For the majority of his life, Mark Romig has been responsible for helping to market the city to the masses; to show them exactly why our below sea level jewel of a town is so great. Romig grew up in Lakeview, went to Brother Martin and graduated from LSU New Orleans when it was originally LSUNO. He went to Pontchartrain Beach and spent Sundays in the Superdome along with his dad Jerry Romig (the “Voice of the Saints”). He is a New Orleans story. And now, he’s moved into podcast hosting with “The Mark Romig Show,” interviewing quintessentially New Orleans people and shining an even brighter light on the Big Easy to anyone who will listen. I asked him at one point during this interview, who is the most quintessentially New Orleans person he’s ever known. And while his answer was a great choice, it made me think that Mark Romig is, himself, a very quintessentially New Orleans figure.
Your dad has cemented his own legacy and status in the city, but when you were younger, did you ever think that you would become a public-facing representation of the city? You know, no, I didn’t. We always thought Dad was going to live forever, that he would always be the Saints announcer, that he would always be at WDSU Channel 6 doing his editorials, and he would always be “Dad.” But I have to tell you, I always had a little bit of a bug for getting on stage or doing something like that, so dad was sort of the role model or the blueprint for all of this.
From the World’s Fair, talking to people about the Saints or your work with New Orleans and Co., is there anything you can’t market about New Orleans that people just have to experience in order to understand? In New Orleans, it’s different. It’s different here and it’s truly because of the people. It’s having that interaction, it’s walking down the street and not having someone cast their eyes down on on the sidewalk as they pass you, but actually looking you in the eyes and say, “How are you doing?” It’s a simple, “How’s your day?” The hospitality workers, who are the backbone of our city in so many ways, have perfected this sense of care that they have for others. You’ve just got to experience it.
As the current “Voice of the Saints,” what are you excited about for this upcoming Saints season? I’m feeling really good about the enthusiasm and the way things are coming together. It’s Coach Kellen Moore’s second year, and the Saints have been around — this is their 60th year, that’s a lot of football. It’s a different feeling in the air going into the season, I’m feeling really good about this.
Did you think you would ever host a podcast? I tell you, that was not on the bucket list. But when Keith and Glenn Haggerty approached me, I was going through the transition of starting my own little company, I knew that I was going to have more schedule availability to do other things, and I was looking for some other things because, you know, I still have a mortgage. I said, “Yeah, why not?” I immediately started thinking about Dad’s experience with television. Dad had two call-in shows, so I knew what his approach would be. Like I did with the announcing for the Saints, [I thought,] let me just take his lessons and apply it and do him proud.
Have you learned something new about your own city through doing the podcast? I’ve learned about restaurants. I mean, you know, we’ve got so many restaurants. We’ve got so many establishments and museums and attractions. I’m hearing from all corners and my list of places I need to go to and be a visitor in my own hometown is increasing. But what I love about it is I’m getting to know people. And I’m understanding folks at another level. And that to me is a blessing. That’s a gift. That’s why I love what I do.
One day, when you are looking back at your career after you are retired and hopefully sitting on a beach somewhere or in a condo on St. Charles Avenue, what do you hope people will say has been your contribution to the city? That’s a tough one! That I’m always looking for the glass half full, glass half empty thing. I always wanted to think that there’s a positive side to everything and we should look to that and not dwell on the negative side.
That I affirmed people. I helped make them feel like they were doing something important because everyone does important things, but sometimes you need someone else to tell you. I appreciate being from New Orleans because I think New Orleans made me who I am from the standpoint of giving back, so the idea that I took the lessons of my parents and grandparents and gave as much of myself to the community as I could, [and] model a way for some other folks to get involved. It’s hard to think about what your legacy is going to be because I never thought I’d be where I’m sitting now, but hopefully that I did leave a roadmap for people to follow.
Lagniappe
One New Orleans tradition you couldn’t live without: Mardi Gras Day, riding in the Rex parade
Who is the most quintessentially New Orleans person you’ve ever known: Irma Thomas
True confession: I was Mayor of Munchkin City during “The Wizard of Oz” at NORD back in 1967.
