The Moth - Fashion Forward: Jonathan Mannheim & Evan Watts

Episode Date: August 27, 2021

This week, two stories about style. This episode is hosted by Michelle Jalowski. Storytellers: Jonathan Mannheim, Evan Watts

Attention Houston! You have listened to our podcast and our radio hour, but did you know the Moth has live storytelling events at Wearhouse Live? The Moth has opened Mike's storytelling competitions called Story Slams that are open to anyone with a five-minute story to share on the night's theme. Upcoming themes include love hurts, stakes, clean, and pride. GoodLamoth.org forward slash Houston to experience a live show near you. That's the Moth.org forward slash Houston. Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm your host for this week, Michelle Jolowski. While putting together this episode, I remembered one thing I've almost completely forgotten

about during the pandemic. Fashion. I'm literally recording this in my closet right now and I realize I haven't been in here in kind of a while. As someone who has been mostly working from home, it's all I can do to put on pants most days, much less a full on outfit. I remember getting dressed, but to be honest, it feels like a distant memory. Whether you've been rocking the pants just look at home like me, we're getting all dressed up to brave the outside, pandemic fashion has certainly shed some light on our innermost style desires,

which is why I love the stories in this episode. All about some interesting fashion choices and their consequences. Our first story is all about the power of a statement piece. Jonathan Mannheim told this story at a slam in Chicago where the theme of the night was endings. Mannheim told this story at a slam in Chicago where the theme of the night was endings. Here's Jonathan live at the mall. So in 2011 I had a sweater that was one sweater. It was an argyle sweater. It was a rainbow Argyle sweater. So it was pretty hideous.

Every diamond was a different color. And it was bad enough that my girlfriend at the time asked me to stop wearing it out with her friends. So I should have retired this sweater, but I didn't retire this sweater. So one day, I guess it was November. It was laundry day, I don't know. I wore it. I thought I'm just going to run some errands. I took the was November. It was laundry day, I don't know. I wore it, I thought I'm just gonna run some errands.

I took the train downtown. I'm getting off at Monroe, and an elderly woman gets punched in the face, and they steal her phone, and they run off the train. And literally a week before I was on the train at the Ceramic Chinatown, and another man got punched in the face, and it took his phone, and they ran off the train, and I did nothing, so a week later it happens again,

and I sort of snapped. So I run off the train, I have no plan, I'm wearing this terrible Argyle sweater. I left the house thinking, luckily no one will see me today. And I go up the escalator, and I scream at these two teenagers, I guess they were. Please stop, and they literally left at me and then they took off down State Street.

And so my plan at this point is, hey, I can outrun them. So I'm running, we're running south on State Street. I call the police. I'm like, hey, I'm following these two thieves. They've taken an iPhone. I'm on state. I'm now I'm on Wabash, could you guys come? And so we're having this conversation, and I'm like, signaling people like, hey, could you trip them, could you stop them,

they've stolen a phone, but I'm wearing this terrible sweater, and no one is taking me seriously. So, I look ridiculous. We hit Wabash in Monroe, and a guy with a star, I'm seriously... So, I look ridiculous. We hit Wabash in Monroe and a guy with a star. I was like, thank God it's a sheriff. And I'm like, hey, there's thieves. And he's like, dude, I'm a Marshall Fields cop. I can't do anything.

So, we keep running. They go into an H&M. And then it's like a sitcom. They push down the clothes and I like fall over them. And we run out of the H&M and they run into the subway and they hop the turnstile and I pay. And then... And I'm like,

I didn't want to get in trouble. So, then they catch the train going south and they got away from me because they were on the train going south. So I go up to stairs and actually it's been like five minutes in the cops are there. And I'm like, oh, thank God, I'm the guy who called. And so, then they put me in the back of the cop car and they're like, are they on the train? I'm like, are they on the train? So we go like a hundred miles an hour to Roosevelt.

And I see, seriously, for four blocks, we go a hundred miles an hour, or I don't know. And then we, they're like, just hang on. We're going to slow roll the train to the station. And so they slow roll it and they're like, just hang in the back here. We're going to bring them up, and you can ID them. And so they bring them up. And like, is this it out? And I'm like, yeah, that's them.

And he's like, oh, great job. And then he's like, one second. He closes the cop door, and he says, oh, shit. And then I'm locked to the back of the cop car. And he had left his keys in the ignition. So I'm like, stayed in Roosevelt for an hour. We're blocking every lane of traffic. And all these cops are knocking on the window.

Like, good job, man. We'll get you out in a bit. So later that night or that afternoon, they take me to the police station, which I think is on, I think it was when I a state in 18th. And they had actually, were taking photos of me as a witness. And so I have this terrible, archile sweater,

which were later used in a court case. So that was the last time I ever wore that sweater. Thank you. That was Jonathan Mannheim. Jonathan is a doctor in Chicago specializing in infectious disease. He likes biking, running animals, and backyard grown vegetables. He lives with his partner Lizzie and their two cats. Jonathan tells us that he unfortunately got rid of the infamous sweater a while ago.

However, he says if he hadn't, he thinks folks these days would appreciate it for all its technical or glory. Jonathan may be downed one memorable sweater, but he has amassed a pretty impressive collection of colorful, patterned shirts. To see some photos of his favorites, head to our website, the moth.org slash extras. In fashion, trends come and trends go. Some would turn years later, but others stay firmly in the past. Our next story is about a divisive look, which honestly might be due for a comeback.

Evan Watts told this at a story slam in Melbourne where the theme of the night was disguises. Here's Evan, live at the mall. In the bottom of a drawer, somewhere I have two silver medals, actually for ballroom dancing. One for Latin and one English old time. I went to a single six boy school and if you wanted to meet girls, the only way you could do that was to enroll in dance classes. And so I'd do to fling roles and you know we would have, we would dance with each other but it sort of the the culmination of the dance classes was when we would go to a social i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i i tu te i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i tu te i tu te i i tu te i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i tu te i tu te i i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i tu te i tu te i i tu te i i tu te i i tu te I remember hanging around at the bus at the end, very, very proudly displaying numerals that had been etched in the back of my hand. And yeah, yeah, I got a number mate, yeah.

I got a number. And I was very excited by this. And we then embarked on what I consider a long-distance relationship. i o'r olau o olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau olau o as I had these internally long conversations. But eventually, of course, I had to pluck up the courage to ask her on a date. And this is 1978. And even though, you know, we danced the cha-cha-cha and that's not a euphemism, we really had danced the cha-cha-cha and we'd whilst and we'd done all that, actually what ruled the dancefloors was disco. John Travolto as Tony Marino and the BG singing the high notes and that was what was really exciting I'd actually even convinced my mother to go out and buy me a John Travolto suit.

And kind of unfortunately or maybe fortunately I't know, it was brown and not white, but it actually had bell bottoms that arrived on the dance floor way before I did and had huge lapels and I was just itching to wear this suit. I asked Fay out and she lived in the hills and we were only 15, I didn't drive, I had to convince my mother to drive me out, pick her up. But her father was going to take us down to the station, and we were going to go to see a film. It was actually the opening weekend of Saturday Night Fever.

And, you know, I was really excited, and I was kind of was checking myself out on the mirror, and I'm looking at the suit, and it's, you know, it's kind of lunchtime on a Saturday, but, you know mirror and I'm looking at the suit and it's you know it's kind of lunchtime on a Saturday but you know and I'm thinking no no no no this looks pretty good now it looks pretty good you know I'm gonna make an impression and I think well actually what do you do on these sort of dates? will you buy flowers? of course you buy flowers? I've sort of broke the bank and bought these flowers and then I rock up at it her door in my suit with the blue

body suit and the blue body suit and the hush puppies that had got heels like this and I'm standing there with my flowers and the door opens and she's excited and then her face drops. She's standing there in jeans and a T-shirt and she's just kind of the film. And there is this guy standing there

and then her father appears and he takes one look at me and he goes, are we off? And so we... And in the confusion, we've still got the flowers and we're on the train and everyone's kind of looking at us and she's sort of very subconsciously as the flowers and I say, I'll hold them and she goes, you know, so I've got the flowers. But that wasn't the worst bit, actually, because we get to the, it's the opening we can, there's a queue of mile long outside the cinema and we're standing there and it's a Saturday,

it's two o'clock, it's blistering hot, and there's all these people in their casual clothes except one schmuck. In a three-piece suit with the pells and the hush puppies and the body suits, and I can't kind of figure out, is all that sweat just the embarrassment or the fact that it's, you know, 30 degrees. And then I look around and I realise that the flowers I'm holding up, not holding up at all well. And in fact, Faye actually is standing just far enough away that she's not really with this guy. I don't even really remember the film.

I don't think I've ever watched it since. I think it would just be too many traumatic memories back. But anyway, I do remember though that John DeVolves character doesn't end up with the girl in the end. I think that was something I do remember. Anyway, we get the train back to back home and if Father picks me up and picks her up and I'm just going to walk home and her father picks me up and picks her up

and I'm just gonna walk home from the station and I do remember who dad's pitying look, actually. And as they drove away I looked down and I realised I'm still holding the goddamn flowers. Thank you very much. That was Evan Watts. Evan works as an English teacher at an independent secondary school in Adder Suburban, Melbourne, Australia.

But he says, in an alternate universe, he's touring the world with the love of his life, telling stories and busking with his ukulele for loose change and a bite to eat. Like Jonathan Sweater, Evan Saturday night fever suit is long gone. But you can see some photos of his other groovy fashion choices on our website, the moth.org slash extras.

That's all for this week. We hope you take joy in your style. Rainbow sweater, three pea suits, and all, no matter what the peanut gallery has to say about it. As Harry Winston said, people are gonna stare, make it worth their while. From all of us here at the moth, have a story worthy week. Michelle Jolowski is a producer and director at the mall where she helps people craft and shape their stories for stages all over the world. This episode of the Moth podcast was produced by me Julia Purcell with Sarah Austin Janess

and Sarah Jane Johnson. The rest of the Moths leadership team includes Catherine Burns, Sarah Haberman, Jennifer Hickson, Meg Bolls, Kate Tellers, Jennifer Birmingham, Marina Klucce, Susan Rust, Brandon Grant, Inga Godowsky, and Aldi Kaza. Moth stories are true as remembered and affirmed by story tellers. For more about our podcast, information on pitching your own story, and everything else,

go to our website, themoth.org. The Moth podcast is presented by PRX, the public radio exchange, helping make public radio more public at prx.org.