I spent as much time as humanly possible hanging out at Cafe 101 in Lafayette, LA in the years between my 17th and 20th birthday (I spent the evening of my 21st eating pizza with Richard Grant at the Papa Johns that took over the space after the cafe failed). The moments not spent going to shows at Metropolis, chasing girls, doing drugs, or working were lived there. My work study at USL was in the English department, and on my runs to the campus post office, I always managed to swing way out of my way to grab a cup of coffee (in my personal George E. Ohr mug, kept behind the counter) and catch up with the folks. It's that place for me, the place where I met the people who taught me the things that made me the person I am. The coffee was okay, a little better once they started roasting their own. I've since had much better. But the people and the space, the open mikes that we had, the stupid shit that we did, that is irreplaceable.
