Quiet Conversations The Upstairs Lounge Arson Attack
My name is Arthur Severio, and welcome to Quiet Conversations: The Upstairs Lounge Fire.I left home with a suitcase filled with dreams, a pack of brand-new Fruit of the Loom underwear, two pairs of 501s, and some shirts that weren’t exactly made for a fat kid like me. My mama had stuffed a twenty-dollar bill in my pocket just in case I wanted a snack and a Diet Coke from the vending machine for my ride into the Crescent City.My brother met me at the downtown Greyhound bus terminal to take a United Cab back to his French Quarter apartment. It was 1983, and I was only 17. I was so happy because I had finally reached the place that I had dreamed about to get me through those endless days of doing little more than surviving. Soon I met Marcy Marcelle who was scheduled to perform that night at the Upstairs Lounge. In these Quiet Conversations, I talk to people whose lives were touched either in their personal experience or using their artistic talents to describe that night.
Latest episodes
Oct 22, 2023 • 24min
Kalantan, Lenny and Marcy Marcell
In this episode, we hear from someone who grew up in a showbiz life around the exotic Kalantan. Kalantan, famous for her burlesques show danced on the world famous Borubon Street in the 1950’s. In a couple with a non gender identifying lesbian named Lenny, she travelled all of the nightclub circuit.In the second half we meet my friend Marcy. who was the inspiration for this podcast. Born in the 50’s Marcy grew up in a town called Chalmette and came out in the French Quarter. The story has began.Historian Frank Perez explains the mission of the LGBT+ Archives of Louisiana and a welcome to Quiet Conversations. with Rio RiggenSupport the show
Oct 17, 2023 • 26min
Becoming the Women They Were Destined to Be
"If people want to see it, then they are going to have to pay." Christene Jorgensen said returning to America after having sexual reassignment surgery. We will also hear Charlotte Mcleod story as the second woman who had sexual reasiugnmenr surgery and both ladies working on Bourbon Street.My friend Lisa tells their story and we have a conversation about hormone replacement therapy.We also get a visit from Regina about growing up and coming out.=.Historian Frank Perez explains the mission of the LGBT+ Archives of Louisiana and a welcome to Quiet Conversations. with Rio RiggenSupport the show
Oct 8, 2023 • 31min
The Changing Chiaroscuro of the French Quarter
In this episode, we discover the culture of the French Quarter in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. We first hear from historians and authors Johnny Townsend, ” “Let the Faggots Burn,” Frank Perez, a"Ambush Magazine "and "French Quarter Journal’. and Robert Fiesler “Tinderbox: the Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation.” We also meet Regina Adams, French Quarter legend Regina Adams who grew up in a mormon, upper suburban middle class neighborhood in New Orleans. As Regina was discovering her sexuality, she discovered her sexual identity. She also met the “love of her life,” a man of color and a Jesuit preist, Reggie Adams.Historian Frank Perez explains the mission of the LGBT+ Archives of Louisiana and a welcome to Quiet Conversations. Art Span NOLA’s mission is to do just that. It is a non-profit 501 c3 designed especially for contemporary artists just like You and me. Art span Nola extends across the globe, sponsoring programs like creative mentorship, exposure visibility, and project development through collaboration and community. Please visit Artspannola.org to make your contribution. with Rio RiggenSupport the show
Oct 1, 2023 • 26min
The Stonewall Riots and using shock therapy to cure homosexuality
In this episode of Quiet Conversations…The Upstairs Lounge Arson Attack, a podcast cenered around a fire in New Orleans that killed 32 members of the LGBTI community and injured 14, I speak with Tree Sequoia about that night that the Stonewall riots started. Was Marsha P. Johnson the heroine everyone said she was? Who initiated the crowd in a riot?I also go into what was happening in the world of treatments for the cure of homosexuality in New Orleans. Tulane Dr. Robert G. Heath thought so. His magic cure to turn one man from being gay into a “normal” heterosexual man was modes that were hooked into the brain creating an electrical shock effect and even hired New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison to hire a prostitute as part of the experiment.Support the show
Sep 30, 2023 • 1min
The Quiet Conversations trailer
I was only seventeen when I moved to the French Quarter. My brother lived betwen the Bourbon Pub and Lafitte’s. It was 1984 and AIDS hadn’t quite made it’s mark on the gay community.I’ve met so many great people along my journey and wanted to share their stories as I’ve understood them and how they touched my life.Welcome to Quiet Conversations.Quiet Conversations is written, read, and hosted by me, Arthur Severio. It’s producer is Johnny Maybank, and theme song “Shine,” by Rio Riggen.Support the show
Sep 30, 2023 • 20min
The Early Years in the French Quarter
On our first episode,you’ll get to meet me your host Arthur Severio and hear from author, Professor Alecia P. Long as we discuss what it was like to be a part of a community that was not only different but harassed for being themselves. She and I will discuss her book “Cruising For Conspirators: How a New Orleans D.A. Prosecuted the Kennedy Assassination as a Hate Crime.” and meet Tamara Chang of the documentary,“Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria.” Lots of great guests with fantastic stories. So plug in your ear buds and enjoy.Support the show
