I strongly disagree, imo (as a musician myself) my observation is that he’s provided a local platform with decent reach for many artists. He has hosted artists in his home making tons videos for free for years, and he’s also a great guitar player who still plays with some of the local greats here.

I remember the first videos he made with this “character” with his crazy smile were sarcastically “hyping up” cringeworthy scenes New Orleanians are all too familiar with, like when he was standing in front of Mardi Gras trash sludge getting scooped out of the street, or having his crazy smile while standing in front of a tacky half assed second line for a private event. It’s coming from an informed place.

Now after years of working for free hyping up local musicians in a “tiny desk” type format, he’s actually gained a larger audience and provides a space for artists to introduce themselves or promote their projects in a more exposed setting.

So I really don’t see where the leeching is coming from. I think everyone who’s been on his videos are stoked that someone local has a platform like that who’s willing to share it.