What follows are distilled quotes from a conversation in 2002 with New Orleans resident and proud Saints fan Leroy Mitchell, Jr., better known as the Whistle Monsta.

So, you’re a sales executive at Giocona Container Corporation by day and by Sunday…

I’m a Saints fan— the ultimate Saints fan. I never really cared about the fame. I was just really interested in folks getting into the game. It started five years ago. I came up with the idea of making noise.

I also could whistle ever since I was a kid about 15 years old. I knew I had talent that I could whistle loud, but I never thought about it until I went to a Saints game. It hit me, what if I made this gigantic whistle, and the wind from everyone around me would serve as the pressure blowing into the whistle and I can produce the sound. I can whistle 126 decibels, which really causes damage to your ears.

I relate that back to your grandmother. There are two things she always told me: Everybody has a talent. You just have to find it.

You earned the Loudest Human Whistle award during MTV’s Show Us Your Bits talent contest during Mardi Gras 2002. You were also part of a Japanese television production around that same time.

It’s a sports show that has a million viewers all over Japan. The Super Bowl was here in New Orleans, so these guys came down. They were intrigued by my whistle. The first time they came was right before the Super Bowl, and they followed me around. Going around with a complete camera crew all day— you get some looks.

What are the primary things that Giocona makes?

Here in New Orleans, we’re known for the Mardi Gras throw cups. The best thing about Mr. G is he constantly pushes the envelope. We’re going to be 80 years old this year. He’s a pioneer in plastic.

How long ago did you start here?

About eight years ago. I started off at Giocona just catching cups. Somebody sits there, takes them, stacks them up and puts them in a box. I said, “Okay, I have to work harder. I have to do everything longer, and everything I did was tougher. It’s the ultimate story of climbing the ladder.

Does it ruin your day if the Saints lose?

No, it doesn’t. I know it’s just a game, and I look at it as therapy. [At work] I’ve got all these phone calls, three or four phones going at the same time, deadlines to meet, quotas to make and products to ship. It gets kind of crazy. So, if I can just go, kick back, scream, yell and go crazy for a few hours, it’s a release for me.

Before you became the Whistle Monsta were you always a hug fan?

I was Fan of the Year in the three-and-thirteen season. Like, we only won three games, and I was still the fan of the year because I really care. Even if the game’s twenty-nothing or whatever, I still always whistle until the last tick— always. You can’t give up until the last tick of the clock.