Troubled Men Podcast

The Grammy Award-winning singer, accordion player, and songwriter started his career as a teenager playing dances in his hometown of Crowley, La. Recordings with legendary producer Jay Miller led to a deal with Mercury Records and international acclaim as a powerhouse performer combining Cajun, Zydeco, and Southern rock. Wayne’s music has taken him around the world and back. Tonight he makes it bi...

The NY Times bestselling author’s latest book, “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseball,” has been hailed as a masterpiece of sports writing. An award-winning journalist who’s written for the Boston Globe, the Atlantic, and the Washington Post, he covered Manny Chevrolet’s first campaign for mayor of New Orleans in 2002 with an extensive feature in the Ti...

The award-winning guitarist, songwriter, and singer began his career as Westbank Mike and the Fischer Project. He also plays with the Iko Allstars and the Desert Nudes. An arts education activist and mental health advocate, Mike has spent years promoting the healing power of music. Maybe he can help the Troubled Men. Topics include cold showers, old talk shows, Dick Cavett, Groucho Marx, Bob Crane...

The actor and comedian produced and hosted the Comic Strip burlesque show and was the emcee for the Fleur de Tease Burlesque Revue. Chris is also a film worker with a starring role in Henry Griffin’s free jazz comedy, “Mutiny.” Tonight the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus veteran joins the Troubled Men as they play it by ear. Topics include Essence Fest, the concealed carry law, the presidential debate, a...

The acclaimed portrait artist and illustrator with the NY Yankees, the NY Times, and Madison Square Garden; friend of Dali, Ali, Frazier, and Roberto Duran; and tour photographer with Weather Report and Jaco’s Word of Mouth featured in episode 257 returns for a second round. It’s a free-associative gabfest covering art, sports, music, and a double vasectomy. Tune in to see who makes the cut. Topic...

The keyboard and guitar player with Southern rock powerhouse band Drive-By Truckers is also a pop music fanatic, having released a string of candy-coated solo records over his career. His latest collaboration, “Roll Up A Song” with “Space Ghost” writer Pete Smith, is a power pop gem garnering a 4-star review from Mojo magazine. Developing an affinity for the Troubled Men while playing on the lates...

The co-founding keyboard player and singer with the New Orleans Suspects spent years playing funk and soul music on the Southeastern club circuit before landing in town. Noticing a vacuum in children’s music training, he established two local branches of the School of Rock, where he passes on lessons learned over a lifetime on the bandstand. Tonight CR joins the Troubled Men for a masterclass in p...

The DBA co-founder ran the Frenchmen St. nightclub and booked talent for over 20 years. Selling the iconic institution last year, he resurrected the beloved Chazfest, promoting 2024’s event at the Broadside along with several other shows through his New Suit Productions. Having worked in clubs his entire life, like the Troubled Men, Tom does some of his best work in the dark. Topics include a Sonn...

The acclaimed writer and comedian has recently published his debut novel, “The Knights of Wade,” a comic tale set in New Orleans. Having written several successful children’s books, including “Jokes for Crescent City Kids,” his latest work has been favorably compared to “A Confederacy of Dunces” for its quirky local flavor. Tonight Mike encourages the Troubled Men to forego the knavery, and get on...

The award-winning photographer and freelance journalist’s focus on New Orleans culture dates to her work for the legendary Michael P. Smith. While working as Gambit Weekly staff photographer, she’s chronicled the city’s contrasts and contradictions, producing images both comic and tragic, sacred and profane. Her new book, “The Danse Macabre: Celebration and Survival in New Orleans,” is a vibrant e...

Musician and electrical/HVAC contractor Sage Maas and Narcissy guitarist/mastermind and registered nurse Jay Holland have been running partners going back to the heyday of the Mermaid Lounge. Sage survived a chaotic childhood to become a heroic and generous instigator. Jay is a guitar hero who plumbs the depths on stage and off, performing feats of derring-do that leave audiences stunned. Tonight,...

The master drummer with credits including Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, and Alison Krauss has completed his documentary film project,”Street Beat: Drumming Below Sea Level,” that examines New Orleans drummers and the second line tradition. Interviewing elders, such as Zigaboo Modeliste, Johnny Vidacovich, Carlo Nuccio, and Raymond Weber, and younger players, including Jason Marsalis and S...

Brad Orgeron/Jack Orion is a 1st generation glam and punk rock singer and guitarist from the Contenders/Backstabbers and Aces 88 who started a band after seeing the New York Dolls, and was a witness to the local scene from its earliest days. Damien Youth is a reclusive, prolific psych/folk rock singer and guitarist who’s recorded over 50 albums of original music. Together they are the Belladonna L...

She’s a muralist and painter with work at the Audubon Aquarium and the Orleans Casino, as well as a burlesque performer and producer with the legendary Shim Shamettes, and leader of her own band, the Souvenaires. Max is a sensitive artist, who hopefully remains unsullied by her time at the Christmas Club with the Troubled Men. Topics include Friday Night Fights, a Pat Cronin memorial, an Ed Volker...

The veteran drummer, pianist, and composer started his career playing Tyler’s Beer Garden with the James Rivers Movement. He spent years in NYC slinging bonds on Wall Street by day and making the downtown jazz scene by night. In spite of his family’s nearly 200-year history in New Orleans, Charlie had never been inside Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge. Guess he was just waiting for an invita...

The former Times-Picayune and Gambit writer has spent her career covering arts and culture in New Orleans and beyond. As the Ponderosa Stomp Program Director, she helped showcase legendary figures of rock’n’roll for contemporary audiences. Currently writing the definitive book on beloved “Vic 'n Nat’ly” cartoonist and artist Bunny Matthews, along with TMP guest and co-author Michael Tisserand, Ali...

The architect, screenwriter, and college professor has always followed his instincts. Whether designing high-rise hotels, writing a film with Dwight Yoakam, or producing the decorated series “Architecture School” about post-Katrina residential rebuilding, he brings an enthusiasm that is infectious. Tonight Stan joins the Troubled Men. Let’s see who infects whom. Topics include a party recap, the M...

The stars align on the triple witching day of Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s Day, and Snake and Jake’s 30th Birthday celebration as the Troubled Men assemble among the penitents and partygoers. Luminaries drop in for cameos, and bar owner Dave Clements offers insights on the origins of the Christmas Club Lounge and the future of the Clempire. Topics include Mardi Gras Day, bicycle accidents, bad postu...

The guitar player, songwriter, record producer, and cofounder of Lafayette swamp pop supergroup Lil’ Band O' Gold has spent the last years recording and touring with the legendary singer and “Sweet Dreams” composer Tommy McLain. Their album “I Ran Down Every Dream,” cowritten with Elvis Costello, has led them to national TV appearances and prestigious concert halls around the world. With his role...

The trumpet and keyboard player with the platinum-selling Revivalists is also a veteran of Rotary Downs and Big Rock Candy Mountain. The hard-touring Revivalists released their 5th studio album, “Pour It Out Into the Night,” last summer, and have spent the year making TV appearances, playing festivals, and selling out concert halls. Proving you’re never done paying dues in the music biz, Michael t...

As the beloved singer, songwriter, and guitarist releases the single “Love Bomb” in anticipation of her album “High Tide,” the former rodeo rider returns for a Part 2. It’s been a whirlwind year that included epic recording sessions at Dockside Studio, a devastating shoulder injury, and a music community-wide “Lynnefit” tribute show. With her body and spirit on the mend, Lynn is ready to spread th...

The artist and cultural documentarian behind the NOLA ’Nacular gallery, focusing on New Orleans vernacular culture, is also the mastermind of Turducken Productions. Through Turducken he presented over 500 indie rock shows, 400 of which were held at the beloved Mermaid Lounge. Anthony is a tireless champion of the city’s unique character. Indulging his affinity for the flawed, he drops in on the Tr...

The Americana singer-songwriter, software developer, and former TV executive at Bravo/AMC has accomplished enough to fill several lifetimes. After riding the cable television explosion through the ‘90s, he dropped out to study Buddhism with master Thich Nhat Hanh and later spearheaded Occupy Wall Street following the 2008 financial meltdown. Celebrating the release of his latest record, “Bayou St....

The sax, clarinet, and flute master is a veteran of the Al Belletto Big Band, the CAC Jazz Orchestra, and the Fairmont/Roosevelt Hotel’s swanky Blue Room supper club, where he backed up national acts including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and Natalie Cole. He currently plays with a variety of headliners such as the Temptations and the O’Jays. Manny comes in coughing like Patient Zero, and while...

René and Manny return to their roots as they hunker down at the Christmas Club Lounge to discuss good times and air grievances (and open listener gifts) in this final show of the year. Topics include a first guest, the Lynn Drury benefit, Doug Belote, Glenn Hartman, a Keith Duncan mural, the 2024 election, political violence, a tuna sandwich, Grey Poupon, empty nest Xmas plans, vacation photos, a...