Iko Ikon, 2010 oil on panel, 20” x 24” by Douglas Bourgeois
“I’ve always loved that song. It was part of my transistor-radio-listening adolescence,” said Louisiana artist Douglas Bourgeois about the Dixie Cups’ “Iko Iko,” that tells of a parade confrontation between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians. Bourgeois, whose works often pay homage to the musicians he loves, explained that the Dixie Cups’ version came out of an unplanned jam during a New York City studio session in 1965. “It was accidental, spontaneous. They were just playing around with drumsticks on various things,” he said. “According to sources it was a coke bottle, an ashtray, a chair. An engineer heard them and turned the tape on.”
To Bourgeois there’s magic in the singsong minimalism and chant quality of that recording. “This is my impression, a tribute to the song and the feeling it gives you,” he said. “And to the Dixie Cups who, like a lot of early New Orleans recording stars, were just normal people who carried on living their lives.”
Bourgeois lives and works in St. Amant. He is represented by Arthur Roger Gallery of New Orleans, and you can see many more pieces at arthurrogergallery.com. On October 31 and November 1, he will be the featured artist on Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s “Art Rocks” program hosted by CR’s James Fox-Smith. Read James’ in-depth interview with Douglas Bourgeois here.
