Nick Benoit is the man most responsible for me giving up meat forever. I actually had a number of vegan friends in high school - Jeremy Coon not amongst them, obviously - but it was an online conversation with Nick after high school that transformed me into the ceaseless crusader for animal rights that I am today. ("Fur kills.") I questioned his vegetarianism, he explained it and sent me to some web site, and I was on my way.
Actually, though, it was our friend Luc (who recently became vegetarian himself) who inadvertantly gave me the final push. Luc, my brother and I were eating at Golden Corral - one of those suburban buffet restaurants that offer all-you-can-eat of just about every food in the world - and though I wasn't yet vegetarian, I just happened to avoid meat with my first bulging tray of food.
"No meat, huh?" Luc asked. "Nick told me he'd been talking you into vegetarianism."
"Yeah," I said. "I guess he did." And then I was.
Now veganism.... that's another story completely! So instead of getting into that, let's hear what Nick Benoit has to say about me, him, and the ineffable Jeremy Coon.
Nick Benoit: Damn, sorry it took me so long to get this back to you. But as Cheech put it in Ghostbusters II, "Better late than never."
BJC: That's okay. You ready? Who are you, where are you, how did you get there, what do you do, what's your life philosophy, and how do we know each other?
Nick B.: Hmm, who am I? I ask myself this all the time, and still don't have a definite answer. But for for the purpose of this interview, I'm Nicholas Powell Benoit, aka "Nick." Currently I'm living in Plano, working for my parents at our family business. When I tell this to people, many automatically assume this is code for organized crime, but really it's just a graphic design firm. I'm also at UTD doing arts and humanities stuff.
Life philosophy- get back to me on this one, say in 10, 20 years.
If i recall, we were in Junior High band at Apollo, but we really got to know each other through theater. My best memory by far is when we did that scene from Waiting for Godot and you got stuck in the tree. The scene created by you hanging from that limb with Hillary Bryant out on stage singing was indeed priceless. Someone has to have that on tape somewhere.
[Ed's note: See Hillary Bryant on Jeremy Coon!]
BJC: You're basically responsible for me being vegetarian, but you're now you eat meat again. What happened? What kind of role model are you being to me?
Nick B.: Oooooh, a test of my morals... Ok, so I was dating a chick (we'll call her X) who was really, really, really into animal rights. It rubbed off on me. But alas, we broke up, and I was left questioning whether I really cared about all of the animal stuff. I realize that vegetarianism has many health benefits and that's why most people go vegetarian, but for me it was just an animal thing. It's not that i felt it was wrong to kill animals for food, just unnecessary.
Anyway, to make a short story long, I'd been slowly working flesh back into my diet (first oysters, then crawfish, then fish), and I eventually found myself on a fateful drunken Wal-Mart trip with one of my fraternity brothers and finally decided to have a Big Mac. That was the end of it.
As far as being a role model, I'm a very poor one. I guess I'm a bad, bad man.
BJC: Besides that, how have you changed since high school and college? Any shockers?
Nick B.: I'm sure I've changed in more ways than that, but I couldn't name them myself. If anything, I feel kind of like I went more mainstream and "sold out," but to what I'm not sure. It's not like I was ever any kind of rock star. I'm also pretty quiet now. You'd have to ask someone who knew me then and knows me well now.
BJC: How did you find yourself in Dallas? Do you like it there?
Nick B.: I found myself back in Dallas after making numerous mistakes in San Marcos. I like it ok, but i miss the social life I had in San Marcos. That was one fun town.
BJC: Think you might ever want to leave?
Nick B.: Sure. But I'm not one of those "the grass is always greener on the other side" folks. There would have to be some sort of opportunity to seize, some real reason to leave. I'm not wanting to leave just to get out. Being bored in some exotic location wouldn't be any different from being bored in Dallas.
BJC: What do you think will be different about your life by mid-2007?
Nick B.: Hopefully I'll be a college grad. I say hopefully because it's riding on if they keep this class I need open this summer.
BJC: What do you wish will be different but probably won't be?
Nick B.: I hope I'll have more of a clue as to what I'm doing with my life, but I doubt it.
BJC: What was your connection to Nick Stevens, Robby Slaughter and Duncan Gilman?
Nick B.: Nick Stevens and I shared the same first name and were in a few classes together. Other than that, no deep connection. I remember him drawing a cool dragon sword in 8th grade history. No ligers, though.
Robby and I weren't really close, but we knew each other since before high school. We were in CCD together (that's kind of like Sunday school for those of you who weren't raised Catholic).
Duncan and I go way back, all the way to Indian Guides. Do they even call it Indian Guides now, is that P.C.? Anyway, we were in a number of things together: Yale choir, theater in junior high and high school.
BJC: Who were your best friends in high school, and what are they doing now?
Nick B.: I had a lot of friends, but not too many that I knew away from the school setting. Luc Giambasu and Kwan (aka David) Kim were my two closest friends (not counting "X"). I started becoming good friends with Chris Rivers senior year, but I have no idea what he's up to these days. Luc's teaching Spanish at Garland HS. Kwan, I have no idea, maybe alien abduction?
BJC: Do you have any bad memories from Berkner? How should high school have been better? Let me rephrase... If you'd been principal, how would YOU have run things differently?
Nick B.: Nah, I don't really have too many bad memories, either that or they were so bad that I've repressed them. Put me under hypnosis, maybe something bad will come out. If I had been principal, I'd have made lunch longer. Wasn't it something ridiculously short, like 25 minutes?
[Ed's note: I've seen Nick under hypnosis, at my brother's birthday party. He was laying between two chairs, stiff as a board, and someone walked on him. WOW!]
BJC: Are you in touch with any other Berkner people?
Nick B.: I talk to Luc still, but not often enough. I'm a bad friend. Saw Arye Orona not too long ago.
BJC: How would you compare Berkner people to the rest of the world now that you've lived and seen it all? Are we different?
Nick B.: I don't think we're that different, but what do I know? I've only lived in Texas. Plus, I only knew Berkner folk in high school, and I think it's safe to say that high school kids are for the most part just high school kids.
BJC: Is there anything that stands out about Berkner that might account for so many success and near-success stories?
Nick B.: Something in the water?
[Ed's note: The Dallas Morning News might agree with you on that one. (see image 3)]
BJC: Jensen Ackles is another high profile Berkner success story. Did you ever watch him on "Days of Our Lives"? Do you watch him now on the WB hit series Supernatural?
Nick B.: I've never watched a Jensen show. I did catch him on Wishbone back in high school (I was flipping through the channels, I swear!).
[Ed's note: Wishbone? Hahaha, what a wimp! (Jensen, not you, Nick)]
BJC: Who deserves to have his ass (figuratively) kicked more: Jeremy Coon or Jensen Ackles?
Nick B.: I'd wish harm on no man, but since it's figurative, I'd have to say Jeremy. I didn't know Jensen well, but you and I were in theater with him, and I never witnessed him being mean or rude to anyone, did you? On the other hand, Jeremy made a sport out of being mean and rude.
[Ed's note: I even shook Jensen's hand in Leon Chen's high school production of "The Foreigner." What a guy!]
BJC: Is there anyone from Berkner that you are trying to "beat" in the way I'm attempting to beat Jeremy Coon?
Nick B.: Nope.
BJC: As far as raw talent goes, is there anyone you know who deserves to make it big but can't quite get it together?
Nick B.: I suppose that depends on the definition of making it big. If you mean famous, no one specific comes to mind. I think fame and success have more to do with the instincts to seize an opportunity than they do talent.
BJC: What did you think of Napoleon Dynamite?
Nick B.: It was damn funny. I saw it after all the hype, and I still thought it was great. Rarely does that happen. I am a little sick of the hype, though. Way too many t-shirts and people saying "heck yeah!"
BJC: Are you as excited about The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang as I am?
Nick B.: I'd never heard of it until I read about it on your blog, so I guess that's a no.
BJC: Have you or would you ever wear a Vote for Pedro T-shirt? Or are you more of a "Pedro Lacks Political Experience" kind of guy?
Nick B.: If I was forced to wear one, I'd take the latter.
BJC: What Berkner grads have you talked to who know of Jeremy Coon's success? Were they impressed?
Nick B.: Rob Lofgren. He was pretty impressed. I think he was Jeremy's "little brother" in band. Luc knew too. I'm not sure that he was greatly impressed, but he did find the movie funny. He's the one who told me about it.
[Ed's note: I would interview Luc for Beat Jeremy Coon, except that when I told him about the blog, he got annoyed and emailed, "Nobody from Berkner should have a blog called 'Beat Jeremy Coon.'" He also does a really great impression of Napoleon Dynamite saying "Idiot!" Maybe there's hope, after Sasquatch...]
BJC: How well did you know Jeremy Coon in middle school? What was he like then?
Nick B.: I knew Jeremy pretty well. We were in band and a lot of classes together. He wore a lot of Metallica and Megadeth shirts. He played Butkus in my Speech B final. Ron James and I reenacted the entire "Fistful of Yen" scene from Kentucky Fried Movie. Ron and I played all the characters except for Butkus. We needed Jeremy's talent for that.
BJC: How well did you know Jeremy Coon in high school? Was he still the same old Jeremy? Or was the possibility of world conquest already fomenting and straining his relations with the little people?
Nick B.: Same thing in high school. We were in a few classes together, and band. He was still pretty much the same.
BJC: Any JC-related band stories?
Nick B.: No, I don't have any juicy stories. Generally speaking, he liked causing trouble, but in a pretty tame way. He took pride in annoying the band directors, and was quite good at it too.
BJC: How did Jeremy Coon functional socially? Did he have a lot of friends? A lot of enemies? Did he ever seem to be dating anyone? Did he ever get into any fights? What did people think of him? Was he cool or was he a nerd? And if he was a nerd, was he, as Nick Stevens suggests in his interview, a "predator among the nerds... who ruled with an iron fist"?
Nick B.: I don't think Jeremy had any more friends or enemies than the average high school kid. There was one girl I think he dated, but I can't remember her name. They at least went to a dance or two together. [Ed's note: Go, Jeremy! Yeah!] I think Jeremy fell somewhere between cool and nerdy, but so did just about everyone else I knew. Nick's quote is pretty accurate, though. He was a predator who loved making fun of those he deemed nerdy.
BJC: What sort of cliques did Jeremy hang around? Who were his closest friends?
Nick B.: He was definitely part of the flannel and rock 'n roll t-shirt crew. He was good friends with Chris Rivers if I remember correctly.
BJC: I hear he was close with Bonnie Coover, the girl who broke my heart forever in seventh grade. Know anything about that? Did you know her? Did she say why she broke up with me?
Nick B.: Yeah, Jeremy and Bonnie were pretty good friends now that you mention it. They were all part of this group of trouble-making trombone players. Bonnie didn't play trombone, and she didn't cause trouble, but she was dating Paul Vaden. Paul was the leader of the trombone gang. That would have been junior year. I wasn't in band senior year. Yes, i did know Bonnie as well. Sorry dude, I don't think I ever heard her mention you.
BJC: What's your feeling about the Berkner community reaction to Jeremy Coon? Is he a hero to us? Has he finally given Berkner the credibility it's long been seeking? Or is he a blight, a menace?
Nick B.: I was unaware of a community reaction. I read a little write-up about him in the Richardson paper, that's about it. He's successful for sure, but his success has come from film. I think he's more of a BYU success than a Berkner one.
BJC: What do you make of Jeremy Coon saying (after high school, but before Napoleon Dynamite), "Rhys was so weird in high school, he was an untouchable, even to me"? Was I an untouchable?!? You touched me, didn't you?
Nick B.: I thought we agreed to never tell anyone about that...
No, you weren't untouchable. A little strange, but in a funny way. Maybe in his world you were untouchable. He just didn't get your oddball humor. The whole half facial hair thing was borderline. Even I thought that was a little weird.
Like Duncan, I too want to know the context of this quote. Was someone interviewing him, and why were you brought up? Did you two have some sort of rivalry before Napoleon Dynamite?
[Ed's note: Okay, the context was this. My ex-girlfriend before Rachel - Eliza Wren - had a brother who was roommates with Jeremy Coon at BYU. When Wren went to visit her brother, she mentioned to Jeremy that she was going out with me, and Jeremy responded with his oft-quoted hateful retort. Supposedly Jeremy Coon had more positive things to say when he ran into our mutal friend Matt Dentler at the SXSW screening of Napoleon Dynamite. But too little, too late, Jeremy!]
BJC: Did you see any similarities between Jeremy Coon and the character of Napoleon Dynamite?
Nick B.: The bullying for sure, but Jeremy wasn't quite as nerdy. Had there been a Napoleon, Jeremy definitely would have given him a hard time. He would have been the one demanding the tots, and surely would have crushed them if he didn't get them.
BJC: Did you know that Jeremy Coon was a Mormon? Does it make sense in retrospect? Do you think he was hiding it?
Nick B.: I had no idea he was a Mormon. Has that fact been confirmed? Do you have to be Mormon to go to BYU? Maybe he just went to film school there and hit it off well with the Mormons. I dunno.
[Ed's note: He's Mormon. Eliza Wren told me.]
BJC: What have your experiences with Mormons been like?
Nick B.: I was absolutly crazy about a Mormon friend of mine in college, but she stood me up for a date on my birthday one year, so I guess she wasn't too into me. She wasn't a devout Mormon, though. In fact, I think she kind of disliked the whole thing, so I don't think I can use her as an accurate gage. Ooooowheeee she was fine.
BJC: I once considered converting to Mormonism to beat Jeremy Coon with his own tools. I've kind of let that plan fall by the wayside. Should I revive it?
Nick B.: I think I'd stick to your current plan of action (whatever that may be). If you converted under false pretenses, you'd surely be found out and face dire consequences.
BJC: How did you find out that Jeremy Coon produced Napoleon Dynamite? Was it a shock?
Nick B.: I'm pretty sure Luc told me. It wasn't too much of a shock. More of a "wow, that's really cool," but not a shock.
BJC: Of all people to make it big from our school, did you ever suspect it might be Jeremy Coon?
Nick B.: Not at all.
BJC: High school reunions are basically a time for showing off what you've done with your life. How do you think you'll fare at the Berkner class of '97 10-year reunion?
Nick B.: Eh, I dunno. I doubt I'll fare too well in the showing off department. I'd just like to go to see how others are. See some old faces.
BJC: Do high school reunions matter? Does the prospect of one make you want to try harder? Will you even go?
Nick B.: The prospect has made me try harder. I had quit college, but when I realized that a 10 year reunion was coming, I decided to finish up. I'll just be completing my degree by then so I don't expect to be wowing anyone with accomplishments, but I'm still game. It'll be fun to see what everyone else who shows is up to. I'll be sorely disappointed if all it is an ego flexing contest.
BJC: Are you at all concerned with Jeremy Coon basically blasting us all out of the water by being the producer of such a fantastically successful movie and going on to produce The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang and God knows what else by summer 2007?
Nick B.: Not really.
BJC: By the time our high school reunion rolls around, will everyone at Berkner already know that Jeremy Coon is the big success story? Are they going to be clinging to him?
Nick B.: I doubt it.
BJC: Will Jeremy Coon use his newfound celebrity to seduce a former highschool crush? If so, who might that be?
Nick B.: I have no idea. I would if I were him. That could be entertaining to watch.
BJC: Do you think there are any contenders from our class of '97 who might possibly out-success Jeremy Coon? If so, who and how?
Nick B.: I think anyone who's excelling at whatever they've chosen to do will be a success.
BJC: Have you accomplished everything you hoped you would since high school?
Nick B.: Not really. Though I don't remember having any specific goals or things to accomplish, so in that sense, yes, I've accomplished everything that I didn't set out to do.
BJC: In what ways has your life not lived up to your post-high school graduation expectations?
Nick B.: I thought I'd have much more of a social life. I tasted having a life up until I was 24, but since then it's dwindled, and I don't think it's coming back.
BJC: I know it's up to me, and of course I have a plan, but do you have any suggestions for what, preciesly, I should do to beat Jeremy Coon?
Nick B.: Good question. Just keep doing what you are doing. Since you have a plan, stick to it. If all else fails, blackmail.
BJC: What about my Beat Jeremy Coon blog itself? It's fairly time-consuming when I'm actually working on it. Is it counter-productive to my goal?
Nick B.: I think you are getting a lot of practice at writing with it. Maybe not screen writing, but it could be viewed as a portfolio piece as far as humor goes. If its an outlet for any kind of creativity, it's not a waste of time. Who knows, maybe it can work as a premise for something bigger. P'raps a screenplay based on it. It could be your version of Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion.
BJC: What's the road to success? Or are there many?
Nick B.: There are indeed many roads to success. Some take a whole lot longer than others to get there. And some have dead-ends, so you have to do some backtracking.
BJC: Tell me everything else you can think of about Jeremy Coon.
Nick B.: For some reason I remember him talking about playing Dungeons & Dragons. But not AD&D, just good old fashioned D&D, because AD&D changed too many things or was too complex or something. Maybe he was more like Napoleon than I thought...
BJC: Thanks, Nick!
Nick B.: Yer welcome!
This is a really funny exchange between Nick and BJC, kind of a Napoleon-like ;-)...
"BJC: I once considered converting to Mormonism to beat Jeremy Coon with his own tools. I've kind of let that plan fall by the wayside. Should I revive it?
"Nick B.: I think I'd stick to your current plan of action (whatever that may be). If you converted under false pretenses, you'd surely be found out and face dire consequences."
What "dire consequences"? Inquiring minds want to know?
Posted by: Nick | April 11, 2006 at 11:39 AM
Oh my goodness! That is hilarious. I by chance and internet wandering came here. This is Tran. I graduated from ol' Berkie in '97 too. I know 95% of the people mentioned here. Hilarious!!
So, our reunion is next Fall. Creepy.
Posted by: tran | August 31, 2006 at 04:44 PM