TrueSouth episode 15 review: Mobile Bay, Alabama
Mobile Bay looks like paradise, but look a little closer and you’ll find history as deep as the Mobile Ship Channel.
By: Bossman Slim
“Damn the torpedoes boys, full speed ahead.” —Larry Joe Taylor, “Mobile Bay”
Texas coastal cowboy and singer-songwriter Larry Joe Taylor once paraphrased Rear Admiral David Farragut’s famous words from the Battle of Mobile Bay, a sentence with layers as thick as the Bay itself…
While Mobile Bay may look like a place on island time, it’s a place made of blue-collar grit, with ingredients of all backgrounds.
“I’m here for a liquid breakfast because I’m a grown-ass man,” says our host John T. Edge in the most eloquent line we’ve ever heard out of our favorite southern wordsmith. That’s right before he says “buh bye” after downing a shot of Patron with Pirate’s Cove bartender Lucia Wills. It’s 10:00 am. Has John T. written Will Ferrell movies before? If not, he should have his agent make a few calls.
Pirate’s Cove is a little oasis on the Bay, started by Paul Mueller, Sr. a former hard-ass Marine who carved out a little slice of paradise now visited by thousands every summer. Boats come from miles around to dock for the day and down a few (or more) Bushwackers, grab one of their famous burgers and let the dogs run free. At times it may look like a dog rescue on the water, but it’s more like a rescue for souls of the Jimmy Buffett variety, those who wash up from the bay asking “Where’s the rum” like they’re Captain Jack Sparrow. Not to fear, they’ll find it here at Pirate’s Cove.
Pirates Cove invites you to wander over and get Bushwacked. (Photo: Mobile Bay Magazine)
Growing up on the East Coast, the place reminds me of a staple on another bay, the Isle of Wright Bay in Ocean City, Maryland called Seacrets. The place is known far and wide, welcoming revelers early and helping them stay late into the night, enjoying the water, drinks, food, and live music all day long. By 4:00 pm, most of the patrons look more like zombies than the living. It’s worth it every time.
Pirate’s Cove is now run by Paul’s sons who have kept the place going in his stead. They’ve done it through many hard times, as the Bay is often hit hard by tropical storms and hurricanes. No matter what, they rebuild and just keep going. That’s the spirit of the people in Mobile.
After recovering from his liquid breakfast, John T. gives us a history lesson on the boats of the Bay and how it ties into the history of our country. Once lost to the depths of the Bay and kept secret for years, the Clotilda, the last slave ship to arrive on the shores of the United States, was found in 2019. It’s given many in Mobile a sense of their own history, especially since descendants of those slaves brought over on the Clotilda still live in the area. Though the history is dark, the grit and courage of those in Mobile always shine through. People like street artist Apollo feel a connection to that long-lost slave ship, while looking forward to a brighter tomorrow.
The U.S.S. Alabama is also at its final docking station in Mobile Bay. It served in WWII and it’s still a mighty machine to behold. When looking at it, I can’t help but think how incredibly powerful those ships are, and of the ingenuity of human beings. America produced a war machine like that in 1940, can you imagine what we have now? It’s jarring to ponder. You can visit the U.S.S. Alabama at Veterans Memorial Park.
And talk about grit and courage…how about the Asian-American fishermen who port in Mobile Bay? There are Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese who came to America after the U.S. pulled out of their countries. Coming to a new land with only the shirts on their back and knowledge of fishing, you’ll now see a flotilla of fishing boats head out into the Gulf each morning. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” are the famous words of American poet Emma Lazarus that are emblazoned forevermore on the Statue of Liberty. These Asian-American fishermen embody those words and are now a vital part of the marine economy on the Bay. Who said the American Dream was dead?
Our final stop in TrueSouth episode 15 is for some coastal soul food at Cozy Brown’s Kitchen. Opened over 45 years ago, Cozy Brown’s has become a centerpiece of the Mobile community, serving up fish and grits, cheese grits, oxtail, barbecue ribs, and much more. While the food is mouth-watering, people don’t just come here to satisfy their hunger. Many also come here to satisfy spiritual craving, because owner Cozy Brown is ministering for the Lord. “I always felt that the Lord brought me back here to help my people,” says Brown.
Cozy Brown has been serving patrons in Mobile for 45 years. (Photo: Fox10 News)
“A church of fish and grits. He feeds people who are hungry. He helps those who are lost find their way,” as John T. tells us. Cozy Brown walks the walk. We’re told of how he is known in the community for feeding people on Christmas and how he carries a wad of cash, handing it out in the parking lot to all takers. But the most poignant story is of his almost otherworldly compassion.
In 2016, Brown was leaving the restaurant when he was robbed at gunpoint by a 20-year-old man. After a scuffle, the gun went off and pierced Brown in the chest. The wiley old man recovered, and instead of throwing the full weight of the law against his attacker as most would, Brown asked the court to give him probation so he could give him a job and mentor him. Mr. Brown’s example of compassion and love is something we can all strive to embody.
“Damn the torpedoes boys, full speed ahead.” At face value, it’s a rallying cry and an order. But dig a little deeper, and you see layers of that famous cry that define the people of Mobile. The courage to move forward and fight for what’s right. The grit to carry on, through hurricanes and robbery attempts and a checkered past. And sometimes, it means full speed ahead to Pirates Cove.
It’s the grit and tenacity of a Marine named Paul Mueller Sr., the compassion of Cozy Brown, the forward-thinking of Apollo, the courage of the sailors on the U.S.S. Alabama, and the reckless abandon of Rear Admiral David Farragut.
Mobile Bay is a place of serenity and good times, kept afloat and driven forward by industrious blue-collar Southerners of all stripes. What a beautiful juxtaposition it is.
TrueSouth episodes premiere on SEC Network. New episodes for season six will begin airing this fall.