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Weekday at Bernie’s

by Stephen Faure
art by Roy Robinson

Most know of Bernie Cyrus from his television show “New Orleans After Midnight” or by way of his most public achievement: a 14-year stint as Louisiana Music Commissioner, where he helped integrate the music business into the state’s economic development program and served as author and advocate for numerous legislative initiatives and development projects benefiting Louisiana’s musicians. What many don’t know is that, while he’s “pure New Orleans,” Bernie’s been on the northshore for a decade now, and has laid down some deep roots.

Four years ago he purchased a nice wooded spread north of Covington, the former St. Gertrude’s convent near Vintage Court. Bernie has transformed St. Gertrude’s into a reflection of his many interests—a recording studio, music-memorabilia hall and quiet nature preserve. There’s still work to be done. A huge swimming pool is in need of repair (a Katrina-postponed project). He would like to make it accessible to local disadvantaged kids and hopes it will soon be filled with cool, clear water and happy swimming children.

In another northshore effort, the City of Mandeville has sought out Bernie’s input in preserving and re-invigorating the Dew Drop Dance Hall in Mandeville, built in 1895 and one of the first places outside New Orleans where jazz legends such as Kid Ory and Sidney Bechet performed.

His latest incarnation will be as afternoon radio-talk-show host starting May 28. Inside Northside spent a recent weekday at Bernie’s discussing his eclectic background and unique qualities that will make him a perfect promoter of the northshore on WGSO 990AM.

Inside Northside: Tell us about the new radio gig.

Bernie Cyrus: The focus of the station is going to be the northshore. The “Twins,” Carol and Amy, are doing the morning show. Ken Trahan will be doing sports, and I’ll be doing the afternoons. It’s my lifetime dream job. After doing radio and television for almost 20 years, I have my first crack at an afternoon-evening drive-time talk show. We’re going to talk about the community, cultural things, politics, business. And I want to keep some levity in the show. I think that’s what I bring; that’s why they’re bringing me on.

IN: What do you have to bring to the table as a talk-show host?

BC: I have a pretty good background in many different subjects. I’ve got seven years in the telecommunications business, which taught me a lot about technology and the products that are driving much of the industry now. I’ve got 20-plus years in the music industry. I’ve been inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, which obviously is a big honor. The community has been so good to me, from a musical standpoint—everywhere I go, people come up and thank me for my work. That’s a great feeling.
Yes, you’re most well known for your connections with the music business. But there are other areas of your expertise that are lesser known.

A lot of people don’t know this about me: I’ve got five professional years in education, one as a high-school teacher and four as a project director for the state Department of Education. I’m very knowledgeable about education, and it’s very important to me. Working with young people through music, through education, has always been a priority for me and it still is. I’ve worked with young artists like Amanda Shaw and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. I even considered Better Than Ezra young when I first broke their record. Working with young people is something I’m going to continue to do.

I hope to get some good young people who can work with me and learn, some interns who can get school credit. I’ve never known an intern who’s ever worked for me that I wasn’t able to help get employed—who didn’t go on to a professional job. And that’s good thing.

So I’ve got a unique background, a lot of different things to handle a talk show.

IN: Politics?

BC: The first campaign I was involved in was when Eddie Price’s dad ran for lieutenant governor when we were in fifth grade at Lake Castle. I never stopped after that, so I’ve been involved in politics a long time.

An interesting thing is that I’ve just finished a little over a year with the District Attorney’s office in St. Tammany. I’ve gotten first-hand knowledge of felony crimes, the problem of crime and the influx of new crime in this area, which is very prevalent.

I’ve also got a background in insurance. I owned my own insurance agency. I was trained by some of the best in insurance, Southern Farm Bureau, and held a property and casualty license as well as a life and health license. I served on the Insurance Commissioner’s health task force.

So I’m going to be able to speak with some expertise on a vast amount of subjects. I’m hopefully going to be able to give my audience something they’re not going to get from a “regular” talk-show guy.

IN: What is going to be a challenge for you on the radio show?

BC: I’m always constantly working on my listening skills to be the best interviewer I can. I’ve produced and hosted over 300 television shows and at least that many radio shows. It’s always a work in progress. There will be a learning curve for me like any other job, but I’m going to prepare for it. That’s one thing about radio: you live for the moment. That’s very important, and I’m very cognizant of the fact that I’m going to get different opportunities.

IN: Sounds like it could be fun, though.

BC: I’ve always been the class clown. I’ll go for the joke; I don’t care if it embarrasses me. If you leave the door open, I’ll go for the joke even if it’s corny. I think that’s the reason my live TV show went so well. It usually had people sitting on the edge wondering if I’d cross that line although I never did. If I can put a smile on somebody’s face, and that’s all I can do for them, that’s about as good as it gets.

I’ve always liked comedy. I’m probably a frustrated comedian. I can’t remember jokes but I like to think I have a quick wit, and I think that’s going to add a lot to the radio show.

IN: How’d you end up on the northshore?

BC: I’ve been here almost 10 years. I think that makes me a bona fide northshore guy. And it goes back a ways. My family didn’t take big vacations when we were kids. My dad was a working-class guy, so we took a lot of vacations on the northshore.

My uncle Ralph and my aunt Vera Cyrus owned Vera’s seafood restaurant [in Slidell]. Ralph and my dad were best friends as well as brothers. They had a box at the Fairgrounds together. Ralph and Vera didn’t have any kids, so I spent a lot of time growing up in the summers up here, hunting and fishing, doing the things kids do.

My mother was born in Madisonville and my great-grandfather John Caddin was a sawmill architect who helped build the northshore.

IN: The sawmill in Houltonville?

BC: Yes. Houltonville actually was where my mother was born. So the northshore is intrinsically in my blood. The thing I love most about the northshore is the quality of life here as a father and a parent. The schools my sons attended were great.

To me, it’s like living in a park out here, especially at St. Gertrude’s. It’s the fourth piece of property I’ve owned in ten years on the northshore. The first piece I bought was in Washington Parish, which I cleared out to build a little chalet camp for my kids to go tubing and such. You are the company you keep. I knew at an early stage that if I wanted my kids to go through a different life than I did I would have to surround them with people who enjoyed wholesome, good things. I did not want them hanging out in the streets of the French Quarter and at St. Mary’s Gym boxing until all hours of the night at 12 years old.

IN: What part of New Orleans are you from?

BC: That’s a great story. I grew up between Arts and Music streets, on Odin Street, next to the Milne Boys Home. (Editor’s Note:The Milne Boys’ Home’s predecessor, the Colored Waifs’ Home for Boys, was where Louis Armstrong learned to play the cornet.) I took my first guitar lesson on Music Street when I was 9 years old from John Mason, a master guitarist. He played with the symphony and he played in rock bands—a very eccentric guy.
Another interesting thing is that not only did my sons’ father grow up in that area and started playing on Music Street in New Orleans, but their mother was also born on Music Street. They didn’t have a choice. They were definitely destined to be in the music business. My oldest, Jonathan, just completed the music business curriculum at Delgado. His brother Jeffery is a hip-hop artist. He goes by “J..Cy,” and if you listen to him, he’s really ghetto (and on the Dean’s list in college). Both of them are more talented than I ever was.

IN: Where did you go to high school?

BC: I went to Abramson, Kennedy, Easton, Nicholls and back to Abramson. I was an “administrative transfer.” At Abramson, I was probably the only kid to be expelled by the school and return as vice president of student government the following year.

IN: What was being Louisiana Music Commissioner all about?

BC: I was director for 14 years, appointed by Governor Edwards. As director of the Louisiana Music Commission, I saw unprecedented growth, economic development and state support of music. We were able to secure $10 million from the state Bond Commission for the Grammy Hall of Fame. That was a long project. Unfortunately, they released the [Recording Academy] CEO and changed their mind.

[Commission chairman] Ellis Marsalis was a great mentor. He was instrumental in New Orleans getting the Louis Armstrong postage stamp ceremony; it had been given to New York and we turned that around.

I was very vigilant against anything that was bad for the musicians, being a musician myself.

IN: For example?

BC: We killed the music tax, a 60-year-old tax on live music. That’s been a major impetus for growing music clubs and restaurants. We created the Loyola and Delgado music business programs; I served on the advisory committees. That was a major need, to train people to get into the business. We fought the workmen’s comp laws, when they tried to insist that bands have workmen’s comp insurance when they were really contract labor, which would have put a big dent in hiring bands. Also the noise laws. I can’t tell you the umpteen noise laws that we fought back.

IN: Weren’t you involved in the design of Louisiana’s state quarter?

BC: The U.S. Treasury Department issued a series of commemorative quarters and each state got to submit its own design. I had heard that Governor Foster wanted to put a pelican on it. I thought music should be represented, too. After a lot of back and forth, eventually the trumpet and musical notes were put on the back with the pelican and Louisiana Purchase graphic.

IN: What’s been going on since you left the commission?

BC: I’ve been off the commission over a year, and I’ve been blessed. Since I’ve been gone, I’ve played some of the greatest gigs in New Orleans. Mardi Gras balls, the casinos, I’m a regular at the Silver Slipper. I play my New Year’s Eve gig in Madisonville, and played with Leon Russell at the Texas Club in Baton Rouge.
We brought the house down.

Mandeville is reviving the Dew Drop Dance Hall, the oldest jazz hall in the world. The City of Mandeville has appointed me its first chairman. I’m really excited about that. We’ve had some great meetings; we have a great board. It’s going to be one of the finest tourist attractions in the world, right here on the northshore.

I’m one of the co-founders and board members of Legacy Music. We’re building a state-of-the-art recording studio in the Masonic Temple building in downtown Covington. We’ve discovered young Christian talent, about half a dozen artists. We give them the opportunity to be on a record label with major national distribution. I’m very proud of that.

IN: What about New Orleans?

BC: I still love New Orleans—I’ll always love New Orleans. According to the newspapers I’m “pure New Orleans.” New Orleans has been good to me, but my home is here on the northshore. I’ve never looked back. I feel blessed to be here.