2007
Parade Theme, Royalty Announced
Given that the whole damn city is foaming
at the mouth mad … given that
the inmates are obviously running the
asylum (and the mayor obviously is not)
… given that we gotta get our
kicks before the whole nuthouse goes
up in flames or sinks forever into the
swamps … the only possible theme
for the 2007 Krewe du Vieux parade is
“Habitat for Insanity”.
Acclaimed chronicler of our tribulations,
the highly medicated Chris Rose, will
serve as king and chief warden. The
2007 parade will roll on February 3
unless the entire Krewe has been previously
committed.
The
Krewe du Vieux is a non-profit organization
dedicated to the historical and traditional
concept of a Mardi Gras parade as
a venue for individual creative expression
and satiricalcomment. It is unique
among all Mardi Gras parades because
it alone carries on the old Carnival
traditions, by using decorated, hand
or mule-drawn floats with satirical
themes, accompanied by costumed revelers
dancing to the sounds of jazzy street
musicians. We believe in exposing
the world to the true nature of Mardi
Gras -- and in exposing ourselves
to the world.
THEMES (so far):
CRUDE
– CRUDE Flew into the Cuckoo’s
Nest
SEEDS
– Follow the Yellow Brick
Road Home
CRAPS
– HOME, HOME AND DERANGED
PAN –
Edwards, Now More than Ever
SPERMES
– SPERMES Gets Its Head
Examined
INANE
– Mystic INANE Asylum
COMATOSE
– Habitat for Hispanics
MONDU
– Chockfull of Nuts
LEWD
– Post Traumatic Sex Disorder
MISHIGAS
– Rebuilds the Tower of
Babel
KSAL
– Load to Recovery –
A Cuming Event
DRIPS
– D & D Gets Hammered
and Nailed
UNDERWEAR
- Alice in Underland
TOKIN
- High Anxiety
MAMA ROUX
– The Beauticians’
Village
BOURBON
– Always Time for Levee-Tea
All
Hail! Chris Rose as King and Chief
Warden
This Year's Parade Date: February
3, 2007
Habitat
for Insanity t-shirts are available
for sale at Up In Smoke, 4507
Magazine Street.
The History of the Krewe
The Krewe du Vieux was founded in
1987 from the ashes of the storied
Krewe of Clones. This wild, satirical
Carnival parade, which first marched
in 1978, was based out of New Orleans'
Contemporary Arts Center.
Unfortunately, in
1986, infighting among the Krewe/CAC
leadership, combined with pressures
from the City due to the parade occurring
the night before the Super Bowl was
to be played in New Orleans, caused
the untimely demise of the Krewe of
Clones. Not wishing to be denied a
good time or any excuse for wild excess,
two Clones sub-krewes -- the Krewe
of Underwear and the Krewe of Mama
Roux -- held a "Clone Funeral".
An anatomically correct (and erect)
clone was created and placed on a
funeral cart, and a short march to
a party site was planned.
At the last minute,
the individual most responsible for
the entire problem got word of the
plans, and called the police on the
unauthorized march. Informed by New
Orleans' finest that they could not
march in the street, since that would
block traffic, the costumed mourners
marched on the sidewalk, while eleven
police cars rolled along next to them,
blocking the street far more effectively
than the marchers ever could have.
That same year, two
other Clones sub-krewes, the Seeds
of Decline and the Krewe of C.R.U.D.E.,
held their own informal march on Mardi
Gras itself, in the French Quarter,
with the theme of "The Stupor
Bowl". After Carnival was over
that year, the two groups got together,
established an official parade date
(three Saturdays before Mardi Gras,
the old Clones date), and received
permission to march in the French
Quarter. Thus was born the Krewe du
Vieux Carre (the old, French name
for the Quarter), now shortened to
Krewe du Vieux. The first Captain
of Krewe du Vieux was Underwear's
own Craig "Spoons" Johnson.
The following year,
Susan Gibeault assisted Spoons as
Co-Captain. In 1989, the third year
of the parade, Ray "Plaine"
Kern debuted as Captain, a post he
would hold for ten years. Under Ray's
watch the Krewe grew from about 150
drunks stumbling through the French
Quarter in search of a bar, to become
a relatively well-organized group
of about 600 (most of them still drunk),
with an actual parade route. Traditions
such as the hand-made, hand- or mule-drawn
floats and showcasing of the city's
incredible brass bands became firmly
established. The crowds watching the
spectacle grew larger than Clones
had experienced even in its heyday,
and the annual Krewe du Vieux Doo,
the ball after the parade, became
one of the more storied parties of
the year.
For the 1999
parade, the Captain's mantle fell
on Keith Twitchell, who formed a committee
of volunteers, known as the official
Krewe du Vieux CABAL (or in some people's
minds, the dirty dozen). Having burned
out Captain "Plaine", we
decided to make him King that year!
And, in 2002, Katherine Cargo took
on the leadership role as Captain
Inertia. Membership capped out at
900 in 2003, the Krewe's 17th year;
but the crowds continue to grow, and
care is taken to make sure that Krewe
du Vieux remains faithful to its satirical,
outrageous and inebriated roots.
