Ms. M:        You play a lot of different instruments, but was the fiddle the
                     first instrument you ever played?

 Doug:        Yes.


 Ms. M:        Who taught you how to play the fiddle?

 Doug:         I am self taught.


 Ms. M:        How or why did you start playing?

 Doug:        My parents and brothers played.  And the instruments were there.


 Ms. M:        How many instruments do you play?

 Doug:        "29"


 Ms. M:        What is the first song you wrote?

 Doug:        "Dreams of Yesterday" (English)  It's not recorded.


 Ms. M:        Of all the songs you wrote, what is your favorite?

 Doug:        "Louisiana Man"


 Ms. M:        What is your favorite song to perform?

 Doug:        I have no particular favorites.


 Ms. M:        How did you get your name - did your mother name
                     you after anyone?

Doug:        Yes, a childhood friend, Douglas Mouton.
 

 Ms. M:        One of your newest CD’s/Cassettes is "Two Step Fever" and
                     I think, perhaps, it is one of your best because you can hear
                     the instrumentation (is there such a word?).  The fiddle and the
                     accordion are not overpowered by the other instruments.

 Doug:        Thank you.  It is definitely one of my favorites.  My wife came
                     up with title, and I think it's appropriate for her to name the album
                     because she's been wanting me to do a French album for years.


 Ms. M:        Did you write a lot of new songs for this album or did you have
                     them written, but had just not recorded them?

 Doug:        One is all new - "Lake Arthur Two Step," but the others are old
                     melodies that I wrote new lyrics for.


 Ms. M:        Also, why did you not include "The Kershaw Two-Step," which
                     is a great song?

 Doug:        I didn't think about it.  Next time . . .


 Ms. M:        How can I get some of your old albums?

 Doug:        Well, one place would be a record specialty store that sells
                     old/used records and tapes. However, we are selling them
                     on the Web Site, too.   And each one is autographed. 
                     In fact,  I do autograph a bunch of them for you every time
                     whenever you bring them to my concerts.
              
            
 Ms. M:        Are they ever going to reissue your music on CD's?

 Doug:        We are looking into doing that, but it may take a while.


 Ms. M:        How can your fans get some of your new CD's and T-Shirts
                     and things?

 Doug:        Honestly, space is limited when we travel - the band and me
                     and all our instruments in a van!

                     So, we just sell photos and "Two Step Fever" and  "Diggy
                     Diggy Lo" after the concert. The best place, and about the
                     only place to buy my souvenirs, is on my Web Site.

              
 Ms. M:        Tell me about your trademark velvet suits. How did you happen
                     to start wearing them and why did you stop wearing them?
              
 Doug:        I wanted an Edwardian look but then it finally got too hot to wear.
                

 Ms. M:        I know you have lived in a variety of places - Louisiana,
                     Nashville, Tennessee, California, and most recently, Colorado.
                     Even though you still spend summers in Louisiana, has it been
                     difficult for you to adjust to the cold, snow and 4 seasons?

 Doug:        Not as long as I have coats and shoes!


 Ms. M:        The song, "Louisiana Man" is autobiographical.  It starts out,
                     "At birth mama and papa called their little boy Ned." Who
                     is Ned? And who are some of the others?

 Doug:        Ned is for me.  Mack is Rusty.  Lin(da) and Bren(da) are my
                     oldest brother Ed's twin daughters.


 Ms. M:        The words that seem to trip up your fans are "Pirogue" and
                     "Even has a lady mink, a muskrat's cousin."

 Doug:        "Pirogue" is a Cajun flat-bottom boat and a mink and a muskrat
                     are both rats - cousins!

                     Note: Pirogue is pronounced peer-oh


 Ms. M:        "Diggy Diggy Lo" and "Diggy Diggy La" - what do they mean?

 Doug:        They don't really mean anything in the sense that they can
                     be translated.  They're just fun words. But in French, Lo is
                     masculine and La is feminine, so Diggy Diggy Lo is the boy
                     and Diggy Diggy La is the girl.


 Ms. M:        What does "Fais do do" mean?  (Pronounced Fay doe doe).

 Doug:        "Fais do do" has been used to identify a Cajun Dance or
                     a party, but it means, "Go to sleep" in Cajun French. It is
                     used when the Cajun mothers would take turns rocking
                     and singing, "Fais do do me te ba ba."  This translates
                     into English as, "Go to sleep my little baby."

                     While the mama's are singing, the other mamas and all
                     the other daddies are in the other room dancing to Cajun
                     music. I've got the feeling the party was named by the
                     mama's rocking the babies, "Go to sleep you little . . . "


 Ms. M:        One of the lines to this song is, "The pop was cold, the café
                     chaud." For those of us who don't speak French, please translate.

 Doug:        Well, pop is soda pop.  I know, that's not French.  Ha. Ha.
                     Café means coffee and chaud means hot.


 Ms. M:        Are you and Sammy Kershaw related?

 Doug:        Yes, we are.  My grandfather and his grandfather were
                     brothers, so that makes us 2nd cousins.


 Ms. M:        What does Kershaw translate to in Cajun French?

 Doug:        Kershaw is an English name. Cajuns pronounce it Casha.


 Ms. M:        When you want to "pig-out", so to speak, what is your favorite
                     snack food or food you can't resist?

 Doug:        Ice Cream.


 Ms. M:        What flavor?

 Doug:        Vanilla.


 Ms. M:        What is your fondest memory of your daddy Jack and your mama
                     Rita (either separate or together)?

 Doug:        That's going to be in my book.


 Ms. M:        When do you expect your biography to be published and
                     in the book stores?

 Doug:        No date yet.


 Ms. M:        Of all your concerts, what is the most unusual set of
                     circumstances you've ever played in?

 Doug:        That will be in the book, too.


 Ms. M:        Okay, how about this one. What is one of the funniest things
                     that happened during a concert?

 Doug:        My fly broke . . . .


 Ms. M:        A lot of your fans write that they saw you at the Palamino Club
                     in California.  Can you tell us a little about it and is it still there?

 Doug:        It was just a Red Neck Honky Tonk.


 Ms. M:        You recorded another album last year. When will it be out?

 Doug:        That album is not going to happen for a variety of reasons.


 Ms. M:        So now what?

 Doug:        Well. Marty Stuart and I are going to be doing an album together.
                     We've both been so we aren’t sure when it will be out.


 Ms. M:        We know that Tyler sometimes plays the drums in your band
                     and Eli is just hitting his teens.  But are your older sons,
                     Douglas, Jr., Victor or Zachary musically inclined or in show business?

 Doug:        They are all musically talented.


 Ms. M:        A lot of performers have stage fright.  Do you ever get nervous
                     before a show?

 Doug:        Anxious not frightened.


 Ms. M:        How did you learn to play double stops (two strings at a time?).

 Doug:        They were there.

                     Note from Ms. M:  I asked Doug this question one other time
                     and his answer was, "Two strings? Sometimes I play 3 and
                     4 strings at the same time!"


 Ms. M:        You were born in Tiel Ridge.  I can't find it on any map.
                     Where is it located?

 Doug:        It's not on a map.  It was just a place in Cameron Parrish
                     to tie a houseboat to.


 Ms. M:      Where did you grow up?

 Doug:        After Tiel Ridge, we tied up at Lowrey, Louisiana.  Then
                     moved to Lake Arthur when I was 7 years old.  Then to
                     Jennings when I was 11 until 21.


 Ms. M:        I remember you telling me that you had no plans to retire
                     because you love to perform.  I think your fans hope this
                     is still true?

 Doug:        Tis true.


 Ms. M:        Anything else?

 Doug:        "Stay tuned."

(Photo taken in Las Vegas - August 1997)

This is a conversation between Doug and his webmaster,
 Melodee, who he always refers to as Ms. M.