Eds. note: This week, the Winonan’s Justin Magill sat down with the Winona State University baseball team’s rightfielder, Brett Maxwell, who’s better known as the “Cotton-Eyed Joe” dancer.
WINONAN: Being the starting rightfielder for the baseball team, does it bother you knowing people recognize you only as the “Cotton-Eyed Joe” dancer at basketball games?
MAXWELL: Not really right now, but I can see it in the future with everything being about “Cotton-Eyed Joe” and not the baseball player. However, I do see people mixing the two together, so that is cool.
WINONAN: Didn’t the dancing originally start from baseball games?
MAXWELL: It actually started at baseball practice when we were doing our stretching. The gymnastics team had music over the sound system and the song came on and I started shaking it. The next day I was at a basketball game and the song came on and my teammate, Andrew Kes, made me dance in the stands, so I did. The next game we went to, an usher came up to the stands and told me I had to go out on the court and dance when they played the song, so I just agreed to do it and it took off from there.
WINONAN: Do you consider yourself a celebrity?
MAXWELL: Yeah, I kind of do. Being on YouTube is pretty cool, and I have heard some people out in Boston know who I am, so that’s pretty cool. It’s cool to be considered a celebrity, and hopefully we can find someone to fill my shoes when I’m gone to keep Cotton-Eyed Joe going — and, preferably, keep it in the baseball team, but I don’t know if anyone is willing to go out there and shake their butt in front of thousands of people.
WINONAN: Many people say you are a quiet person — especially in the classroom — and are shocked to see you dance in front of a basketball crowd. Do you ever get nervous before you go out to dance?
MAXWELL: For some reason, I don’t get nervous going out there, because of the way I got thrown out there to do it. And I am a pretty quiet kid, so I can see why people get thrown off when they see me dancing.
WINONAN: Do you get offended when people think you are drunk when you dance?
MAXWELL: Not at all. First of all, I don’t drink, so that doesn’t bother me, and I think it’s even better when people come up to me and say I must have been wasted when I was out there. It’s fun to tell people I wasn’t and have never been drunk. It’s part of the routine to get people to think you’re drunk. When people assume you’re drunk, I guess that’s good.
WINONAN: At the regional tournament that was hosted by WSU, you were at the games and didn’t dance on the court. Why was that?
MAXWELL: Minnesota State-Mankato sent a letter to the NCAA and told them I was like a second mascot and it was unfair. The WSU athletic department told me I couldn’t go on the court to dance, but stay on the sidelines and do it, so I did. I was also told for the regional final that I could use the mascot uniform and go out and dance, except I didn’t have the muscle part of the uniform, which I wish I had, because my body could use some muscle.
WINONAN: When did you start baseball and who got your started in the game?
MAXWELL: I don’t even remember when I started playing, but I knew my dad had me swinging a bat as far back as I know. He loved the game and got me really hooked on the game I love.
WINONAN: Anything else you would want readers of the Winonan to know?
MAXWELL: Hopefully the baseball team can pick it up right now. We are in a little bit of a slump, but hopefully we can get some big wins and win conference again like we did last year.