The Travel Channels Time Traveling with Brian Unger comes to the New Orleans area for an episode at 7 pm Thursday (June 25). Guests in the episode, which also takes a side-trip to track Bonnie amp; Clydes trail through Texas, includeLeah Rucker and Delfeayo Marsalis.

Heres an edited email Qamp;A with Unger:

Q: How do you conceive and compose episodes? How do you find the balance between history-geek stuff and what a broad audience might be interested in? Humor and serious?

A: Its a great question, and highlights the challenges we face on the pre-production side — how do we select venues and stories that go to the heart of our conceit? We call them hooks: familiar but new; compelling but fun; accessible but explorable; etc. Its important, too, for us to challenge viewers preconceived notions and myths about a place, so, yes, its a tall order. Then theres the visual language of a place we have to consider — does it transmit to viewers; is there enough to look at? And then theres the more ephemeral: are we creating a feeling of exclusivity, a thrill, or vicarious experience? We look at a lot of metrics before we launch on a story. And not all of these metrics are equal — some elements of a story can be stretched more than others, so in the end, its really the sum of the parts: setting, story, characters — the things that make all good narratives sing. I will say on the humor side, its left to me and the production team to create the moment, and thats something often unplanned. And not all of those moments make the final cut. And sometimes, our genius graphics department will contribute a bit that we then have to execute in the field. They superimposed a babys face over mine after I drank from the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, Fla. — it was weird and funny.

Was there a book or a site or a story that first turned you on to history?

I remember the book well – Crusaders and Pragmatists by John Stoessinger, which was assigned reading for me as an undergrad by Professor Olufssen at Ohio University. For better or worse, these two personality types shape our histories most, and there is a time and place for both.

History is quite alive in New Orleans, where you can turn a corner and be in the 1910s or 1880s or earlier. Did you experience that when you were here filming?

Yes, we did experience that in New Orleans, and it goes to the heart, I believe, of the shows altruism if it had one — that preservation is key for cities to attract travelers. There needs to be a sense that something came before, a remnant that transports people to a broader historical experience or relevance. New Orleans is wonderful for that reason, and many others. The ghosts of its past are everywhere, palpable. And Im not supernatural. But there is something to how Native Americans view time and history — that its circular, not linear, and everywhere around us, speaking to us, defining us, and giving us identity.

Your show is based on the premise that history is alive everywhere, even in places that might not recognize it. Whats been the most surprising/enlightening destination for you so far on the show?

Well, weve been to some amazing and inspiring places where invention, creativity, ambition and even courage have defined places — like New Orleans, Cape Canaveral or the Grand Canyon. But not to get tooJoseph Campbell on you, personally, Im fascinated by the birth of myth — like Bonne amp; Clyde, Billy the Kid or Jean Lafitte — especially juxtaposed with the current age in which a ceaseless media-industrial complex tells us whats important.

This episode combines Bonnie amp; Clyde and jazz in New Orleans. What knits those things together?

Bonnie, Clyde, Jean Lafitte are all semi-mythic figures who acted out of economic necessity. In the process, they became notorious and romanticized. When in reality, these were pretty awful people motivated by profit, hubris and a sense of moral indignation and self-authority. In New Orleans, the citys elite profited just as much as Lafitte did. Our short history on New Orleans jazz was just pure joy, and to dive into the origins of that cultural gumbo fostered a new admiration for the pioneers like Louis Armstrong and the curators and innovators like Delfeayo Marsalis who helped us out so much with our piece.

Did you visit the Bonnie amp; Clyde death site? What was that like?

No, we did not — ironically, its one of only a few places we didnt visit for our story. The ambush that brought them down is significant — but the country road in Louisiana was just beyond our logistics for the shoot. Its funny, and again this is just my personal take on history, but grave sites feel, and especially for TV, like an end to a story, a punctuation, and are very different from the living histories were trying to tell which I find most fascinating.

Had you spent much time in New Orleans before coming here for the episode? If so, any tales to tell?

This was my second trip to New Orleans. And the experience was quintessential New Orleans — except for the part about being stuck out on the swamp when our airboat experienced engine trouble. It was cold, it was funny, but not so funny for the two crew members we left standing in the swamp for five hours avoiding alligators and snakes, waiting for rescue.

How cool is Delfeayo Marsalis? What did you learn from him?

Verycool. Did I mention, cool? Besides him schooling me on the mechanics of New Orleans jazz, he taught me that New Orleans is a great, ongoing, uniquely American story that is being passed from generation to generation. A perfect gumbo of myth and fact that no other city comes close to touching.

Got a TV question? Contact Dave Walker at dwalker@nola.com or 504.826.3429. Read more TV coverage at NOLA.com/tv. Hes @DaveWalkerTV on Twitter, and Dave Walker TV on Facebook.

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