Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Interstellar

            Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is the movie equivalent of a chef armed with truffles, foie gras, and Waygu beef grinding it up into meatloaf. The film’s cast is impeccable, the practical effects stunning, and its underlying ideas about space and exploration universal. Yet the outcome is more pedestrian than revelatory. The film unravels because of an overcomplicated plot and underwhelming theme.
            Nolan, as he often does, has assembled a stellar cast. Matthew McConaughey continues his string of strong performances by playing against his hyper-masculine type. In Interstellar, he stars as Cooper, an astronaut-turned-farmer-turned-astronaut. Mackenzie Foy plays Murph, Cooper daughter, and their chemistry drives the emotional beats of the film. Nolan populates the film with actors far too qualified for their roles. Michael Caine’s NASA scientist instigates Cooper’s journey to the stars. Anne Hathaway’s Amelia, another scientist leads the NASA crew on the spaceship Endurance. Bill Irwin voices TARS, a multi-limbed robot, who helps and humors the crew during their journey to a black hole in orbit near Saturn. TARS’s relationship with Cooper is the most grounded and realistic in the entire movie. The rest of the cast includes Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, William Devane, Ellen Burstyn, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi, Topher Grace (looking like he’s just happy to be there) and a surprise unbilled A-list actor.
            The visual effects of Interstellar are remarkable. Nolan mostly eschewed CGI in favor for practical models for his depiction of space travel. His attention to detail pays off in a number of visually striking scenes. Saturn’s rings glitter and as the Endurance approaches its date with an artificially created wormhole. The camera remains fixed as the Endurance glides through space, spinning on its axis. Never has space looked so majestic.  Nolan’s view of space is the opposite of Alfonso Cuarón in Gravity. Where Cuarón stressed the claustrophobic and deadly nature of outer space, Nolan revels in its splendor and beauty. In Gravity, death and emptiness lurked around every corner. Protective spacecraft could easily become a deadly projectile. In Interstellar space is the next stage for mankind’s achievement—challenging, but awe inspiring.
TARS, the best character in the movie. 
            Interstellar’s themes and plot unravel everything good about the film. It is clear that Nolan is an advocate for mankind’s continued exploration of space. Our future lies out there, the film constantly reminds us. To call his method of delivering this message heavy handed would be an understatement. In a terribly written scene, Cooper laments to his father-in-law (Lithgow) about mankind’s failure to continue its space endeavors. He laments, “We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars, now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.” On a future version of Earth where ecological disaster has ruined the planet’s food supply, maybe that sentiment is understandable? Later when the film shifts to space the heavy handedness continues. With the Endurance only capable of visiting one of two planets capable of sustaining life, Hathaway’s Amelia opts for the one where her lover is. In defending her position, Amelia argues that “Love is the one thing that transcends time and space.” The power of love and importance of discovery are hardly unique or new themes.
            Further the overstuffed plot dooms these themes further. At two hours and forty nine minutes, the film radically shifts in plot making it seem like three or four movies crammed into one. Interstellar begins as a movie about an ecologically ravaged Earth, struggling for survival. With a radically reduced population mankind has become a people of Dust Bowl era farmers. With Cooper’s discovery of NASA, the film becomes about mankind’s potential salvation through a wormhole. A mission of survival soon yields to easily excised conspiracy thriller. Meanwhile back on Earth, Murph (Chastain), now fully grown, struggles to save humanity from her end. This divided focus drains the plot of momentum as it toggles back and forth between the ever changing Endurance mission and Murph’s efforts to solve the problem of extricating Earth’s population to safety. In the last act, Cooper joins the two plots together by journeying into the black and proving that love does in fact transcend time and space. Love transcends time and space? Fantastic. Glad a film studio spent 165 million dollars on that one.

            Due to his success with the Dark Knight trilogy and other films like Memento, Inception, and The Prestige Nolan had a rare opportunity in Hollywood, to make whatever movie he wanted. He put this freedom to work with dazzling visual effects and reminded us of the wonder and majesty of space.  He surrounded himself with a marvelous and overqualified cast. Instead of putting them to their best use, Nolan squandered them on a heavy handed, simplistic, and ultimately empty film. 

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

The Saints Woes Continue

            On Sunday, the Saints lost 41-10 to the Carolina Panthers. The Saints turned the ball over twice in the first quarter, leading to 10 Carolina points. The game also further highlighted the epic struggles of the Saints defense this season. They allowed 271 rushing yards. Carolina rushers ran the ball for forty times for an average of 6.8 yards per rush. Injured Panthers quarterback Cam Newton went 21-33 for 226 yards with 3 touchdown passes. He also contributed 83 yards on the ground in 12 carries and a rushing TD. The game was an embarrassing performance for a team that entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations.

The Aints are Back 
             We’ve previously chronicled the Saints offseason plan and their struggles earlier this season. As the season has progressed, the Saints defensive woes have increased. Indeed this season, they seem to have found different ways to lose. They lost close games to Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco, and Cleveland with a combined point differential of -9. They’ve lost blow-outs to the Cowboys, Bengals and now Carolina with a combined point differential of -69. And they’ve also had some competitive wins over the Packers and Steelers. The continuing poor play of the defense has placed added stress on the offense. It seems every game the Saints need at least 30 points to have a chance of winning. As we’ve discussed earlier this year, the lack of a consistent deep threat has hindered the offense. Without the potential for big plays, the Saints lack the ability to rack up leads, create extra possessions, and put pressure on opponents.

Sean Payton yelling at defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, an all too familiar sight. 
              Apart from a few years of scattered success, the Saints have largely struggled on defense in the Sean Payton era. The coordinators under Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis have shared similar defensive philosophies—favoring blitz heavy schemes, designed to pressure opposing quarterbacks into committing turnovers. This defensive philosophy pairs well with the aggressive and pass heavy offenses favored by Payton and executed by quarterback Drew Brees.  The chart below highlights the Saints struggles on defense. (DVOA is explained here. In terms of defense, negative DVOAs are best.)

Year
Coordinator
DVOA (rank)
Pass DVOA (rank)
Run DVOA (rank)
2006
Gary Gibbs
4.2% (22)
6.1% (20)
2.0% (21)
2007
Gary Gibbs
12.1% (30)
27.9% (32)
-8.6% (11)
2008
Gary Gibbs
7.8% (26)
15.1% (23)
-0.4% (22)
2009
Gregg Williams
-0.4% (17)
-4.8% (9)
4.8% (29)
2010
Gregg Williams
-4.3% (10)
0.7% (10)
-9.5% (10)
2011
Gregg Williams
10.2% (28)
16.7% (26)
-0.2% (21)
2012
Steve Spagnuolo
14.8% (32)
20.8% (28)
7.1% (30)
2013
Rob Ryan
-5.8% (10)
-9.2% (6)
-1.5% (20)
2014
Rob Ryan
12.9% (31)
21.1% (27)
3.1% (29)

Since his hire in 2006, Payton has cycled through four defensive coordinators. His first, Garry Gibbs had coached the linebackers for the Dallas Cowboys while Payton worked as the offensive coordinator.  Gibbs had previously served as defensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma under famed coach Barry Switzer. The job with the Saints represented his first time coordinating an NFL defense. After 2008, Payton shifted gears, hiring Gregg “If you cut off the head, the snake will die” Williams. Williams had extensive experience as a defensive coordinator and head coach. Throughout his career, he was known as an aggressive defensive coach, relying heavily on blitzes to generate pressure. Famed defensive coach Buddy Ryan (and father of current DC Rob Ryan) was one of his mentors. After the Bounty Gate scandal, Payton hired former Rams head coach and Giants defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo. Like his predecessor, Spagnuolo was best known for his aggressive and blitz heavy packages. He earned his head coaching gig in St. Louis by designing a scheme that helped the Giants pressure Tom Brady and beat the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Payton fired Spagnuolo after one disastrous season at helm and replaced him with another veteran coordinator, Rob Ryan. Ryan, the son of one time Gregg Williams mentor Buddy Ryan, also favors a blitz heavy defense. Buoyed by a strong pass defense in 2013, the Saints posted their best DVOA of the Payton era. This year, the defense has again fallen apart. 

In examining the Panthers-Saints game, announcers and reporters will focus on particular plays and players to highlight the struggles of the Saints defense. Players come and go. In light of the Saints persistent defensive shortcomings, it’s time to take a closer look at Payton and Loomis, the men responsible for hiring the defensive coaches and drafting the defensive players. We’ll look at these issues more in depth in future posts. 

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

New Davis Rogan CD

          New Orleans musician and DGA favorite Davis Rogan has released a new CD titled, Davis Ex Machina. And if you take a close look at the credits you’ll find a familiar name: Doug Green. Doug served as an executive producer on the album. First a trial consultant, now a music producer, nobody knows what might be next.

Hey! I know that guy! 
           Doug earned himself an executive producer credit by donating to the project through kickstarter—the online fundraising site. Doug was one of one hundred and forty nine backers who supported Davis’s project. Combined they raised $20,225 to fund the album. Backers for the project came from across the United States and even the world. Residents of San Francisco, Chicago, Oxford, Mississippi, and Pittsburgh gave to the project. Internationally Davis received financial support from Sweden, Belgium, France, and Australia. His appeal is truly international in scope. Perhaps Davis’s appeal stems from his biography on the website, where he described himself as having “The wit, irony, and self-deprecation echo Randy Newman, but the wry observations about life, humanity, and New Orleans are uniquely his.”

The New Album 

Rogan himself describes Davis Ex Machina this way: “The songs, about a dozen of them, are also very clever… I will let my work to date, the three albums as the band All That and two as DAVIS, be a guidepost for what the new recording will sound like. If you like what I’ve done so far, you’re gonna love the new one.” The CD includes fourteen tracks. For the album, Davis rounded up his usual band of suspects. Bass player Jimbo Walsh has played with Davis since 2001. Charlie Kohlmeyer plays the drums, a job he has held since 2007. Mark Levron and Travis Blotsky the trumpeter and saxophonist, have been with the band for five and three years. They all work professionally as musicians.

Esplanade Studios in Treme 

The album was recorded at Esplanade Studios in New Orleans. The studio opened in 2013 in the Treme, the famed New Orleans neighborhood, and namesake of the HBO series. The studio is located in a 1920s church that encompasses 14,000 square feet. The church was heavily damaged in Hurricane Katrina and remained vacant since 2005. Inside the church is a large pipe organ, donated by robber baron and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The storm damaged the organ and efforts are underway to restore it to working condition. Misha Kachkachishvili, the owner of the studio, engineered, mixed, and mastered the album.  Apart from Davis, the studio also has an impressive list of clients including: Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Rebirth Brass Band, Harry Connick Jr., and Dr. John.

Also as a special bonus, Davis will be performing an original song titled, “Jury Consultant Blues.” He will premiere the song at the Crawfish Boil in March. This year’s boil will be held on March 14th, at Winos and Tacos in Covington, Louisiana. If you would like to purchase the CD, it is available for sale at the Louisiana Music Factory online

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

The Fish that Ate the Whale

The Fish that Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King


In 1910, Sam “the Banana Man” Zemurray, head of Cuyamel Fruit Company, orchestrated a coup against the government of Honduran president Miguel Dávila. Zemurray provided guns, money, and a former US naval warship to former president Manuel Bonilla. The Cuyamel Fruit Company owned plantations in Honduras and shipped bananas to the United States on its own fleet of ships. Success in the volatile banana business relied on bribes and kickbacks to the Honduran government, keeping the cost of business low and the profit margins high. When the United States agreed to a treaty with President Dávila to administer Honduras’s staggering national debt, Zemurray’s business was in danger. With the J.P. Morgan Company’s agents assigned to Honduran customs houses collecting taxes on Cuyamel exports, Zemurray would be taxed out of business. Secretary of State Philander Knox warned Zemurray not to interfere in Honduras, but Zemurray proceeded with the coup anyway. When Bonilla came to power, he voided the deal with the U.S., protected Zemurray’s interests, and allowed Honduras’s crippling debt to continually plague the nation. 

The house that Bananas built--it now belongs to Tulane. 
Richard Cohen begins his lively biography of Zemurray with this anecdote highlighting the extent that Zemurray, an immigrant from present day Moldavia, would go to protect his business and his own interests. Cohen emphasizes how Zemurray’s meteoric rise from impoverished immigrant to the “Banana Man” embodies the equally inspiring and dispiriting nature of the American dream. Zemurray began his career by seizing upon the untapped potential in the banana market: ripe bananas. In the last quarter of the 19th century, importers discarded ripe bananas because they would turn bad before they could reach distant markets. Zemurray bought up the ripe bananas, arranged a delivery deal with a local railroad, and made a fortune. Zemurray soon bought banana plantations, banana boats, and anything and everything related to the production of bananas. Making himself into a banana mogul required payoffs to local governments, buying land from natives on the cheap, and other morally ambiguous behaviors endemic to capitalistic enterprise In 1930, Zemurray sold Cuyamel to United Fruit Company. Several years later, Zemurray orchestrated another coup, this time to seize control of United Fruit. He saved it from the disastrous management that nearly ruined the company during the Great Depression. Zemurray succeeded in turning United Fruit around. In 1961, Zemurray died a rich man with a troubled legacy.

Sam the Banana Man 
Cohen’s book has two great strengths. The first is the fascinating life story of Zemurray with his impoverished roots, his rise, and his moral compromises necessary to stay on top, and his later in life devotion to philanthropy. Second, Cohen’s energetic and sarcastic prose makes for an enjoyable read. The first sentence of the book sets the tone for the rest, “Sam Zemurray spoke with no accent, except when he swore, which was all the time” (3). At 242 pages, with some padding*, the book reads quickly. I finished it in a few hours of reading. Cohen also offers his own thoughts and insights into Zemurray’s life, recalling his own efforts to grow a banana in Connecticut, his attempts to imagine and understand the banana plantations of Central America, and a hilarious footnote about a New Orleans policeman refusing to take Cohen into the Iberville Projects, “’cause the sun is going down and I love my kids” (245). He also enlightens the reader on the emergence of the banana into the American marketplace in the late 19th century and how the foreign fruit (Cohen argues that the banana is in fact a berry) became a quintessential staple of the American diet. He also provides insight into the different types of bananas and their unique features. In any specific type of banana, all of the bananas are clones of each other—making them uniform but also susceptible to disease.  Zemurray made his fortune importing the Big Mike banana, a type that died out in the 1960s. Today’s bananas are of the Cavendish variety and those will soon go extinct as well. The book takes a few diversions into the history of United Fruit’s activities in the 1950s and Zemurray fades into the background. This shift of focus leaves the responsibility that Zemurray had for the CIA’s or United Fruit’s activities in Central America in the 1950s unclear. He also makes several factual errors about the early history of the CIA that I was only aware of because I just read a biography of the founder of the Office of Strategic Services.**
Overall Cohen’s book succeeds as an entertaining and educating sread.

*most notably skipping a whole page before starting a new chapter

** He incorrectly states that the OSS was not dissolved at the end of World War II. It was. The CIA was not created until 1947. Secondly he identifies Walter Bedell “Beetle” Smith and Allen Dulles as the 1st and 2nd Directors of Central Intelligence, they were the 4th and 5th.  

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

High Water Friends CD - Tracks Nine and Ten: "Irene" and "Somebody Told Me"

          Last week we covered the eighth track on the 6th annual DGA crawfish boil CD, titled “Money.” This week we’re going to change it up a little bit and cover the last two tracks, “Irene” and “Somebody Told Me.”


As we near the end of the CD, it’s worth reminding ourselves about the importance of the blues. The blues might be the most important of all the musical styles that originated in America. The blues fused spirituals, call and response chants, and traditional ballads. This distinctly American musical style emerged from African-American communities in the Deep South following the legal abolition of slavery in 1865. The post-emancipation period allowed African-Americans to form communities, churches, and other voluntary associations free from white inference. These separate institutions allowed African-Americans to cultivate and expand upon their previous musical traditions. The blues arose from these newly independent African-American communities. Over the years, blues musicians have passed down their songs and traditions to each successive generation. Each have modified and molded the songs to suit their times, but the themes remain the same. Blues singer Alberta Hunter once tried to explain the blues this way, “Blues means what milk does to a baby. Blues is what the spirit is to the minister. We sing the blues because our hearts have been hurt, our souls have been disturbed.”


“Irene” and “Somebody Told Me” exemplify this understanding of the blues. Both explore the idea of love and its potential to warm and darken the heart. “Irene” discusses love as part of a dream, reminding the listener that emotions that emerge from the subconscious come in their purest form. The singer notes that “You are the sweetest of my dreams Irene, Oh Irene.” He further claims that “In the middle of a dream, I heard somebody call my name.” The song Irene leaves the listener feeling wistful—remembering and mindful of love at its most poetic and lyrical. “Somebody Told Me” approaches love in a more desperate way, with a man pleading with his woman not to leave. He mournfully complains that “Somebody told me that you’re gonna leave this town /Somebody told me that you’re leaving me behind, Oh no!” The singer also laments that “Somebody told me where you was last night /Somebody told me you was doing me wrong.” Here love is sour, not sweet. It hurts and troubles the soul. “Somebody Told Me” is the story of a man wronged by his woman.

Irene

In the middle of a dream, I heard somebody call my name
The sweetest thing that you’ve ever seen
Was that girl they call Irene
But when I opened up my eyes
Honey I stood there to my surprise
The sweetest thing that you’ve ever seen
Was that girl they call Irene
Irene, Irene
You are the sweetest of my dreams
Irene, Oh Irene
Give me a big ole hunk of mine

But when I opened up my eyes
Honey I stood there to my surprise
Sweetest thing that you’ve ever seen
Was that girl they call Irene
Irene, Irene
You are the sweetest of my dreams
Irene, Oh Irene
Give me a big ole hunk of mine

Somebody Told Me

Somebody told me where you was last night
Somebody told me you was doing me wrong
I put my trust in your hands
Darling, baby, can’t you understand?
Somebody told me that you’re gonna leave this town
Somebody told me that you’re leaving me behind, Oh no!

Don’t you leave me baby
Don’t you leave me baby
Don’t you leave me baby

Somebody told me where you was last night
Somebody told me you was doing me wrong
I put my trust in your hands
Darling, baby, can’t you understand?
Somebody told me that you’re gonna leave this town
Somebody told me that you’re leaving me behind, Oh no!

Don’t you leave me baby
Don’t you leave me baby
Don’t you leave me baby

          As one final note, here’s Sesame Street explaining Zydeco. 



          And with that we’ve completed our journey through all the tracks of Douglas Green Associations 6th Annual Family and Friends Crawfish Boil. Mark your calendars because the next boil is coming up on March 14, 2015. We hope to see you there. 

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

High Water Friends CD - Track Eight: Money

          With this week’s look into the lyrics of “Money,” the eighth track on the 6th Annual DGA Family and Friends Crawfish boil, we’re nearing the end of the CD. After this week we’ll only have two more songs to cover: “Irene” and “Somebody Told Me.”

Pink Floyd and Money 
           There are lots of songs titled “Money.” Pink Floyd’s song from their Dark Side of the Moon album is probably the most famous. That song highlighted its corrupting and pervasive nature: “Get a good job with more pay and your O.K. /Money it's a gas/ grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.” Monty Python’s version satirized the communist world by claiming that “you can keep your Marxist ways for it’s only just a phase.” According to Eric Idle, money would always win out. In the Broadway show, Cabaret, the Emcee reminds the audience that “money, money, is what makes the world go ‘round, world go ‘round.” This “Money” song, by Warren Prejean and the Zydeco Rhythm and Blues band is, in fact, none of these songs. Rather it is a cover of a famous Motown song. The Beatles, the Doors, and the Rolling Stones have all recorded their own versions of this Detroit classic. In the late 1970s, The Flying Lizards, an experimental rock band from England, had the biggest hit of their careers when they performed their own version of “Money.”

A young Berry Gordy 

          This “Money” song was authored by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford. Gordy, most famously, was the founder of the Motown record label. He discovered and helped popularize artists like The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, The Commodores, Stevie Wonder, and the Jackson 5. Many of the most famous African American musicians in the 1960s and 1970s crossed Gordy’s path at some point in their careers. In 1960, Barrett Strong, an up and coming Motown singer released the first version of the song, which rose to number two on the R&B charts. The song became the first hit of Gordy’s Tambla album company (which preceded the more famous Motown records). Disagreement soon arouse between Gordy and Strong over the authorship of “Money.” The first release of the song included Strong’s name as a writer. Gordy, however, claimed that Strong’s name appeared as the result of a clerical error. The two men have battled over the issue repeatedly. In 1963, Gordy successfully had Strong’s name removed. In 1987, when Gordy went to renew his copyright, Strong’s name was added back on, only to be removed again the following year.

In 1963, the Beatles recorded their own version of “Money.” It was the final song on their second UK album, With the Beatles. In 1979, the British new wave band, The Flying Lizards, recorded their own take on the song. It reached number five in the UK and number fifty on the Billboard Hot 100.    Like many of the other famous songs about money, this one is relatively straightforward. Like most (if not all of us), the singer wants money. He cares little about things that free, recognizing that money opens doors and makes everything in life, just a little bit easier. Below is the Flying Lizards' version because it's too weird to pass up. 




Money

The best things in life are free
But you can give them to the birds and bees
I want money

(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)

You love gives me such a thrill
But your love won't pay my bills
I want money

(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)

Money don't get everything it's true
But what it don't get I can't use
I want money

(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)
That's what I want
(That's what I want)

I want money
I want lots of money
In fact I want so much money
Give me your money

Just give me money

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

High Water Friends CD - Track Seven: Tee Nah Nah

          After a week off exploring the Covington restaurant scene and the struggles of the New Orleans Saints, now it’s time to get back to the crawfish boil CD. Up next is the seventh track and fourth from Warren Prejean and the Zydeco Rythmn and Blues Bland titled “Tee Nah Nah.”

Smiley Lewis (1913-1966)

           “Tee Nah Nah” first became a hit in 1950 by New Orleans R&B musician Smiley Lewis. Born in DeQuincey, Louisiana with the unfortunate name of Overton Amos Lemons, Smiley fled for New Orleans in his mid-teens. After boarding with a white family in the Irish Channel he adopted their last name of Lewis. He began his musical career playing clubs in the French Quarter and the 7th Ward. Lewis’s lack of front teeth earned him the stage name of Smiling or Smiley. Throughout his early career, Smiley often played alongside pianist Isidore “Tuts” Washington. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, Lewis played clubs in the city while working odd jobs. In 1950, the invitation of childhood neighbor and musician Dave Bartholomew led to a recording session with Imperial Records. The first song to come out that recording session was “Tee Nah Nah.” Tuts Washington had provided Lewis with the song, claiming that it was song by the inmates at the infamous Angola state prison. The song became popular across the Old South, especially in dance halls. Lewis would go on to record further hit songs, “Blue Monday” and “I Hear You Knocking.” “I Hear You Knocking” reached number two on the R&B charts. Throughout his career, other artists like Fats Domino, Gale Storm, and even a young Elvis Presley covered Lewis’s songs much more successfully than Lewis himself ever could. Embittered, Lewis succumbed to stomach cancer in 1965. 

Buckwheat Zydeco and his legendary accordion 

           In 1987, “Tee Nah Nah” again found commercial success thanks to Buckwheat Zydeco. Buckwheat Zydeco is the stage name of Zydeco musician Stanley Dural, Jr. and his band. Unlike most zydeco artists, Buckwheat Zydeco has achieved significant national and international success. They have performed with Eric Clapton, U2, and the Boston Pops. They played the closing ceremonies of the 1996 closing Olympics and at both inaugurations of President Bill Clinton. Dural himself was born in Lafayette and earned his nickname from his resemblance to the character from The Little Rascals. In the 1970s, Dural switched over to zydeco permanently after joining legendary musician Clifton Chenier’s band as an organist. In 1979, he formed his own band under the name Buckwheat Zydeco. Throughout the 1980s, Buckwheat Zydeco released several albums and in 1988 joined Eric Clapton on his North American tour. Clapton’s patronage led to collaborations with Keith Richards, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, and Paul Simon. Throughout the 1900s and 2000s Buckwheat Zydeco has continued to tour and perform. Most recently, they opened the final episode of Jimmy Fallon’s run on Late Night.
         
          The song “Tee Nah Nah” plays every Friday morning on 93.7 The Dawg, a country music station based in Lafayette. In honor of the song’s dance hall popularity, the station claims that they lead off with the song before their 6:00 AM news to provide a spring in the step of their listeners.




Tee Nah Nah

Tee Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah nah
Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah
Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah Tee Nah Nah
www.cajunlyrics.com
I'm In Love, with a Married Woman
But I'm afraid, to call her name
If I call her Name Lord, Gonna be in trouble
www.cajunlyrics.com
Owe Wee, Owe Wee Baby
Honey Look Just What You Do To Me
Owe Wee, Owe Wee Honey Please
www.cajunlyrics.com
Tee Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah nah
Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah
Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah Tee Nah Nah
www.cajunlyrics.com
www.cajunlyrics.com
I'm In Love, with a Married Woman
But I'm afraid, to call her name
If I call her Name Lord, Gonna be in trouble
www.cajunlyrics.com
Owe Wee, Owe Wee Baby
Honey Look Just What You Do To Me
Owe Wee, Owe Wee, Honey Please
www.cajunlyrics.com
Tee Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah nah
Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah
Tee Nah Nah Nah Nah, Tee Nah Nah Tee Nah Nah