I could not get tickets for tonight’s Salon of Shame. You have to be quick these days — they sell out in minutes. But I’ve been to the Salon and it’s a blast; Seattle grownups, many under the influence of a fortifying adult beverage, stand up in front of strangers and read from their teenage diaries or letters.
And we all laugh, cringe, howl and oh no! together. Great fun.
The shows are ASL interpreted by some of the best performance interpreters in Seattle (including the fabulous Pam, Jeff and Anne — you’ll see Jeff in the video below). Pam and Jeff taught at my ASL program, and what they do is very much a road not taken for me. In an alternate universe, I’m interpreting Salon of Shame too, and rock concerts, and plays, and slam poetry events, and spending way more time with Deaf friends. Living in more than one language, more than one culture; I think I would have enjoyed that life too.
And one of these days I’ll probably have to sign up for my turn on the shame stage. I kept a sporadic journal in high school, and am mostly struck by how uninteresting I was able to make my own life seem on paper (grin). But perhaps there is a nugget or two in there that is embarrassing enough to turn into a bonding experience with total strangers. We’ll see…
I certainly never had the nerve to write down anything about sex. What if someone read it? *shakes head* Salon readings tend to divide up between those who thought when we were teenagers that whatever was happening was only happening — and had only ever happened — to us, and if someone found out, we would just die. And then there are the kids like Patrick (in the video) who just put it all down on paper… I wish now I’d had the nerve, which is ironic when you think about it: wanting now to share enthusiastically that which Could Never Be Shared! when I was a kid. Perhaps this is that thing they call perspective.
Here’s a taste of the shame to come. Not Safe For Work. The camera work is shaky in places, and the ASL is clear.
Enjoy. And I’ll go back to reading that journal…