Harry Shearer: An Interview with a New Orleans Fan and Defender

Harry Shearer is a proud defender and fan of New Orleans culture. He has released a documentary on the Army Corps of Engineers response to Hurricane Katrina, The Big Uneasy. Shearer has voiced over 11 characters on The Simpsons, he also played Derek Smalls in the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, He first came to NOLA in 1988 and now has a home in the French Quarter.

Do you remember the first time you visited New Orleans?

Absolutely, it was for one weekend of Jazz Fest in 1988. I flew from Seattle after finishing the day’s work on a movie, went through Dallas in the middle of the night, arrived in NOLA at 8 Saturday morning. I think we had the obligatory breakfast at Brennan’s, saw a day and a half of Fest, and then headed back to Seattle. That was enough to hook me.

Where do you live in NOLA?

In the Quarter. I’ll be a real New Orleanian when I say “in the Quarters,” but that’s a few years away.

You’ve attended every Jazz Fest since 1988. What do you love about the fest?

Actually, I think I missed 1992, when Spinal Tap was on tour. These days, I actually love the week between weekends most, the buzz and the vast buffet of musical events spread all over the city. It’s quite…intoxicating.

What have been some of your favorite Jazz Fest sets over the years?

Seeing Malathini and the Mahotella Queens for the first and only time, at Congo Square. My first and last evening show on the late, lamented riverboat, featuring King Sunny Ade and the Nevilles. Richard Thompson solo in the jazz tent. Henry Butler solo in the jazz tent. Johnny Adams joining Aaron Neville and the Zion Harmonizers on the last Sunday of Fest. Randy Newman singing “Louisiana, 1927″ as the heavens opened and held a clearance sale on rain. Keb Mo in the Blues Tent. The first time I saw Snooks. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Eim1_3DA9o)

What are some of your favorite music venues/bars in NOLA and why?
Well, you know, I live in the city, I go out every night, so they’re all my favorites.

What have been some of your craziest nights out in NOLA?
Oh, definitely the last few Mom’s Balls. If there were such a thing.

How did the concept for The Big Uneasy come together?

It came to me in an instant when I saw President Obama at his town hall in NO in October 2009, and he called the flooding a “natural disaster.” The whole idea of the film–the people I’d work with, the people we’d interview, the style of the film, the idea of showing it nationwide on the fifth anniversary–all flowed pretty quickly from that moment.

What were the biggest challenges you faced when making the documentary?

I would say the biggest one was getting Corps of Engineers people to agree to be filmed, most particularly the head of Task Force Hope, the civilian boss of the re-do of the “hurricane protection system.” And then we were on an accelerated schedule to meet the fifth anniversary screening date, so the big challenge was getting the film right, not cutting corners, in a post-production time period much shorter than normal. All credit due to my editor Tom Roche and the rest of my post team.

What do you feel it is about NOLA that makes it so unique?

You can take away the music, and the food (though please don’t), and the architecture, and I’d still love the city for the way people are in New Orleans–tied together by bonds of community, living in a culture that has Southern grace but big-city cosmopolitanism, and living in a place where every day has a certain, special meaning.

Tagged as: Harry Shearer, Jazz Fest, McClain Johnson, The Big Uneasy, the Simpsons, This Is Spinal Tap