People (although not your readers, I’m sure, just the country) need to remember that this is one of the true heroes. Not only has he written and produced some of the best music of the pop era, but he lost everything the failed levees could throw at him, a lifetime of priceless mementos, and he didn’t miss a beat (literally). He’s been beating the NOLA drum forever, and he’s about the best ambassador the city could have. I remember seeing him and Irma on the Today show right after the storm, and they’d lost it all but were as upbeat and positive as anyone could be, certainly a hell of a lot more than I could have been. A perfect antidote to what a lot of the world was starting to think of New Orleanians. But these are the real citizens.

Even more than his music, his spirit has touched me, and damn if everytime I see him walking around or at JazzFest, he dresses damn nice!