Koop steps on stage with the Capitol Steps
Famous names are the stock-in-trade of the Capitol Steps, a troupe of congressional staffers-turned-comedians who satirize politicians and other public figures. But rarely do the people they parody actually appear on stage with the performers.
For an appearance at Dartmouth's Hopkins Center in January, however, the Steps enticed C. Everett Koop, M.D., a professor of surgery at DMS, to step into the spotlight while they skewered him in song. The nonpartisan troupe, which has 18 CDs to its credit, rewrites the lyrics of popular songs—resulting in such titles as "Unzippin' My Doo-Dah" and "Who'll Stop McCain?" The song about Koop has been in the group's repertoire since he was surgeon general, when "it was a major hit of our show," according to the Steps' Elaina Newport. For this reprise, she says, "we added some Dartmouth references."
The Hanover audience heard the Steps croon, to the tune of "Little Deuce Coupe": "When someone comes on to me, I check out the scoop / And enroll in Dartmouth's classes taught by Dr. Koop. . . . And the reason Dr. Koop is never wearin' a frown / Is he looks the same both right side up and upside down" —as one singer held up a caricature proving the point.
The crowd roared, proving a point made on the group's Web site (www.capsteps.com): "Surgeon General's Warning: 'The Capitol Steps will cause your sides to split.' C. Everett Koop."
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Photograph by Paul Gennaro |
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