Q+A with Marvin Kocian

Marvin Kocian led the Historic Krewe of Mid-City in New Orleans in the Sunday night Mardi Gras parade through the Big Easy. The Krewe of Mid-City, which has ridden in the parade for 82 years, chose the Longboater to serve a one-year stint as king. This Saturday, he will continue his reign when he hosts his neighbors at the Pierre for a Mardi Gras-themed breakfast. Read on to learn about what it’s like to be king for a year.

Q: How did you get to be king?
A: They (the Krewe) must have thought I could do the job of being king, so they asked me about two years ago.

Q: What qualities does a king need to have?
A: I guess you have to be jovial and constantly looking for fun. It also helps not to be very shy. I must have had my picture taken 1,000 times. Even at the airport today, I wore my crown, and people were coming up and saying, “Can I take a selfie with you?”

Q: Are you from New Orleans ?
A: No, but I spent a lot of my work time down there, first when I was in the service and was stationed at Camp LeRoy Johnson there, then when I got my first job, I had a territory down there. Later, when I had my own company, I spent about three days a week there for 13 years. I’m originally from Wisconsin.

Q: How many Mardi Gras celebrations have you participated in?
A: Nine. The first was a year or two before Hurricane Katrina. The first time, I was just blown away by the presentation. The year of Katrina, they decided that there shouldn’t be any celebration, but it was surprising because the native N’awlins people wanted there to be a celebration, and because of the demand from the local population, they did have parties and parades. The most telling sign we ever saw as we were going down the street was people sitting out on the lawns barbecuing together. When we passed the shotgun houses, there was a white family and a black family together with a sign that said, “Thanks for the lafs. We had enuf tears.” That said it all.

Q: Do people call you “Your Highness?”
A: Oh yes, and they encourage you to wear your crown everywhere. I pretty much wore it for three days straight.

Q: Is your crown heavy?
A: Yes, it weighs about 3 pounds. I went to Mobile, Ala., to have it made at a place called Dynasty Collections. They make the crowns for Miss America and for some royalty.

Q: Is your reign over now?
A: No, I reign until October. You’re king for a year, not queen for a day. You start out in the fall with a big coronation ball with 400 or so people from the Krewe. Mardi Gras season actually starts Jan. 6. In N’awlins, people start holding various parties and such any time in January and February.

Q: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen people do for beads?
A: A lot of women will lift their blouses, but you can’t imagine how many signs there are that say, “It’s my first Mardi Gras” or “It’s my birthday.” I think the silliest sign I saw said, “Old broads want new beads.”

Q: You’ll host your neighbors from the Pierre at a Mardi Gras brunch this weekend. If you could be king of Pierre, what would be your royal decree?
A: There isn’t much I would decree, because the Pierre is a wonderful place. I could decree that we have a party every week.

—Robin Hartill