Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Congressman Curly brings rockin' comedy to democracy

Man in red and blue outfit walking in front of the Capitol.

Tony Zorc is bringing is "Congressman Curly" show to Washington, D.C.

Tony Zorc

The Fulcrum has published many writings over the years about how pop culture in America has amazing healing and connecting powers. Our nation’s history is rich with examples of how artists, entertainers, athletes and creators of every kind invite us into a space of transcendence that leads to connectivity. We see that when we join people together their energy can be harnessed for good, and then amplified and scaled.

Certainly comedy fits in perfectly. Laughter is the embodiment of depolarization. Just consider that in order for something to evoke laughter, it has to have the capacity to both hold tension and release tension at the same time.


As far back as Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, humor has been used to call into question the actions of those in power. And that tradition continued throughout our nation‘s history with humorists such as Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah and many, many more.

And the tradition continues today in many forms. About a year ago Tony Zorc, after a successful career as a bootstrapped technology entrepreneur and author, decided to further the building of a community needed to fix our country's broken political system. He created Congressman Curly, an organization with a mission to end this divide in a unique way.

Congressman Curly, a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance cultural political unity among U.S. citizens, has officially launched a live entertainment act called "Congressman Curly's Rockin' Comedy Show" in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

The act combines traditional stand-up comedy, music, sketches and storytelling to roast the Democratic and Republican parties.

The goal is simple: to use entertainment to drive political cultural unity in the United States

The main character, Congressman Curly, performs in a split red and blue suit and serves as a metaphor for what Zorc describes as a "corrupt Democratic-Republican duopoly."

"As more citizens feel disempowered to make any political change, they have checked out from politics altogether. As more people have checked out, they are not aware of how much more corrupt Washington has become in the last 20 years. Congressman Curly brings awareness of just how bad things have gotten in a fun way," said Zorc.

Zorc has further described the act as 100 percent original, not only regarding the show's content, but in its approach to combining political activism and entertainment. The show has a 12-song soundtrack available for streaming on several music streaming platforms.

Congressman Curly claims not to take sides on divisive social issues and promotes a solution to fix Washington with the formation of two new political parties with commitments to term limits and citizen-only funding built into their identical bylaws, to compete against the duopoly.

The act is playing through Aug. 21. Shows are being planned in Florida in the fall and then again in the D.C. area before the end of the year.

Read More

​Jimmy Kimmel onstage during the 67th GRAMMY Awards

Jimmy Kimmel onstage during the 67th GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2025, in Los Angeles, California

Getty Images, Johnny Nunez

Why the Fight Over Jimmy Kimmel Matters for Us All

There are moments in a nation’s cultural life that feel, at first, like passing storms—brief, noisy, and soon forgotten. But every so often, what begins as a squall reveals itself as a warning: a sign that something far bigger is at stake. The initial cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel by Disney, along with the coordinated blackout from network affiliates like Nexstar and Sinclair, is one of those moments. It’s not merely another skirmish in the endless culture wars. Actually, it is a test of whether we, as a society, can distinguish between the discomfort of being challenged and the danger of being silenced.

The irony is rich, almost to the point of being absurd. Here is a late-night comedian, a man whose job is to puncture the pompous and needle the powerful, finding himself at the center of a controversy. A controversy bigger than anything he’d ever lampooned. Satire that, depending on your perspective, was either too pointed or simply pointed in the wrong direction. Yet, that was not the ostensible reason.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bad Bunny preforming on stage alongside two other people.

Bad Bunny performs live during "No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí; Una Más" Residencia at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on September 20, 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Getty Images, Gladys Vega

From Woodstock to Super Bowl: Bad Bunny and the Legacy of Musical Protest

As Bad Bunny prepares to take the Super Bowl stage in February 2026—and grassroots rallies in his honor unfold across U.S. cities this October—we are witnessing a cultural moment that echoes the artist-led protests of the 1960s and 70s. His decision to exclude U.S. tour dates over fears of ICE raids is generating considerable anger amongst his following, as well as support from MAGA supporters. The Trump administration views his lyrics and his fashion as threats. As the story unfolds, it is increasingly becoming a political narrative rather than just entertainment news.

Music has long been a part of the American political scene. In 1969, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released “Ohio,” a response to the Kent State shootings that galvanized antiwar sentiment.

Keep ReadingShow less
How Pop Culture Can Save Democracy: Lessons From Just Do It to Designated Drive

Shoppers stand in line at a Nike outlet store on May 3, 2025 in San Diego, California.

Getty Images, Kevin Carter

How Pop Culture Can Save Democracy: Lessons From Just Do It to Designated Drive

In the late 1980s, the Harvard Alcohol Project did just that. By embedding the term designated driver into prime-time television—from Cheers to L.A. Law—they didn’t just coin a phrase. They changed people’s behavior. The campaign was credited with helping reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities by nearly 30% over the following decade. President George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, endorsed the movement, amplifying its reach.

They made sober driving socially admirable, not awkward. And they proved that when language meets culture, norms shift.

Keep ReadingShow less
La Ventanita: Uniting Conservative Mothers and Liberal Daughters

Steph Martinez and Rachel Ramirez with their mothers after their last performance

Photo Provided

La Ventanita: Uniting Conservative Mothers and Liberal Daughters

When Northwestern theater and creative writing junior Lux Vargas wrote and brought to life La Ventanita, she created a space of rest and home for those who live in the grief of not belonging anywhere, yet still yearn for a sense of belonging together. By closing night, Vargas had mothers and daughters, once splintered by politics, in each other's arms. In a small, sold-out theater in Evanston, the story on stage became a mirror: centering on mothers who fled the country and daughters who left again for college.

Performed four times on May 9 and 10, La Ventanita unfolds in a fictional cafecito window inspired by the walk-up restaurant counters found throughout Miami. “The ventanita breeds conversations and political exchange,” said Vargas.

Keep ReadingShow less