"Treme" Trivia

Season two of the HBO series “Treme” premieres on Sunday (April 24), and once your family and friends around the country have watched, they'll have a few questions about New Orleans culture. To prepare you for those post-episode calls, I've compiled a cheat sheet with a few things you should know.

The answers are listed separately from the questions to appease the trivia lover in you!

Questions
1. The show is called “Treme” but what is Treme?

2. Why is it sometimes referred to as Faubourg Treme?

3. Are locals pleased with the portrayal of New Orleans in the show?

4. What's the point of dancing through the streets with a brass band?

5. Who wrote that awesome theme song?

Answers
1. Treme is known as the oldest African American neighborhood in the country and is named after a real estate developer by the name of Claude Tremé who migrated from France in 1783. (The French spelling requires an accent on the last E, to pronounce it correctly, but in English the accent has been dropped.)

2. Faubourg is a French term used to describe a suburb. The city's heavy French influence can still be seen today in the way neighborhoods are labeled. Another example of a French-influenced neighborhood is Faubourg Marigny.

3. If you don't have personal knowledge of how locals feel, check out the New Wave story about HBO's “Art of Treme” presentation held on campus last semester. Footage of the event can be seen here.

4. Second-line parades are a tradition used to celebrate holidays, weddings and even funerals. While often portrayed as an instantaneous occurrence, these parades require a city permit and mandatory police escorts.

5. He's local jazz vocalist John Boutté. (Note that he uses the French accent.)

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