Hobo Siren: Love-life Update

I know it's the burning question: Did Kady and I meet any fellas in New Orleans?

Well, the truth is... yes; we did both kind of fall in love. And although our former romantic involvements have been very different from one another's, our present loves are similar... if only in that they are perhaps equally unconventional. Not to mention ripe with potential scandal.

My fella goes by the name of Billy and he was my hero one night.

Billy is, for lack of a better word, a hobo. He has done mercenary work in Southeast Asia and has the bullet wound scars to prove it. He is sterile, blind in one eye, suffers from delirium tremens and has permanent nerve-damage in his feet. I think that is all I will share about one of the more tragic characters I've met in my life and I recognize it might seem strange that I know so much about this man. Mostly, it's a long story, but... thanks for being a kind soul, Billy. You are a gentleman of another era and I'd like to write your story some day.

Kady's love story is a few chapters longer than mine. It began as a bit of a gawker obsession (read about the early pangs of her infatuation here). She noticed him twice, maybe three times before we got the opportunity to meet him.

His name is "Unlce" Lionel Batiste and we didn't know it at the time, but, well, he's famous. For example, here is his Wikipedia page.

The evening after this photo was taken, Kady and I went with friends to Snug Harbor for Charmaine Neville's weekly show. Here is an incredible image from Charmaine's website.

I mean, wow.

The entire Neville clan is pretty influential in the jazz world, but you are probably more familiar with one of her relatives, Aaron, as in- "I don't know much... but I know I love you..." (just found out he and duet partner Linda Ronstadt were a real life couple and am perplexed at how much this is BLOWING MY MIND).

So we show up for Charmaine and who do we find?

Oh, but he was more than a spectator this evening.

Just a few nights later, Kady and I went down to the Spotted Cat and well, wouldn't you know it? We only had a few nights remaining in Nola, so Kady went right on in for the kill.

This is right before she turned to me and mouthed, "I'm. So. Happy."

In this shot, you can see them canoodling in the mirror.

In true Kady-form, Lionel isn't exactly what you would call a "gentleman". For example:

when pressed as to how many children he has, his response is, "A considerable amount."
when Kady asked him to hold her seat while she ran to the lady's room, he replied, "Listen, if a more attractive lady comes along, she gonna get that chair."
when we were leaving, I wished to have my photograph taken with this icon as arm candy and he apparently wished to display his arm candy