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The Genius of Improvisational Comedy

During the last two weeks that I have been thinking about what I wanted to write about in this month’s column, I had many a seemingly good idea, which unfortunately faded away by the time I got to writing it down. This is what I get for always forgetting my Sony Clié by my bedside as it serves as a very good alarm clock, particularly during the Sabbath when one can’t just turn off the alarm clock. (It can be programmed to go off at various times.) Today a good idea finally came to me as I was preparing to write about either the decline of the Disney Corporation, the saturation of advertisement, or perhaps even the tie between eating too much and weighing too much.

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Notes on a Gig

by Steve Gaines

In the late winter of nineteen ninety-eight
I am setting out on a long and curious journey
across the mid-western States of this country
flying out of Omaha early in the morning
stepping into a new world
leaving behind a large and gathering family
about to descend on us for a Christmas reunion
just one year into my brand new retirement
making for the shores of a Great Lake Erie
heading for Buffalo, New York
going out to test the lake effect snows
my absence making a hole in the family
but ready to go
in the resiliency of my sixty-something resolve
looking for an late “adventure”
no longer nailed down to a day job
wearing the brand new label

Actor!

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Interpreting for Cyndi Lauper

A former co-worker asked me to translate songs for the Deaf into American Sign Language, my native language, for the Gay & Lesbian Pride Rally on Father’s Day, June 21st. I said, “Sure, give me a call.”

The Call
When the call actually came, I had no idea I’d have the grandest opportunity to “sing” with Cyndi Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and True Colors Lauper! While I’m neither Gay nor Lesbian nor Transgender, I still felt I could play a support role in contributing to the event by providing a Deaf interpretation of Cyndi’s songs for the Deaf.

The coordinator for the sign language interpreters assigned all three of Cyndi’s songs to me! I was thrilled. I am Deaf and I depend upon vibrations and some hearing in order to perform these artistic interpretations so I really had to practice and I only had one week! I was given an audio cassette of Cyndi’s songs along with a lyric sheet for each song. Using both the tape and the words, I was able to de-construct the song down to its ASL core.

(NOTE: I also interpreted a song from the hit Broadway musical, Rent, but this article will deal only with Cyndi.)

The Interpreting Trick
When people see other people use sign language, it is generally assumed by those not in the know that they are really watching ASL (American Sign Language) when they are actually seeing PSE (Pidgin Signed English). At the rally ASL was used. ASL is a language that has its roots in French with its own unique syntax and rules that are not English.

ASL is a visual language where facial expression and body movements are as important as nouns and verbs in identifying people, place and time. If you happen to see someone signing without very obvious facial expressions, you are not seeing ASL. You are seeing PSE and that isn’t the same as pure ASL.

Continue reading → Interpreting for Cyndi Lauper