Danielle Laramie Arcenaux (Coco’s widow/Spiritland Records owner): “A week before we got married, Coco set the house on fire with me in it.Spiritland blew up, and the flames started the paint under sofa on fire and blew me right off the couch…”
Meredith Lee (bartender): Alright, I asked Coco Robicheaux to marry me and my husband Johnny years ago. I wish I could remember what year—I’ll have to check the marriage certificate—but it was April Fools’ Day, and it was by the Tree of Life and Death outside the Fly, and he was there on time, and we were late, and he totally thought it was an April Fools’ joke.
But we showed up, and a whole bunch of other people from the bar showed up, and he married us. …I gave Coco an amulet from Africa, which a friend of mine had given me. I’d had it for twenty years and it was always good luck for me. I gave him that and fifty dollars for doing the wedding, and we go through the ceremony…and afterwards he goes home and finds his house on fire.
Jonathan Jamison (radio show host): “Also, that’s the same corner where Coco Robicheaux lived and set that apartment on fire. That was across the street, above Café Brasil, and it started because he had candles lit, prayer candles, just like the first fire of New Orleans in 1788. That was also started by prayer candles, a dude praying at his altar on Good Friday. He had some candles lit, and he walked out to go to the bathroom or something, and the candles caught the drapery on fire.”
Tim Eskew (of Bicycle Michael’s) Like when Coco lived above Café Brasil and his wife was burning candles and it burned her wedding dress down. There was a giant fire, and Adé’s on the roof, screaming with a hose, trying to put the fire out, and the firemen are like, “Come down!” and he’s cursing them and cursing everybody, putting out the fire.
More from Danielle: “… I ran back up the steps dazed to get my wedding dress. Please don’t follow my example! I got a bit hurt but saved the dress.”