Interview: Cic Van Winkle

 

The Northeast corridor is abuzz with stories about cicadas. You can’t read an article these days without some mention of their triumphant return to the fold. After 17 years out of the picture, our screeching friends are coming back to the Northeast, prepping for another summer in the spotlight. But what most of these pieces miss, quite frankly, is any reference to what the cicadas have been doing for the past two decades. There’s next to nothing paid to their stories, their lives. Everything is written in the context of how they're going to disrupt us - picnics and soccer practices, purses and sombreros. It’s a shame really. I decided to get ahead of the story and call in a favor to an old friend. Cic Van Winkle is a stereotypical New Jersey cicada. He owns dozens of jogging suits and likes his espresso with lots of sugar.  I caught up with him in Brookdale Park. He was kind enough to give me a few minutes of his time despite the round-the-clock stress he’s been under for the last few weeks. 

MTP: I want to first thank you for talking to me. I can only imagine how busy you are with everything going on. 

CVW: You have no idea. Have you ever planned a wedding? 

MTP: Actually…

CVW: Well, it’s nothing like that. I should say, it’s kind of like that. Except instead of 200 guests, you have 2 trillion guests, and every single one believes they’re the freakin’ bride. I don’t know why we do it.

MTP: And no wedding planner to help out, huh? 

CVW: Or gifts. But the last few weeks are always the most intense. Lots of panic shopping and crying. Screaming matches in the park. It’s insane. I’ll just be happy when it’s over and I can find a nice cocktail to sit in. You'd think we'd figure it out after all these years. We are preppers by nature. But canned beans aren't doing us any good at the moment.

MTP: I find it strange that you guys went underground. What’s life been like down there? 

CVW: There’s a major misconception here that I’d like to clear up. People think we’ve been asleep, clueless about what’s happened in the past 17 years. I have dear friends coming up to me on the street asking if I’ve heard that Bin Laden’s dead or that the Cubs finally won a World Series. I’m always polite, but it gets grating after a bit. We follow current events. We didn't bury our heads in sand, just dirt.

MTP: But you can see how people might make that mistake. On account of your name.  

CVW: What about it? I have Dutch heritage. I’m hardly alone there. 

MTP: Sure. So if you haven’t been sleeping the whole time, what have you been doing? 

CVW: Bettering myself. The whole self-care movement came underground about 10 years ago and never left. I learned how to cook. I taught myself Spanish. Got very into yoga. And I hired a vocal coach around then. Steve. A burrowing owl. Real sweetheart of a guy.

MTP: Why’s that?

CVW: During the last cycle I was a little self-conscious about my voice. I’m sure you went thorugh you share of voice cracking during middle school. But you were able to avoid singing. We cicadas can’t do that. Everyone’s expected to join the choir. It’s unheard of not to. I had a cousin Dave who wanted to be a dancer. You can imagine what his parents thought. A cicada dancer. Who ever heard of such a thing?  

MTP: Where is he now? 

CVW: The Moscow Ballet.  

MTP: Oh wow. So he lived out his dreams, after all.

CVW: For a time. Now he’s under glass like Lenin on a mantle somewhere. 

MTP: There are worse things. It’s amazing though. After 17 years and you don’t have a gray hair in sight. What’s the secret?

CVW: I like tea. I’m a tea guy and soil is surprisingly good for your complexion. No sun damage underground. But honesty, it’s mostly genetics. 

MTP: Any tunes I’ll recognize on opening night? 

CVW: Copyright infringement is a something we cicadas take very seriously. The last thing anyone wants is a legal injunction to put a damper on our first screeches. In other words, no. Original material only. There are a few Tiktokers I follow, but I can’t risk it. Would be bad for business. 

MTP: Understood. Any parting wisdom? 

CVW: I’ll be in Brookdale Park Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 AM to 6 PM. Monday’s my day off. Kind of want to see the Freedom Tower while I'm in town. Other than that, stop by, say hi, bring ear plugs and an umbrella. 

MTP: Looking forward to hearing from you again.

CVW: Oh, you will.