Conspicuously revered as one of the nation’s great political satirists, Will Durst suggests that he isn’t even the most famous comic from Waukesha South High School.
That’s the sort of humility we expect from a guy raised and educated around Milwaukee who continues to see himself as a product of the area, comes home frequently and includes among his ambitions a gustatory pursuit topped with cheese.
Durst says he attended 14 different schools before graduating from Waukesha South in 1970. From there, he studied at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha and what was then Waukesha County Technical Institute before transferring to UW-Milwaukee – where he stayed for seven years. “Almost graduated,” he tells Milwaukee Comedy via email. “Couldn’t afford the $3,700 in parking fines.”
Durst is based in San Francisco and on the road a lot. But he still heavily identifies himself “as a Milwaukeean and Wisconsinite,” he says, “and root for all the teams, even get a little proud when UW-Whitewater or Green Bay or Lawrence University wins something.”
Durst gets back to the area three or four times a year – including summer and Thanksgiving – to visit his brother, Mark, in Menomonee Falls and other relatives in Wauwatosa and West Allis. When home, he makes a point of getting pizza at Zaffiro’s on Farwell, gumbo at Maxie’s Southern Comfort in West Allis and souvenirs from Brennan’s in Brookfield: “some aged cheddar for all my SF foodie friends,” he says “and some jalapeno cheese brats for me.”
Food figures into Durst’s pleasures away from home. “The joy of the search for the perfect cheeseburger is the journey, not the destination,” Durst says. “And the things I value most are fresh ground chuck and a butter-grilled bun, and the rest is all serendipity. Bacon and cheddar and pickles and raw onions and ketchup, and that’s about it.”
Of course, Wisconsin has given Durst more than his craving for cholesterol. It has been a hotbed for political humor in the last year.
“Yes, I talk about Governor Scott Walker a bit,” Durst says, including a prediction that Walker would win the AFL-CIO’s Organizer of the Year Award. But that bit hasn’t been resonating much on the road lately. “I mean, it did back in February last year, but people have the attention span of high-speed lint.”
Durst shouldn’t have to work as hard to appeal to the funny bone of his audience next week. Because he’ll be among his own cheese-loving, Packers-cheering people, that’s why.
Elect to Laugh with Will Durst! is at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20, at the brand new Next Act theatre facility, 255 S. Water St. Please click here for $20 tickets.
(Durst lists the following as some of his favorite places for cheeseburgers in Milwaukee: The Knick, George Webb’s, Solly’s, Kopp’s and Elsa’s – although he hasn’t been there in a while. Share your recommendations in the comments section below.)