The Marvelous Mother Shucker of Mardi Gras
Life is a Festival #52: Katrina Brees (The Bearded Oysters):
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It’s Mardi Gras season, oh Carnival Kings and Queens!
Today’s guest arrived in New Orleans as Karina Nathan and shortly thereafter Hurricane Katrina blew through. With no krewe for women under 30, she started her own, the Bearded Oysters of which she remains the Mother Shucker. She has many names but is known most widely by the hurricane’s namesake: Katrina Brees.
Today on the show we go deep into the history of Mardi Gras with fabulous parades and exclusive balls, prideful showings and pubic wigs. Katrina shares why Mardi Gras beads are the hotdogs of the plastic world and how they clogged the sewers of New Orleans. Much like a life, there is a tender section where we discuss Katrina’s work advocating against gun violence, microdosing for mental health, and throwing a lemonade party when life gave her its sourest lemon.
Katrina Brees is the parade leader of the Bearded Oysters and the Krewe of Kolossos. She is the designer of the Mardi Bra and Fantastic Caskets as well as the founder of I Heart Louisiana for greening Mardi Gras. Finally, she is the proud author of the “no guns” self-registry called Donna's Law.
This episode is permeated with death and celebration, so listen in to learn about jazz funerals and why washing a dead body is like doing acid with God.
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TIMESTAMPS
:07 Celebrating death in New Orleans with Second Lines
:11 We shouldn’t be a funeral on New Orleans after Katrina
:16 This is a city of death and that’s why it’s so full of life: decadence is the dance with decay.
:19 Katrina Brees arrives in New Orleans and shortly afterwards, Hurricane Katrina comes through.
:24 How Karina Nathan became Katrina Brees
:32 The Mother Shucker of the Bearded Oysters, the first female Krewe under 30
:35 Katrina breaks down Mardi Gras, the season of fattening and the birth of the Bearded Oysters
:42 Why dangerous Mardi Gras beads are the hotdogs of the plastic world and why you really shouldn’t show your tits for beads.
:53 Who pays for Mardi Gras?
:55 What is transformative about being in a parade? Parading is the art of pride
1:02 Prideful showings and pubic hair wigs
1:07 The differences between parades and balls
1:13 Transgender participation in Mardi Gras
1:20 Donna’s Law: Katrina’s story of gun violence and her how she resolved to approach advocacy like an art project
1:30 New approaches to death from Fantastic Caskets to a having a “Lemonade Party”
1:34 How to wash a dead body
1:40 Katrina speaks of her own mental health challenges and how she used microdosing to manage her grief
1:55 Katrina’s feeling good about Mardi Gras this year and how you can support her
Graphics Designed by Andy McErlean
Theme song ““Peculiar Colors” [Manjumasi]“ by dj atish