Colorful Characters

Rex and his queen officially reign over Carnival, but who are the real movers and shakers of the realm? Carnivaldom is full of skilled artisans, larger-than-life personalities and visionary revelers who collectively enrich the panorama of the festivities. MardiCard.com is in the early phase of a quest to identify these noteworthy characters and present them in lively fashion. Stay tuned.

Chuck Busch

As founder, captain and guiding spirit of the Mondo Kayo Social and Marching Club, Chuck Busch, who died of cancer in 2002, left a legacy that continues to delight, amuse and inspire. “It’s a Joseph Campbell, follow-your-bliss thing,” he once said of his progeny, a Fat Tuesday phenomenon that offers visions of tropical abundance and spreads elation through music. more

Andrew Justin

Andrew Justin's pilgrimage from the west coast to roll with Zulu at Mardi Gras 2000 marked his final appearance on the streets of New Orleans as chief of The Wild Tremé Mardi Gras Indians. Blessed with "the gift of the Holy Spirit," he invested $18,000 and countless hours of painstaking labor in his eye-popping retirement "suit," highlighting a legacy as one of the city's most prolific cultural ambassadors. more

Ann Marie Coviello

While checking out her first Bacchus parade, Ann Marie Coviello happened to gaze up and see a hovering apparition in the cloud-like form of a bull's head. She didn't know it at the time, but Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility—whose equivalent in Roman mythology is Bacchus—was often represented in the form of a bull at ancient festivals held in his honor. Out of this vision emerged Box of Wine, a marching group whose Bacchanalian revels have greatly enlivened the scene along the Bacchus parade route before the main event rolls. more

John Lawson

What many people would regard as junk—the beads and baubles tossed from Mardi Gras parade floats—are, for John Lawson, a natural resource—and a compelling artistic medium. more

L.J. Goldstein

Before L.J. Goldstein arrived on the New Orleans scene, the notion that a Jewish-“themed” organization could become a vital—and fun—part of one’s social existence seemed far fetched. Then again, the Krewe du Jieux has some rather unorthodox ways of promoting Jewish cultural awareness. more

Leslie Jackson

Three years ago, Leslie Jackson decided that Mardi Gras beads needed to become electronic and more toy-like. Now the New Orleans flea-market vendor has transformed her Mardi Gras fantasy into a marketable reality—HotBeads. Will the festivities ever be the same again? more

Coleen Salley

	Make way for The (Grocery Cart) Queen of Mardi Gras! Over the years in the City that Care Forgot, the uproarious adventures of Krewe of Coleen have yielded countless Kodak Moments. In 1998, after a three-year hiatus, Queen Coleen—children's literature guru, professional raconteur and consummate New Orleans eccentric—returned to her rolling throne to stave off boredom and enrich the panorama of Mardi Gras. But this beloved character's experience and talents extend well beyond "just foolishness." more
Blaine Kern
	After turning down a job offer from a fellow master of fantasy, Walt Disney, Blaine Kern built his own kingdom of make-believe in the city of Mardi Gras dreams. Today, Blaine Kern Artists claims to be the world's biggest builder of parade floats. In New Orleans, Kern is known as Mr. Mardi Gras, a moniker he copyrighted years ago. But this and other acts of brazen self-promotion are easily forgiven. For if modern Mardi Gras has a father, it's none other than Blaine Kern. more
Alan Langhoff
	Krewe of Kosmic Debris has a loose, inclusive structure that invites participation and interaction among musicians, dancers and basically anyone else who feels like joining in their Dionysian escapades, known as "tumbles." "Things happen," says Alan Langhoff of these infectious revels. "You're laying groundwork and setting premises and defining a territory in such a way that it allows people to exhibit their spontaneity." more
Mardi Gras Underground Man
	He is nothing if not an inventive instigator. Back in 1974, he was managing a bar at a pizza joint and "looking for something to do to entertain myself, to have some fun." But what started out as an idea for a king cake party evolved into something more elaborate: a Mardi Gras ball with live music. Some 25 years on, M.O.M.s Ball has become the Bacchanalia du jour for the Mardi Gras demimonde. more