One theory goes that if Hitler hadn’t failed out of art school he wouldn’t have become an insane dictator. Then there’s a whole other story about shaving pubic hair. And that’s just the first few minutes of this extraordinarily strange meeting of a bunch of random folks on a Fall afternoon on Freret Street in Uptown New Orleans.

Jackie Sumell masks her simmering anger at pretty much everything in the world – from having her name mispronounced to the Capitalist system – with sparkling sweet charm. And she’s using it with as much patience as she can muster to try, in her own words, to change the world.

Darrin Butler grew up in a world of violence and prison culture; the world that Jackie wants to change.

Darrin’s buddy, the pickpocket, got 24 years inside. He got out a few weeks back and now he’s back inside already, this time for credit card fraud.  Darrin doesn’t seem totally convinced that he should blame “the system” and not his buddy the pickpocket’s personal choices.

Down Under film maker Nick P’s ex spent years in jail. While she was out she tried to kill Nick. Attempted murder wasn’t enough to drive this Romeo and Juliet apart. Although it ended, eventually, without anyone getting killed and the girlfriend back inside, the story gave Nick the raw material to write and direct a movie that’s just now getting released.

James Hayes makes a welcome return to the show after a car wreck sidelined him on the way to join the festivities last week. He’s got a bit of driving ahead of him as his band The Lovey Dovies sets out on tour. Good luck finding them – maybe by the time you’re reading this they’ll have gotten that website thing sorted out.

The pix on this page were taken by the sometime biker’s valet, Douglas Engel.