Meet John Stanton: Congressional reporting, fireworks eating, all-American bad ass.
Mr. Stanton took a break between covering the SCOTUS madness for Roll Call and brutal Gaelic football practices to answer a few questions for a FamousDC Famous 5 interview.
1. You’ve been on the hill for several years and we think you’re the only Congressional reporter to rock multiple skeleton rings during leadership press conferences. What has been the most interesting moment of your career?
One of the most surreal moments came in 2004. I was covering an anti-same sex marriage press event that then-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) was doing on the hill. Santorum had his whole family and the oddest group of “celebrities” ever assembled come in to help extol the virtues of his same sex marriage amendment to the constitution.
Jim Neighbors was there, looking like he wasn’t sure where he was.
50s crooner and noted dirty joke teller Pat Boone was also there, sporting more peach than even Liberace would have approved of.
Weirdest of all, my childhood hero, Darrell Green, the greatest shutdown cornerback in the history of the NFL and the classiest Redskin ever was also there, looking vaguely uncomfortable and unclear why he was standing around with these two.
So I’m standing next to Santorum’s daughters as this strange little trio came through the door – they swooned for Boone, I squealed for Green
2. We know you have a lot of tattoos, what lawmaker’s face would you allow to have tattooed on your body and where?
Well, the obvious choice is Hizzoner, Mayor for Life, the Honorable Marion Barry. Honorable mention to former and potentially future Rep. Jim Traficant of Ohio.
3. Dan Snyder calls and says he wants you to join the Redskins as senior advisor. What is the first change you’ll make to the team?
First order of business – hire Vinny Cerato back. And then fire him again. Do this several times, all of them in different public arenas where the witnesses would be given the chance to throw rotten vegetables at him.
Then I’d force the usurper of Frank Herzog’s seat in the booth to be Frank’s manservant for the rest of his life, while restoring Frank to his rightful place with Sunny and Sam.
And finally, after stripping The Danny of any authority whatsoever to do any more damage to my beloved Skins, I’d require that at halftime of every game Danny would be forced to dress up as a pony and Chief Z would ride him around the field while Chuck Brown plays a GoGo version of “Hail to the Redskins.”
4. Can you explain to the rest of the FamousDC community what a bama is? Any examples?
A bama is a no account, no style, no common sense havin, trifflin’ fool. For instance, people who wear belts with embroidered whales on them, pop their collars and men wearing flip-flops in the city and furries. Definitely furries. Those people are weird. People who call 911 to complain about the McNuggets, or their weed dealer? Bamas.
5. You get a call from the White House and President Obama wants to kick it with you for the evening to get a taste of the DC nightlife. Where are you two going?
Well obviously, you need some sustenance for such a journey. Something solid, none of that small portion nonsense people dig on downtown. So the first stop would be Horace and Dickies at 12th and H St. NE for some of their famous fried whitefish and greens. Then maybe pop in on my homegirl Anne at the Red and Black for some good old DC hardcore and metal. Now, this IS DC, so the next thing would mos def be a gogo show – Chuck Brown, Rare Essence, Backyard Band or JYB.
And to cap the night off, we’d run back up to my hood for a few beers at DC9 before ending it all at a Kingpin Sound System at Velvet Lounge.