PROJECTS — [PART 1] The Political Circus

The Gorilla Man by RANDY FERTEL

This week it's showtime in Louisiana. Again. Here in the state where politics has traditionally been a circus. Or maybe a zoo.

I should know. My father is the Gorilla Man, one of the favorite clowns in this particular political circus. Rodney Fertel ran for mayor of New Orleans in 1969 on the platform that Audubon Zoo needed a gorilla.

My father's family made most of their money in real estate so he was in a position to play when he wanted to. For the people of New Orleans my father's sense of fun was his primary political asset. To them, a man who campaigned in safari outfit, even sometimes in a complete gorilla costume, was sending up the clowns who ran the 3rd world banana republic that was their home.

His campaign manager was The Black Cat Lacombe, a local race-track publicist right out of Damon Runyon. He earned his nickname by consistently picking losers.

My Dad received only 308 votes. But he won a mock election at the University of New Orleans. Kids know a good joke on their elders when they see one. It was the 60s and maybe this was some more of that street theater they'd seen on the 6 o'clock news. Maybe the Gorilla Man was related to Abbie Hoffman, that other latter day surrealist. You know: "Steal This Campaign".

The thing Dad is proudest of to this day is that after securing his 308 votes ... he found not one, but two baby lowland gorillas for sale and brought them back to the zoo. He named them Red Beans and Rice. And he announced that he was the only candidate in history who had kept all his campaign promises ... even though he'd lost the election.