A totemic figure in New Orleans through good times and bad, Mac Rebennack was hustling in the city’s music scene aged 14 before breaking through in the late ’60s as plumage-adorned voodoo alter ego Dr John. Two generations of British musicians have since been under his spell –from Clapton and Jagger to Weller and even Hugh Laurie (who asked the good doctor to collaborate on his recent album). Here are a few little-known facts about the man.
His secret to great music is to treat it like gumbo.
The best advice I can give is don’t just get hung up on one kind of music. If ya try to learn a little bit of everything, you have more to draw off of. I learned so much from being around the right people and incorporating that into what you do. If you’re not learning new stuff, you’re not doing it right.
He still remembers where he picked up his sartorial flair.
A guy named Cousin Joe, real sweet guy, used to tell me stuff like, ‘You can’t go out like that: your feathers don’t match.’ The guy dressed really good. He was just one musician on a big street but he stuck out, everything matched so perfect. After he passed, I found out that his secret was he bought pairs of white shoes and dyed them to match his outfits.
He shares a common cultural heritage with the cast of British soap opera EastEnders.
Cockney rhyming slang got twisted by merchant mariners into a New Orleans version. I’m not in touch with many of those guys now, but they all used to have their own version of ‘apples and pears’.
He rates Hugh Laurie’s piano playing and Jools Holland’s tidiness.
Hugh was a real nice guy. He played some nice piano and I liked that he picked an old Bessie Smith song for me to sing. Jools is an old friend of mine – we used to share the same office at one point. The only time my office was clean was when Jools used it. We never let any cleaners in there, so Jools would always just clean up and leave a little note.
He’s seen his beloved hometown change rapidly…
The Rita and Katrina hurricanes have made a big impact on the music. A lot of people who called New Orleans home are stuck elsewhere. People have had to move all around. Guys are really trying to keep the spirit of the music alive, but when something this big happens, things change.
…and a year on from the BP oil spill, he’s just as furious.
It’s not better. The problem is down to a thing called Corexit [a dispersant used after the spill], which killed off pretty much everything Louisiana survives off. We sent them the name of a similar product that didn’t have pollutants in it, but like any big corporation, they’re greedy and they just do what they do. Right now, there are areas of ground the size of football stadiums disappearing in Louisiana every 45 minutes.
When he goes, he wants to go like Tommy Cooper.
A retirement plan for musicians like me? There’s no such thing. I figure I should fall over and die during the last song. The band will still get paid for the gig, and they won’t have to play an encore.
