Booty: Original Gangster

I imagine it goes without saying that I am perpetually in awe of the epic lives of Jean and Pierre Laffite. They have inspired me to not only write historical fiction but to pursue all the research that has culminated in the labor of love that is Triple P. Anything one does daily without monetary compensation has to be labeled as such.


Given my intimate knowledge of the subject, you can imagine my delight at finding a modern banner that equaled the awesomeness of the men in question. So I am sharing with the Brethren the above from the wonderful purveyors of t-shirts and stuff, Dirty Coast.

Located on Magazine Street in New Orleans, the folks at Dirty Coast certainly know a thing or two about their home town and her history. As the description of this tee designed by Avery Lawrence says, Monsieur Laffite was a racketeer, pimp, mob boss and gentleman about town before any other person in the brief history of America had even imagined such a combination. From the website:

Before there was Ice-T or Biggie or Scarface or Al Capone, there was Jean Lafitte. A pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century, he mingled with the best and the worse of them. Our salute to the one who started it all . . the O.G.

There is no arguing with that statement. Of course, one can quibble about the spelling of the name but – for a change – I won’t. From the flamboyant stance to the way our anti-hero has pimped out his pirogue with a figurehead everything here is right. The only way this design could be improved is if Pierre were standing next to his bro, giving both the Devils their due.