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.
Quiet Conversations The Upstairs Lounge Arson Attack
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.
