Andrew and Matthew in New Orleans

Hey folks! Andrew here. It's been a quiet couple weeks while I work on something big, so I'm dropping in to share what's coming up.

When I decided to come back to YouTube, one of my first ideas was to make a video about the history of fortune telling/readings in New Orleans. This is a subject where I have almost zero personal knowledge - I've actually never had a reading myself - but I wanted to make a video about it for two reasons. Reason one: New Orleans, believe it or not, has had a law against fortune telling for over a hundred years.

This law is . . . I think a seasoned legal writer would call it "extraordinary." Most of it is dedicated to just trying to define what fortune telling is. The result is a laundry list of things you're not supposed to do by supernatural means in New Orleans - things like "settle lovers' quarrels," "locate buried or hidden treasures," or (my favorite) "bring together the bitterest enemies converting them into staunchest friends." It makes for a funny read, and for years I've occasionally shared it on tours when the subject of fortune telling comes up.

Until now, though, I've never dug into the history of the law. Where did this long list of banned activities come from? Why ban fortune telling in the first place? Has the ban ever been enforced? These questions turned out to be a gold mine of stories about voodoo, vice squads, and New Orleans's unexpected part in the nationwide fad for spiritualism.

Naturally, I've wanted someone I can share all these cool stories with. Which brings us to reason number two for making this video: one of my good friends is a reader.

Some of you know my pal Robi, who appeared in quite a few videos back on the old Free Tours by Foot channel. Robi is a voodoo priest, a tradition that includes readings of many kinds, and while I've known for many years that giving readings was a part of his life, we've never talked much about it. But the research for this video cracked that wall wide open. Robi's had a lot to add to the story - turns out, when an activity is illegal, written records about that activity can only take you so far, and oral tradition becomes especially important. In the end, Robi was kind enough to take me through three different kinds of voodoo readings, all of which we got on tape.

All this to say: turns out this is gonna be multiple videos. It's gonna take a minute to get everything edited, but I'm really excited to share this stuff with y'all.

Also! Thanks so much for being here. Getting back to YouTube and tour guiding after a few years away has been a big undertaking, but the friendly faces have made it so worth it.

1 week ago | [YT] | 32