#52 - The Marvelous Mother Shucker of Mardi Gras | Katrina Brees (The Bearded Oysters)

It’s Mardi Gras season, oh Carnival Kings and Queens! Today’s guest arrived in New Orleans as Karina Nathan and shortly thereafter Hurricane Katrina blew through. With no krewe for women under 30, she started her own, the Bearded Oysters of which she remains the Mother Shucker. She has many names but is known most widely by the hurricane’s namesake: Katrina. Today on the show we go deep into the history of Mardi Gras with fabulous parades and exclusive balls, prideful showings and pubic wigs. Katrina shares why Mardi Gras beads are the hotdogs of the plastic world and how they clogged the sewers of New Orleans. Much like a life, there is a tender section where we discuss Katrina’s work advocating against gun violence, microdosing for mental health, and throwing a lemonade party when life gave her its sourest lemon. Katrina Brees is the parade leader of the Bearded Oysters and the Krewe of Kolossos. She is the designer of the Mardi Bra and Fantastic Caskets as well as the founder of I Heart Louisiana for greening Mardi Gras. Finally, she is the proud author of the “no guns” self-registry called Donna's Law. This episode is permeated with death and celebration, so listen in to learn about jazz funerals and why washing a dead body is like doing acid with God. LINKS Katrina Brees: https://www.facebook.com/KatrinaBreesArtist/ The Bearded Oysters: https://www.beardedoysters.org/ Krewe of Kolossos: https://kolossos.org/ I Heart Louisiana: https://twitter.com/greenthegras?lang=en Fantastic Caskets: https://fantasticcasket.com/ The Upful LIFE Podcast with Katrina Brees: http://www.upfullife.com/the-upful-life-podcast-005-katrina-brees-j-a-talks-kasvot-vaxt/