond. He shares how growing up he developed a love for antiques from his father and how his previous job in advertising set him up with the tools required to advocate publicly for causes specific to the French Q...
For our one year anniversary we welcome the powerful, patient and beloved owner of Parkview Tavern, Kathy. She shares with us the good news that the tavern's 30 years in business has been extended (at least for a bit). She describes the real power of compromise and exhibits a sense of magnanimity that we all should strive for. There are stories of how her regulars ended up with their own engraved bar stools, how a car once plowed into the front of Parkview on what could of b...
Howie and Scully talk with HBO’s The Deuce star Jamie Neuman about growing up in New Orleans, how working at a bar can be an in road to opportunities, the joys of cabbage ball, what separates working on an HBO series vs. neighborhood stage productions, how important it is to not wait for your big break, but to make your own shit happen, not about her new secret big time project, and how fucking cool the staff is at BJ’s Lounge. Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars provide two live tracks from their ...
Howie and Scully interview John Stanton about life at Gambit Weekly. They discuss how he once had his collarbone broken by Rudy Gulliani’s goons, the importance of reporting on New Orleans as a resident vs as a visitor, the joys of an occasional day drink, how urban alt-weekly’s have changed over the years, the connections between Journalism and barrooms, Jeff Landry’s war on public records, and how gosh darn old them Morning 40’s have gotten. One of his favorite local bands...
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