November 2018
Q&A
Putting on a Smile
Head Handmaid
Laughing Himself to Death
Communication alum Ben Estus turns Dave Holstein’s show ‘Kidding’ puts a it on in ‘Book of Mormon’ p.5 ray of sunshine in a troubled world p.10
‘Handmaid’s Tale’ author Margaret Atwood speaks at Northwestern p.6
Rich Koz mixes horror and humor p.12
THE MONTHLY Contents Q&A
Communication alum Ben Estus turns it on in ‘Book of Mormon’
Head Handmaid
‘Handmaid’s Tale’ author Margaret Atwood speaks at Northwestern
Putting on a Smile
Dave Holstein’s show ‘Kidding’ puts a ray of sunshine in a troubled world
Laughing Himself to Death
Rich Koz celebrates 40 years of mixing horror and humor in ‘Svengoolie’
05 06 10 12
Staff of The Monthly Issue 14
Madeleine Fernando Jane Recker Monthly Editors Ruiqi Chen Designer
Crystal Wall Charlotte Walsh Writers
Cover photo and page 3 photos: Colin Boyle/Daily Senior Staffer and Brian Meng/Daily Senior Staffer
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Friends, Romans, countrymen. It is a spooky time indeed. Many of us got jack-o-hammered for Halloween this past weekend, grades are taking a death-defying nosedive after students slogged through the throes of midterm season and, perhaps the greatest scare of all for some of you dear readers, rent was due yesterday, BOO!! Of course, this unsettled, haunted feeling has plagued many of us for much longer than the month of October. Regardless of your political leanings, there’s no denying something feels...off. While there is fair reason for many to be politically outraged, this uneasy feeling extends beyond policy. It’s the mild anxiety you get trying to put together names and faces with political charges in President Trump’s ever-rotating Russian novel of a cabinet. It’s the feeling of hopelessness when facts and opinions are presented with the same credibility. It’s that sinking in the pit of your stomach when you realize “covfefe” could show up as a term on your future kid’s AP US History exam. We are a country that was established on change, that thrives on change, that needs change to survive. But lately we’ve been a country that is changing more rapidly than ever before. Drastic changes to the functionality of our most sacred institutions and core beliefs have left the majority of Americans feeling a little seasick. But, like any motion sickness, there can be a cure. So, if you’re one of the many Americans who’s been feeling a little off, go vote on Nov. 6. If you’re happy with how your representatives have been doing, sign them up for a round two. If you think they’ve been trash, get them out of there. And vote for your local offices as well. Speaking from personal experience reporting on local government, it is shocking how much of your daily life is regulated by local and state governments, especially when it comes to taxation. Our forefathers kind of had a thing about taxation, so do them proud and don’t throw away your chance to choose the representation that determines your taxation. For those of who say you won’t vote because you don’t have the time to fairly research the candidates as an incredibly busy Northwestern student, puh-lease. There are many great guides put out by local newspapers about the basic views of each candidate, and, quite frankly, hundreds of people die each year trying to become a citizen of this country, so the least you can do is give your civic duty the same importance as one of your classes. So, may this letter be embedded in your conscience this weekend as you begin the travesties of Halloweekend 2.0. Drunkenly dance to the monster mash, rock that basic slutty cat costume, but make sure you have your Pumpkin Spice hangover cured by Tuesday.
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— by Crystal Wall
Ben Estus (Communication ’13) is living his “spooky mormon hell dream” performing alongside the Broadway cast of “The Book of Mormon.” Estus joined the ensemble just a year after he graduated, to perform the hilariously irreverent material. After four years of playing a friendly Mormon and cracking up New York audiences, Estus tells The Daily about his experience with the show.
The Daily: Before you ended up on Broadway, you did theater at Northwestern. What was your fondest memory from back then? Estus: I look back very fondly on all my Waa-Mus; I was part of Waa-Mu all four years. It’s such a unique experience to have as a student because you write the show and see it performed with a full orchestra and whole cast. The production is really incredible. The Daily: How did you land your role in Book of Mormon? Estus: When they were casting one of the national tours, they came (to Chicago) and saw a bunch of us from Northwestern, so that was my first experience auditioning with them. After my senior showcase in New York, they called me in again. It was about a year later that I started going in for more specific callbacks for the track I ended up getting. My first performance was the beginning of June 2014. The Daily: What’s it like performing in the same show for four years straight? Estus: It’s definitely wild. At Northwestern you rehearse for four months and then do a show for two weekends, maybe just one. This, I rehearsed for two weeks and I’ve done over 1,500 shows. I feel really lucky to be in a show as good as this one is. It’s always fun and always funny — audiences love it. It makes it really fun to come to work and it’s a really great environment. It’s the kind of show that you have no choice but to Photo: Source: Ben Estus
leave smiling every night because it’s so fun to do. The Daily: What do you do to keep your experience fresh every night? Estus: It’s the same kind of stuff that I learned in school, just trying to live in the moment and be present. The cast changes so much, and standbys and understudies go on which makes it feel like a different show. After four years, there are so many new choices you can make, but two years later you can forget (previous choices) and rediscover things. There are still parts that always get me. I saw the show two or three times before I started and just lost it every time. I hadn’t seen the show since I started in the summer, and I got to sit out in the audience and watch it, and I was still losing it. The Daily: What about this show makes the humor so timeless? Estus: (The creators of South Park and The Book of Mormon) Matt (Stone) and Trey (Parker) are just so smart. It’s the way they craft stuff. They weave things together in a way that people wouldn’t normally think about, but when it hits you it’s like a lightbulb goes off. It’s almost
like making an inside joke with the audience, because it’s hinting at things that everyone knows whether or not they actually talk about it. ◊
“Handmaid’s Tale” author Margaret Atwood speaks at Northwestern
I
f you’ve seen a shock of red in a besuited D.C. courtroom or a white-hooded woman quietly protesting in front of the Capitol, you’ve seen the work of Margaret Atwood incarnate. Inspired by Atwood’s bestseller “The Handmaid’s Tale,” these women model themselves after the novel’s handmaids — fertile women forcibly raped each month by a brutal elite class. Their presence at high-profile political events like the Senate hearings for now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is unmistakable and sends a clear message of how they feel. On Atwood’s part, the awardwinning novelist commends the protestors tactics, calling them “perfect.” “Nobody can accuse (protestors) of dressing immodestly, and
(they) can’t be kicked out for causing a disruption because (they’re) not saying anything,” Atwood said. “But anybody looking at it understands it.” Atwood spoke at a One Book keynote Tuesday at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall to a soldout audience in a conversation with English Prof. Helen Thompson. Her novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” is the program’s 20182019 selection for the academic year and was sent to all first-year students over the summer. The book focuses on a dystopian reality in which the United States government has been overthrown by a theocratic regime. In this “Republic of Gilead,” the ruling
— by Charlotte Walsh
class of men subjugate and blame women due to a massive fertility crisis. Justifying themselves with a passage from the Old Testament, men assign Gilead’s remaining few fertile women to households to bear children for its husband and wife. The novel’s protagonist, Offred, is one of these “handmaids.” In a post on the One Book website, Thompson said the popularity of Hulu’s television show of the same name was part of why “The Handmaid’s Tale” was chosen as this year’s One Book. More importantly, though, she said the book compels its readers to examine the current national conversation about sexual assault, restrictive politics and the #MeToo movement. “Atwood’s vision of a totalitarian theocracy in which fertile women’s bodies are directly controlled by a ruling caste of men has assumed urgent elements to the current political moment,” Thompson said in her introduction of Atwood. Acknowledging the “creepily real” actuality of some of the events depicted in the novel, Atwood said nothing in the book is completely fictional — she took true stories from different parts of the world and wove a narrative from them. As opposed to labeling her books as works of science fiction, she instead refers to her books as “speculative fiction,” meaning, she said, these events are
Photo: Brian Meng/Daily Senior Staffer
based in reality. In writing “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Atwood said she was inspired by three different historical areas of study: 17th century Puritan New England, 20th century totalitarianism and the 1980s backlash against women’s reproductive rights. Atwood said the book’s New England setting was meant to be “shocking,” since the region was the birthplace of the American Revolution. The book has become more relevant since its original publishing in 1985, Atwood said. Citing the recent pipe bomb threats against Trump critics and the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting as examples, Atwood said there is valid concern the democratic ideals America has represented for centuries are now under threat. “This time that we’re in right now, I’ve never seen anything so close to the 1930s in the 78 years I’ve been alive,” Atwood said. “The 30s were very polarized and saw the rise of a number of fascist states, and a very active right pitted against a very active left. In either case, totalitarianism is emerging...and (dictatorships) all try to control women, one way or another.” Although the novel feels more pertinent in recent times, Atwood said she wouldn’t change the recording method Offred uses to tell her story. In the book, Offred creates the narrative in her own head, due to a ban on reading and writing for women. In an epilogue, it is revealed “The Handmaid’s Tale” has been mysteriously preserved on a series of cassette tapes and is now studied by scholars of the Gilead era. Atwood said even though new technology has been invented since the book’s original publishing, this would not change Offred’s recording system, as she needed something she
could hide away from the rest of the world until the dictatorship had fallen. During the talk, Thompson spoke about a recent second epilogue added to the novel’s audiobook which includes a strange message from a Gilead scholar who tells the listener to wait one or two more years for more news on the regime. Thompson then asked if there was a possibility of a sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale.” To that, Atwood gave a coy smile. “November the 29th is the big day,” she said mysteriously. She did not comment further. The future implied by the epilogues foreshadows the eventual fall of the book’s authoritarian government, but it’s unclear if this is thanks to the secretive resistance group discovered in the novel, Mayday. Atwood said Mayday is representative of the many protest movements against oppressive governments, citing Nazi opponents and members of the Underground Railroad as examples, and reminding the audience, “there are always resistances, organized or not.” She noted college students, especially those of today, are more resistant and
politically engaged than those of the previous generation because of current administration policies and the frequency of tragedies such as mass shootings. She said she was excited to speak to Northwestern students because of the effect young people have on the future of the country. Her advice to this generation of college students? “Vote early, and vote often,” she said. “There is such a thing as truth. There is such a thing as evidence-based science and there is such a thing as evidence-based policy.” Most of all, she said, “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a story of an ordinary woman to whom extraordinary things happen. As seen in many of the histories that served as inspiration for the book’s plot, it’s never out of the realm of reason to think a sequence of extraordinary events could begin at any moment. “Never say it can’t happen here, because these things could flip a lot faster than you think,” Atwood said. ◊
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Dave Holstein’s show “Kidding” puts a ray of sunshine in a troubled world
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— by Madeleine Fernando
Photos: Source: Jennifer Eckstein, Showtime Photo Publicity
D
ave Holstein is no stranger to rejection. Though he continuously wrote plays from his dorm room during his time at Northwestern, it wasn’t always easy getting theater boards to accept and produce his work. Where other young artists would cry defeat, though, Holstein got creative. When trying to obtain Parkes Hall for his play “Porn and Happiness,” he left out the “Porn” part of the title when pitching the show to the church. In another instance, Holstein offered up his own apartment for an intimate theatrical experience. Now a showrunner and writer at Showtime, Holstein still keeps that creative drive in his work. After years of pitching his show, “Kidding” premiered on Showtime in September, starring Jim Carrey. “This is a script I’ve had in my drawer for eight years and I never gave up on it and I got it produced,” Holstein said. “My experience at Northwestern had a big part in that.” “Kidding” follows Mr. Pickles, a Mr. Rogers-esque character who is the embodiment of light and optimism and an icon in children’s television. Armed with colorful puppets, Mr. Pickles — played by Carrey — teaches life lessons to America’s youth on his long-running television show, “Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time.” However, unbeknownst to his loyal viewers, Mr. Pickles grapples with his life off-camera as he struggles with the loss of one of his sons and his flailing family life. At its core, Holstein said the show is about a kind man in a cruel world. “Kidding” was Holstein’s passion project for a number of years. He began the script in 2010, but it wasn’t until 2013 that he completed his first draft. Holstein described “Kidding” as a dramedy which strikes a balance of light-heartedness and humor with darker themes. In creating a show that can “visually go off the rails,” Holstein stressed the importance of grounding the show in the emotional story of someone
trying to win his family back and be the best version of himself. Episodes in “Kidding” don’t follow any kind of formula, Holstein said. While some — the pilot included — may be considered darker or bleak, others are more hopeful and funny. “You’re creating this whole balance of tone and comedy and drama and pathos that is unique but it’s not too much one or the other,” Holstein said. “It’s a constant balancing act.” Carrey was always in Holstein’s mind for the show’s lead role. While Holstein considered alternates, it didn’t take long for him to realize “Kidding” was tailor-written for Carrey and couldn’t be produced without him. Not only could he expertly navigate both the comedic and dramatic aspects of the show, Carrey also brought with him a certain sense of nostalgia. “To me he represents a big part of my childhood,” Holstein said. “In telling a story about the rocks that life throws at you, it felt like you needed someone who had a previous relationship with everyone else’s childhood.” In addition to Carrey, “Kidding” features an all-star cast and creative team including Tony Award-winner Frank Langella and actress Judy Greer. Director and executive producer Michel Gondry previously worked with Carrey on the classic film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Holstein said his goal on set was to create a “sandbox” environment where Carrey could act in a range of capacities. “Some days we’d do more dramatic scenes that remind you of him in ‘Eternal Sunshine’ or ‘The Truman Show’ and then some days we would just put on a song and dance with puppets,” Holstein said. “There are few actors that are so game for all of that.” Holstein also enlisted the help of fellow Communication alum Alan Schmuckler (Communication ’05) who came on board to write songs, music and additional lyrics for the show. The two previously worked together as writers for the Waa-Mu show, and stayed
in touch as friends and collaborators post-graduation. Schmuckler read early drafts of “Kidding,” and was immediately drawn to its intriguing characters and distinct tone. “As a music and lyrics writer, I’m always drawn to moments of great emotion,” he said. “If the emotion is big enough, then it sings and that’s when I get to do my thing.” Communication Prof. Cindy Gold — who taught Holstein in his undergrad years — first heard of “Kidding” from social media and got hooked after watching its pilot. She called the show “not typical television” and praised the combination of Schmuckler’s nuanced music and Holstein’s unique writing style. Even while at NU, Gold said Holstein had an understanding of people far beyond his years. In his classes, Holstein was always interested in the political and social climate of the world, which he then infused into his creative work. While he didn’t set out to write about Trump’s America, Holstein believes it’s no coincidence “Kidding” got picked up when it did. “Right now you turn on television and it’s a bunch of liars and cynics and bullies and people insulting each other and it just kind of reminded me of the absence of the other voice in the conversation, of someone who is just kind and good,” Holstein said. “To me, there was a sort of need in this day and age to put a character who is kind through the gauntlet of surviving in a world that is increasingly dark and horrible.” Schmuckler echoed this, and said, while the tone can be dark, there’s a deep kernel of optimism that carries the show. Mr. Pickles’ relentless optimism in the face of misfortune is a story he hopes moves people. “This show is for anyone who thinks the world can be better and who is frustrated that it isn’t,” Schmuckler said. “What I hope they take away from it is that the fight is worth it… the fight can be funny and the fight can be sad (but) it’s deeply meaningful and is worth fighting for.” ◊
Rich Koz celebrates 40 years of mixing
horror and humor in “Svengoolie”
— by Jane Recker
T
h e r e ’s something refreshingly simple about the Chicago style of comedy. Unlike the coasts, which often rely on big budgets and flashy productions, Chicago comedy focuses on the people. It’s a little bit slower, a little less refined, a little more off the cuff. It doesn’t look for the easy laughs; instead it gradually builds until you
find yourself smiling and chuckling, almost without realizing it. The majority of the country has been deprived of this style of humor, but Rich Koz might be the one to change that. For over 40 years, Koz has starred as the titular role in “Svengoolie.” The hosted-style horror program got its start in 1970 on WFLD, then made the move to MeTV in 2011. Though “Svengoolie” has long been a Chicago cult classic, its recent national syndication is quickly making Sven a household name. Koz got his start with “Svengoolie” as a freshman at Northwestern in 1970. After sending in potential jokes for the original Svengoolie — Jerry G. Bishop — to perform in his next episode, Bishop invited Koz to write for the show. The first iteration of “Svengoolie” was canceled in 1973 when WFLD changed ownership, but was resurrected in 1979 with Koz taking the reins as “Son of Svengoolie.” WFLD wanted Koz to debut a different look than Bishop’s dated hippie-vampire getup, so Koz rummaged around his house to create Svengoolie’s now signature look of black suit, top-hat, wild black wig, red tux shirt and heavy, skull-like makeup. It was during this period that Koz refined and established the style of humor that
would come to define Svengoolie for decades to come. Though the show relies mostly on simple puns and one-liners about the horror flick shown that week, the overall result is something satisfyingly smart that doesn’t rely on crudity or easy laughs. “It ’s kind of a melange,” Koz said. “There’s stuff I do that’s almost slapsticky, and I think there’s some stuff that’s fairly sharp satire. We weave the different forms of humor and it just seems to work.” Of course, Koz still makes sure to mix in some real groaners. Whenever Sven delivers an achingly bad pun on the show, he’s pelted with yellow rubber chickens as a boo track plays in the background. Koz said this was one of Bishop’s original bits; Bishop wanted to have rotten vegetables thrown at him like people used to do in vaudeville shows, but the producers said he needed to find an alternative that would require less cleanup. Another Bishop legacy Koz has kept alive: the loving continual roasting of the Chicago suburb of Berwyn. While originally included as the brunt for small-town jokes, Berwyn has taken on its own life in the show. If ever something unfortunate is brought up, a nasal whining “Beeerwyyyyn” plays in the background. “(Bishop) wanted to have a local equivalent (to the jokes made about Burbank on Johnny Carson) so he decided on the wonderful village that had a yearly parade in honor of mushrooms, Berwyn,” Koz said. Though Koz has had to cut back on some of the Chicago-centric material since the show’s national syndication in 2011, the essence of the Windy City is still there. Koz said some of his favorite fan mail comes from viewers who grew up watching the original Svengoolie and now share the tradition with Photo: Source: Jim Roche
their children. Koz’s executive producer, Jim Roche, said Svengoolie’s fanbase has exploded since joining MeTV. A once-local cult celebrity is quickly becoming part of the mainstream, he said, with Sven earning his own feature in the December issue of MAD Magazine, recent signing appearances lasting upward of four hours to accommodate over 600 fans and the show trending on pockets of Twitter every Saturday night it airs. In fact, it was through Twitter that Koz began a surprising friendship with Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker and The Joker. Koz said he received an email from Hamill saying how much he loved the show, but Koz didn’t believe it was him. To prove it, Hamill tweeted out “One of the best things I discovered this summer was the Svengoolie show on MeTV” to his 2.93 million followers. “I immediately sent him my phone number and he called me and we talked for about 45 minutes,” Koz said. “Of course I was overwhelmed… it was a great experience.” Since then, Hamill has continued to tweet about Svengoolie and has talked on the phone with Koz many more times; the two even promised to meet up should they ever be in the same city at the same time, with Hamill making a very Skywalkerian prophecy that “someday we will meet, it is our destiny.” Despite becoming friends with Hamill,
winning three local Emmy’s and having the original Svengoolie set installed in the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Koz has remained incredibly humble. Roche said Koz is a delight to work with, and that the person you see on air is who he is in person. “Every single fan (is) important to (Koz),” Roche said. “I’ve met a lot of different celebrities at a lot of different levels, but I’ve never (seen) anybody who understood the value of every single person in an audience (like Koz).” Roche noted that Koz’s endearing quality and the show’s commitment to stay away from political or inappropriate material create an avenue for escapism for many viewers. But Koz’s reasoning for the show’s success is much more quintessentially Chicagoan. Like Chicago Popcorn’s surprisingly perfect sweet-and-savory mixture of caramel and cheese, Koz thinks it’s the show’s unexpected but dynamically pleasing pairing of horror and hilarity that has grown its viewership. “People really love horror movies,” he said. “It’s one of the most entertaining things that people can watch...it’s like riding a roller coaster. You get a lot of thrills and you get scared, but you know when it’s over with, you’re still going to be fine. I’m not tooting my own horn here, but I think the entertainment value we add to it makes it a complete experience.” ◊
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Falcon Eddy’s Barbecue is sinfully good
A
fter resisting for months, I finally gave in to my temptations this Sunday. Walking home from the Davis CTA stop after every day of work this summer, my nose was always seduced by the mouth-watering scent of cured meats in the way Ancient Greek sailors were lured by sirens. “Don’t do it,” I would tell myself. “Think of all the empty calories and money you’ll be spending! You have a nutritious and cost-effective bag salad and tofu waiting for you at home!” And so I would remain strong and make my way to my apartment to eat my paltry rabbit food, telling myself it tasted just
as good as hot Texas barbeque. But we mortals can only resist the dance of the devil for so long. On the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time in the 2018th year of our Lord Jesus Christ, I indulged in the sweet sinfulness of Falcon Eddy’s Barbeque. Unlike Kansas City and Memphis barbeque, which are known for meats dripping in sweet and sticky sauces, Texas barbeque focuses on the decadent flavors of the flesh. Eddy’s seasons its meats in a house dry rub, then smokes them long and slow over hickory, apple and cherry woods until the meat is practically falling off the bone. The results are tender carnivorous tastes defined by bold, smokey bodies with memories of sweetness playing underneath. A pulled pork aficionado myself, the sandwich’s buttery Hawaiian bun created a sweet and savory dynamic when paired with the dark pork. While the meat was juicy and seasoned enough to stand on its own, adding a little bit of special sauce only added dynamic range to the sandwich. My personal favorites were the South Texas Heat
— by Jane Recker (characterized by a mellow spice with a vinegary tang) and the Beale Street Sweet and Spicy, which brought out the meat’s natural sweetness then finished each bite with an acidic kick. Of course, what’s any respectable barbecue without the sides? Workers at Eddy’s recommended the Deviled Egg Potato Salad and Aged Jack Macaroni and Cheese. Though not a personal fan of deviled eggs, the paprika in the potato salad did give it a nice kick. And the use of aged jack in the mac and cheese created a slightly more mature version of the classic dish; the roundness and nuttiness of jack makes it a bit like cheddar’s more artistic cousin. So, after finishing my consumption of enough meat, cheese and carbs to close up my arteries, I proceeded to skip the gym, blow off my readings and instead binge The Good Place and plow through some Halloween candy. All I can say is, live fast, die young, bad girls do it well. If you’re looking to break out of your routine meals of sad vegetables and dry brown rice, Falcon Eddy’s Barbeque will do the trick. ◊
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Adapted by Polly Teale From the novel by Charlotte Brontë Directed by Kathryn Walsh An educational production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books
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