“In Focus” spotlights interesting denizens of New Toulouse and the bayou. Do you have a neighbor that you think we should interview? Let us know!
Mr. Nixon turned in this interview by leaving it in a pickle barrel at Lafitte’s. Once we determined its location, much of it had been lost to the effects of acid plus time on paper. We hereby print what we were able to salvage.
“I hope you don’t expect me to answer with a Cajun affectation,” said local artist Jake Wikifoo when asked to give the Tattler an interview.
They say you are a Cajun. Is that true?
My real-life Cajun heritage began in 1630 when the first of my French ancestors immigrated to the New World. For over a century they thrived in Port Royal, Nova Scotia, by fishing, farming, and fur trapping. In 1759 they were forcefully expelled by the English (known as the Great Upheaval or le Grand Dérangement) and migrated south to Santo Domingo. When the Spanish governor of Louisiana promised to grant land to “neutral French,” my ancestors traveled to Louisiana and signed a land grant in 1765. That is how my family and other Cajuns came to pioneer large areas of central Louisiana.
My great-grandparents came “from the end of the road” in the 1920s hoping for a better (and somewhat drier) lifestyle in the city. They learned to speak English and started an industry that still exists today. But during leisure time, the assimilated lifestyle was put aside—the family spent every weekend and summer at the lake house, speaking French, hunting, fishing, shrimping, cussing, and drinking.
I had my first motorboat by the time I was ten. I’d pick my friends up along the bayou, and we’d stay gone until dark. It’s a wonder we survived.
My generation still hunts, fishes, cusses, and drinks, but the Cajun language has been largely lost. When asked if I still speak French, I answer, “Oui, un petit peu,” or in Cajun pronunciation, “Weh, ahn tee poo!”
As a side note, I lost the aforementioned lake house to Hurricane Rita. The watermark left by Hurricane Audrey on the kitchen wall in 1957 was actually higher. And for future reference, in Louisiana, lake houses are called “camps.”
My father’s mother was Creole, but that’s a topic for another discussion.
When did you first come to New Toulouse? How was it then, compared to today? Why did you leave, and why have you returned?
I stumbled upon New Toulouse almost immediately. The whole idea of shooting zombies was enthralling. Nikita Weymann gave me my first gun. I think there were more zombie sightings back then.
I bought my first piece of property in New Toulouse in March 2009—that was the beginning of Galerie Wikifoo. I began showing my own work, but the project grew into the representation of other artists too.
I eventually expanded to Algiers. Nikita was the architect for Chez Wikifoo, the Wikifoo family plantation house. I was so excited the day it was placed on the parcel. I loved that decrepit old mansion.
After getting into an ill-fated pissing match with someone, I left New Toulouse to try other sims—but not before burning Chez Wikifoo down in a spectacle that lit the Algiers sky for twelve hours. Galerie Wikifoo has since appeared intermittently around New Toulouse. I recently bought land in downtown New Toulouse, possibly to resurrect Galerie Wikifoo.
What are your public accomplishments in SL?
When Galerie Wikifoo morphed into Wikifoo Art Museum, I was able to exhibit the likes of Filthy Fluno, Van Caerdow, Rory Torrance, Jacks Rhys, and others. I thought that was a big accomplishment for me, endeavoring to move into a league of more credible SL galleries.
Krewe des Flambeaux is the New Toulouse Mardi Gras club that I founded. Our floats rolled for three years, and we’ve crowned two queens.
What is the most notable experience you ever had in SL?
I hosted my first rezday party on the parterre of Chez Wikifoo. It was a masked ball in conjunction with Mardi Gras. I was humbled by how many of my SL friends attended. I realized how awesome this group of people can be.
Who really inspires you?
One of my favorite SL artists is Rose Borchovski. She installs her art pieces so that they are an experience, not just a two-dimensional work. That kind of thing could only be accomplished using SL as a medium. And that kind of ingenuity inspires me.
There is an old rumor concerning your first penis. Please flesh that out for us.
I recall the occasion when I bought my first SL penis. I hurriedly teleported back to the cottage on Shotgun Row and tried it on for size. After a few minutes of camming around, I couldn’t find the dang thing, either on my person or in my inventory. It was mind-boggling but not surprising, since I was a clueless noob. A couple weeks later I received a visit from a leading lady of New Toulouse—seems she bought one of my best paintings, only to find the penis attached.
Maurice Nixon was deported from Prussia to the United States of America for writing a book on good manners for gentlemen. Prussian authorities alleged that the book belittled the monarch. The following year, the monarchy was abolished; Mr. Nixon is doing well.