July 2, 2026 • 55 mins
Click here to listen with the full transcript
In this episode, Kurt Wilkinson and John Beer have an eye-opening conversation with Rand Metcaffe, his wife Rebecca Metcaffe, and Actual Lives founder Terry Galloway. Rand with the help of Rebecca and Terry is able to tell three of his stories from Actual Lives. "Drive By Healing" shows how Rand can take a moment of ableism and turn it into a moment of comedy, "Body Amnesia" gives us a look at Rand's unique relationship with his body-mind, and "You Can Call Me Al" shows how wide misconceptions of people with similar disabilites can lead to new friendships.
Guest Bios
Before meeting at a fundraiser, Rand and Rebecca spent years just missing each other as they criss-crossed the country. Rand mainly dedicated himself to disability advocacy, protesting for accessible buses, and passage of the ADA. He was also the Executive Director of the Houston Center for Independent Living. Meanwhile, Rebecca was a wildlife biologist working various seasonal positions. On one black bear study at a marine corps base, the marines nicknamed her 'snack'. Now married and retired in Tallahassee, they enjoy sometimes deep, often hilarious, porch chats with their across the street neighbor, Terry Galloway. When they are not playing a cat and mouse game of chess (Rand the cat, Rebecca, the poor mouse), they listen to audiobooks, ride trikes, watch Dr Pol with their dog, and enjoy spectacular meals made by their son Joey, who is a professional chef. They also regularly test their marriage by writing and performing together for The Mickee Faust Club.
Deaf since nine, queer since forever, and Texan by cruel twist of fate, Terry Galloway is the author of Mean Little deaf Queer, a memoir about growing up on the margins and making a ruckus there. This year Beacon/Penguin issued a special 15th Anniversary edition of her memoir with a new Afterword, written after Galloway received the cochlear implants that allowed her the mixed miracle of being “cured.” In Austin, Texas she was known for cross-dressing her way through two legendary local theaters—Shakespeare at Winedale and Esther’s Follies; and for co-founding Actual Lives, a performance project for adults with disabilities. Now in Tallahassee, Florida, she and Donna Marie Nudd, her wife and creative partner, run the 38 year-old community theater for the weird community, the Mickee Faust Club—a theatrical haven for locals of all stripes, including straights, queers, crips with attitude, Mennonites and men-in-tights. Galloway has toured the world with her three solo shows. One show, Lardo Weeping–was adapted into an opera. After getting cochlear implants, she wrote two other musicals, one which toured the UK as a work in progress. Her op-eds, scholarly articles, poems and plays have been widely published and anthologized. And yes, she was once an Apple+ crossword clue. Across, not down.
For more details about our programs go to Art Spark Texas, True Tales Podcast Page.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kristen Gooch (00:09):
Welcome to True Tales by Disability Advocates
Podcast, authentic voices ofpeople thriving with
disabilities, where individualsuse the art of storytelling to
change the world.
John Beer (00:22):
The True Tales by Disability Advocates Podcast is
produced by Art Spark Texas'Speaking Advocates Program.
The free virtual training isopen to people of all
disabilities, no matter whereyou live.
Keep listening to hear how life's challenges can spark a desire to speak out and advocate for yourself and others.
Kurt Wilkinson (00:50):
Hello, you're listening to the True Tales by
Disability Advocates Podcast.
Changing the world one story at a time. Thisis the show where advocates
harness the power ofstorytelling to build community
with their peers and developempathy in others.
Hello, everyone! I'm KurtWilkinson.
Jennifer McKinney (01:13):
I'm Jennifer McKinney.
Adam Greibel (01:14):
I'm Adam Griebel.
John Beer (01:16):
I'm John Beer.
Kurt Wilkinson (01:17):
And we are your hosts for season
three. Hello everybody! Welcometo the True Tales by Disability
Advocates Podcast, where webring stories to life.
(01:39):
I am here with fellow host ofthe show, John Beer.
John, how are you doing, John?
John Beer (01:47):
Very good, Kurt.
Thank you so much for having meon the show.
Kurt Wilkinson (01:51):
Yes, we're so glad to have you back.
Thank you for helping us outwith this season, John.
And I'm sure you're superexcited about our guests that we
have.
John Beer (02:02):
Absolutely.
I've been looking forward tothis.
We're gonna have a goodconversation.
Let me introduce you all.
Again, my name is John Beer,and I would like you all, if you
would, to introduce yourselves,what you do, and if you're all
right with disclosing yourdisability.
Rand Metcaffe (02:18):
My name is Rand Metcaffe.
My disability iscerebral palsy.
I've been with Mickee Faust forwhat 30 years now.
Terry Galloway (02:34):
And I'm Terry Galloway, and um my disability
is that I'm I'm deaf as adoornail.
And uh I've been deaf since I'mgoing deaf since I was probably
popped out of the womb.
I now have two cochlearimplants.
I used to have uh um whatpeople refer to as deaf speech,
but a lot of people just thoughtI was polish.
(02:57):
So I got cochlear implants.
I've been doing um the ActualLives for a long, long time, and
Mickee Faust for even longer.
And I'm also an independentsolo artist, and I wrote a
memoir called Mean Little DeafQueer, in which I wanted to talk
in part because all the peopleI've been saying to say, tell
(03:19):
your stories, tell your storystories turned on me and said,
tell your story.
Kurt Wilkinson (03:22):
Yes, that's what we're all about on this podcast
is telling your story.
Rebecca Metcaffe (03:26):
I'm Rebecca Metcaffe, and I'm Rand's better
half.
Rand Metcaffe (03:30):
Indeed.
Rebecca Metcaffe (03:31):
I um I I received a traumatic brain
injury in a car accident 20years ago.
And the benefit from that, themost the gift from that was that
my son, who was four monthsold, was in an accident next to
me.
And his carseat clamshelled,and he was uninjured, but I was
(03:51):
immediately put into a coma.
But the gift was that I wasable to die for my son and show
him how much I loved him andstill live.
John Beer (04:01):
Thank you.
Kurt Wilkinson (04:01):
Thank you for sharing that.
John Beer (04:02):
Yes.
And now Rand is here because hewas one of the original
storytellers in Actual Livesyears ago.
Uh and Terry is one of theco-creators of the program in
2000, and Rebecca is good enoughto help us facilitate our
(04:23):
conversation.
So we're looking forward tohaving a great conversation with
you all.
I have multiple sclerosis, Iuse a wheelchair because of
that, and I'm from the SpeakingAdvocates program at Art Spark
Texas, which is a directdescendant of Actual Lives.
So I'm really interested inhearing your origin stories
(04:44):
here.
Rebecca Metcaffe (04:45):
Yeah, good.
John Beer (04:46):
All right, so let's kick off by listening to a story
from Rand called Drive byHealing.
Rand Metcaffe (04:55):
I used to jog every day, two or three miles a
day with my dog.
Rebecca Metcaffe (05:03):
I used to jog every day, two or three miles a
day with my dog.
Rand Metcaffe (05:08):
One Sunday morning, I was jogging as usual,
and a van passed me and thenpulled back to the curb.
Rebecca Metcaffe (05:22):
One Sunday morning, I was jogging as usual,
and a van passed me.
It pulled over to the curb.
Rand Metcaffe (05:29):
Four college-age people got out.
One guy had a beard.
He looked exactly like Jesus.
Rebecca Metcaffe (05:41):
Four college-age people got out.
One guy had a beard, the other,eh, he kind of looked like
Jesus, but nicely dressed.
Rand Metcaffe (05:50):
He grabbed, he grabbed my hand and shook it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (05:55):
Jesus grasped my hand and shook it.
I tried to get my hand back,but he wouldn't let go.
The other three peoplesurrounded me.
Rand Metcaffe (06:04):
And the first guy said,
Rebecca Metcaffe (06:08):
And the first guy said,
Terry Galloway (06:10):
God did not mean for you to be like this.
May we pray for you?
Rand Metcaffe (06:16):
I was thinking, oh fuck, here we go again.
Rebecca Metcaffe (06:22):
I was thinking, oh fuck, here we go
again.
Rand Metcaffe (06:26):
I was looking at my
dog, she was looking back at me,and I I got evil thought in my
head.
So I said, Okay, you can prayfor me.
God knows I need it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (06:49):
I was looking at my dog, she was looking at
me, and then I said, Okay, youcan pray for me.
God knows I need it.
Rand Metcaffe (06:58):
So they smiled at me and began to speak in
tongues.
Terry Galloway (07:06):
Oh, pray God...
Rebecca Metcaffe (07:07):
So then they began earnestly praying,
Terry Galloway (07:09):
Oh god...
Rebecca Metcaffe (07:11):
and then they began to speak in tongues.
What the fuck?
Rand Metcaffe (07:16):
I was standing there, standing there with my
dog looking at me.
For five minutes.
Rebecca Metcaffe (07:26):
I was standing there, standing there and my
dog looking at me.
I swear for five minutes.
Rand Metcaffe (07:32):
After they all stop.
I said "PraiseGod, another miracle!" And then I took one step.
Rebecca Metcaffe (07:47):
After they all stop, I said, "Praise God, I
think I'm healed!" And then Itook a step.
"Oh my god! What did y'all doto me?
I can't even feel my hands.
I can't walk.
(08:08):
What the hell?"
I started yelling.
"Oh no! Oh my God, what are youdoing to me?
I can't walk.
Oh my God, I can't feel mylegs.
Oh, I can't feel my legs, Ican't walk.
I don't think I can talk now."
(08:29):
They didn't know what to do. Andoh that was so much fun.
I was getting bored and gettinghungry for lunch.
I yelled "Thank you God! I amhealed!
They didn't know what to do, and oh, that
(08:49):
was fun.
I was getting bored and gettinghungry for lunch.
I yelled, "Thank you, God! I amhealed!
Rand Metcaffe (08:58):
And they they got in the van as fast as they
could and drove away.
Rebecca Metcaffe (09:08):
I thank them.
They didn't know what to think.
And they got back in the vanand took off.
Terry Galloway (09:15):
And drove like hell! When we would do this on
stage, we had captioning.
Yeah, people who know uh Randor know anyone with CP, it's
easier for them to understand, Ithink.
Kurt Wilkinson (09:27):
But that was an absolutely wonderful story,
Rand.
Thank you so much.
I think that is so hilarious.
I'm not personally a veryspiritual person myself.
And when I was in college, Iwas in uh some uh secular groups
(09:48):
such as Individuals For FreeThought.
And we all in that groupthought it was hilarious to mess
with the like super preachersthat would sometimes come to our
campus and harass the students,and messing with them was a lot
of fun, at least giving themsome of their medicine.
So I thought the story washilarious.
Rand Metcaffe (10:08):
I do like to mess with people.
Rebecca Metcaffe (10:13):
I think that story also stemmed from being
bullied at church as a child.
You want to hear about that? Well,um, ???
the kids the whole place andgot bullied in Sunday school, my
(10:33):
neighbor is a ??? Republican,but in Sunday school he
usually teased me, mocked me.
And beat you, right?
Rand Metcaffe (10:48):
Yeah, we got into fights. It would then
continue week after week afterweek, and nobody would say any
words about um bullying me.
That the influential teacher isattending nothing was going on.
Terry Galloway (11:13):
Wait, the adults, Rand I didn't get to
that.
So some they would pretend theteachers would pretend that
nothing was going on when thesekids in Sunday school were
bullying.
Rand Metcaffe (11:22):
Yeah.
Because I think because theyhave powerful profession in the
church.
Terry Galloway (11:35):
Because those kids had what, uh powerful
petitions,
Rebecca Metcaffe (11:39):
parentship powerful.
Terry Galloway (11:40):
Yeah, thank you.
Yeah they could do anything that they want to.
They, yeah,
Rand Metcaffe (11:49):
But the idea is to get teased in church but
everywhere else I was acceptedby the m.
Rebecca Metcaffe (12:04):
The irony was that he didn't get he was he got
bullied in church, but neveranywhere in the neighborhood.
Terry Galloway (12:11):
Oh
R (12:11):
Yeah. I was one of the guys.
He was just one of the guys.
Terry Galloway (12:16):
But Rand, that's why you're so skeptical, you
know, about religion and soskeptical about that because you
saw hypocrisy at work.
Rand Metcaffe (12:24):
I did.
Terry Galloway (12:25):
Yeah, yeah.
I love that.
Rand Metcaffe (12:27):
Yeah, you can do it too.
I have a friend who is amassage therapist.
And uh
Terry Galloway (12:38):
Wait, he's a therapist?
Rebecca Metcaffe (12:40):
He has a friend
Kurt Wilki (12:41):
A massage therapist.
Rebecca M (12:42):
with massage therapy
Rand Metcaffe (12:43):
Oh I see.
He has a client they weretalking about, you know.
Where are your friends?
And he goes, I'm from Freeport.
He's here.
My sister, I had a girlfriendwho grew up in
(13:09):
Freeport with Rand Metcaffe andshe said, Oh my god, I'm in,
that class, that Sunday schoolclass.
Terry Galloway (13:24):
She was in that Sunday school class.
Rand Metcaffe (13:27):
And she was traumatized by how I was being
treated.
Terry Galloway (13:34):
Wait, wait, wait.
That person, the person thatthe massage therapist was
working on was in Rand's Sundayschool class?
What was the last part?
Rand Metcaffe (13:42):
People were the kids in class, but uh I wasn't
being teased by her.
She watched our bully.
So she was an onlooker.
I mean, she didn't do anythingto stop it, but she wasn't part
of it.
Well, uh
Terry Galloway (14:02):
trying to stop it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (14:03):
She didn't she didn't try to
Terry Galloway (14:04):
She didn't try to
Rebecca Metcaffe (14:05):
just complicit , yeah,
Terry Galloway (14:06):
right.
Rand Metcaffe (14:09):
Well, she was afraid.
Terry Galloway (14:11):
She was afraid.
Rand Metcaffe (14:13):
Afraid. But I had no idea that my bully was
affecting people in that way.
Terry Galloway (14:25):
That your bullying was say that again
after...
Rand Metcaffe (14:29):
She was a bystander, but she was affected
by the way I was bullied.
Rebecca Metcaffe (14:38):
She was affected by
Terry Galloway (14:38):
Yes, she was a bystander, but affected by the
way you were bullied.
Oh, I love that Rand.
Rand Metcaffe (14:43):
I had no idea.
I I thought it was a me againstthem.
I had no idea there was abystander being influenced by
this.
Terry Galloway (15:01):
So it was them against everybody else.
And wait, is that right?
That the body wait, how did youfeel that Rand?
Because this is a wonderful andcomplex thing about bullying.
Rand Metcaffe (15:11):
Yeah.
Terry Galloway (15:12):
I really love this.
So, so um I want to make sure,and you guys have to forgive me
because I'm deaf.
And uh and Rand and I have along history of trying to
communicate despite the factthat I'm deaf.
And he used to write downbefore Rebecca came into his
life, he used to use his goodhand to write in cursive all the
questions and and responses toquestions because I I could not,
(15:35):
I'm I was too deaf, and I therewas no way that I was going to
be able to read his lips.
You know, so so but we workedit out.
It was a hard, crude kind ofconversation.
But Rand, I want you to repeatthat last part.
Rand Metcaffe (15:48):
But more than two.
I used to get into fights.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Get in to fights about it.
Rand Metcaffe (15:55):
We can.
I will I would fight them.
Terry Galloway (15:59):
You would fight
Rebecca Metcaffe (16:00):
with them back?
Rand Metcaffe (16:02):
And then uh I would I would meet my parents to
go to regard the church.
And they would notice I wouldcome every day of class.
And I would tell them I fell.
Terry Galloway (16:24):
So when your parents would see the arm bit,
it wasn't fair.
I wouldn't tell them.
You wouldn't tell them.
Rand Metcaffe (16:30):
No.
You just told em you fell.
Yeah.
Rebecca Metcaffe (16:32):
Yeah.
Rand Metcaffe (16:33):
Every week. And I put him back
Rebecca Metcaffe (16:34):
But Rand...
Kurt Wilkinson (16:39):
So you were so you were throwing hands, Rand.
You were going up to yourbullies and you were fighting
them back.
Rebecca Metcaffe (16:45):
Yeah.
Rand Metcaffe (16:45):
Well, I came home, I think my mom could say
no.
Kurt Wilkinson (16:53):
Your mom would say no.
It was against your parents'wishes, but you fought back.
Rand Metcaffe (16:58):
I didn't want to tell my parents because um we
were so religious.
It was so important to
Terry Galloway (17:10):
Because their religion was so important.
Rebecca Metcaffe (17:13):
Because they were very religious,
Terry Galloway (17:15):
They were very religious.
Rebecca Metcaffe (17:16):
And...
Kurt Wilkinson (17:17):
Yes, it wouldn't be very Christian.
Terry Galloway (17:20):
Okay.
Rand Metcaffe (17:20):
I really didn't want my mother to find out
Terry Galloway (17:27):
That it was...
Rand Metcaffe (17:27):
Well, I care about my mother.
Terry Galloway (17:30):
You you loved your mom so much you didn't want
her to find out that it wasthere at Sunday school.
You were getting bullied.
She was so, oh man, Rand.
I don't mean that.
Kurt Wilkinson (17:41):
Yeah, I I'm so sorry that you had to deal with
all of that bullying as a kid.
And sadly, I think that's quitea common experience for
disabled people in Sundayschools.
There is there is a kind ofculture there where it's kind of
expected that you will behealed by the religion, and if
not, then there is something uhthat to them seems wrong.
(18:07):
Uh, I actually did a play aswell uh called My Body Is Not a
Prayer Request that uh was abouta lot of commentary about uh
the failure of especiallyAmerican Christianity to be uh
accessible and to treat peoplewith disabilities well in their
congregations.
Rand Metcaffe (18:26):
Yeah,
Terry Galloway (18:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
John Beer (18:29):
Interesting, yeah,
Yeah.
Terry Galloway (18:30):
Yeah, yeah.
The whole healing trope is justit's everywhere.
Yeah. They were taken back a little bit with Drive by Healing
You know,
Rebecca Metcaffe (18:42):
that his manages Drive by Healing.
Kurt Wilkinson (18:47):
Yeah, but well that's what they hope.
You know, you gave them whatthey wish that they could do
every day is just to point atsomeone and say, You're healed.
Rand Metcaffe (18:57):
Very fun.
Terry Galloway (18:58):
Yeah, but I like it, it fucks them over.
Kurt Wilkinson (19:02):
Yeah, they never expect it to actually work.
Yeah they probably fail all the time.
Terry Galloway (19:10):
Yeah, but what I loved about it is that Rand
took back the power.
John Beer (19:13):
Yeah, that's....
He took back the power.
And in such a funny, clever,wonderful
way. He took back the power. Yeah.
It's like you turned the tables on them and you
started trolling them, you know?
Terry Galloway (19:26):
Yeah.
John Beer (19:27):
You got a way for the people than I do when I'm
confronted by that.
Terry Galloway (19:32):
Yeah, yeah.
John Beer (19:34):
Rand, when you tell when you tell that story, how
often do you get other peoplewith disabilities saying this
happened at some point thishappened to me?
Rand Metcaffe (19:43):
I know people come back to me and say it
happened to me.
I have maybe because it's veryemotional that they don't want
to um talk about.
Terry Galloway (20:02):
They don't want to talk about it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (20:04):
Maybe maybe people don't maybe people who
are disabled don't see the storyas funny necessarily.
Terry Galloway (20:11):
Well, that's...
Rebecca Metcaffe (20:13):
I mean we think it's hilarious and we use
humor to to as healing.
Terry Galloway (20:19):
Yeah.
Rand Metcaffe (20:19):
I'm trying to.
Terry Galloway (20:21):
But we have a lot of it, and and whatever the
thing's about, and we have a lotof that.
I've I've heard a lot of thatin Actual Lives.
We've heard a lot of that.
Just a lot of it.
Yeah, yeah.
But that is one of my favoritestories.
It's so horrible.
It's so terrible.
Kurt Wilkinson (20:37):
Yeah, it's it's both funny and terrible because
I think people withdisabilities, when they hear
that story, they can have anempathetic response.
And it can be like, oh, thatstuff happens all the time.
It's so funny.
Or it could be like, hey, thatkind of stuff happens to me, and
I'm actually really annoyedabout it.
And it is discrimination.
(20:59):
Yeah, yes, it is.
And it's kind of the disabled person's choice,
uh, whether to have it bounceoff of you and you kind of see
the humor in it and you thinkit's funny, or also kind of
rightly so, you do see it asoffensive and see it as
something that people withdisabilities shouldn't have to
deal with day to day.
Rebecca Metcaffe (21:18):
Wow.
Rand Metcaffe (21:19):
Yeah.
Terry Galloway (21:19):
Yeah.
John Beer (21:20):
I think that's why it's important you're telling
that story because you'rebuilding community among
disabled people.
Because you know, we werealize, oh, that doesn't just
happen.
I have a Rand too.
You know, like drive by youlike what about like that?
Rebecca Metcaffe (21:38):
I heard myself telling that story to other
people because it's it's just ait's a fun story, but it's also
a good illustration of people'sreactions to disabilities.
John Beer (21:48):
Right.
Kurt Wilkinson (21:49):
Yeah.
John Beer (21:50):
And, and...
Kurt Wilkinson (21:50):
Someone might have had a similar experience
and thought that it was just forthem.
Rand Metcaffe (21:54):
Yeah.
John Beer (21:56):
Yeah.
The non-disabled people thathear your story.
Do you think they're taking thepoint and learning something?
Rand Metcaffe (22:03):
Who knows?
John Beer (22:10):
I mean, do you ever hear like a good thing?
Fuck em if they can't take a joke!
Rebecca Metcaffe (22:19):
And we try to we try to find it fun to make
people feel uncomfortable.
Rand Metcaffe (22:23):
Yes!
Kurt Wilkinson (22:33):
Awesome.
Well, I think we've had awonderful discussion based on
this story.
Rand, would you like to help uswith uh your story, Body
Amnesia?
Rand Metcaffe (22:47):
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (22:48):
Wonderful.
Terry Galloway (22:49):
Yes.
Rebecca Metcaffe (22:50):
I just want to say one thing.
I am not the wife.
Terry Galloway (22:54):
Yeah.
Rebecca Metcaffe (22:55):
Well, let me be clear.
This is from a previousmarriage.
Terry Galloway (22:59):
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (23:00):
Gotcha.
Rand Metcaffe (23:00):
The opposite
Terry Galloway (23:02):
Okay.
Kurt Wilkinson (23:03):
Wife of the past becomes wife of the present.
Rand Metcaffe (23:11):
If the body has a memory, mine has amnesia.
Terry Galloway (23:18):
If the body has a memory, mine has amnesia.
Rand Metcaffe (23:24):
My brain conveniently forgets what my
body is doing.
Terry Galloway (23:31):
My brain conveniently forgets what my
body is doing.
Rand Metcaffe (23:36):
My wife at the time look at, observed, and
studied my body.
I was a science project.
Terry Galloway (23:51):
My wife at the time looked at, observed, and
studied my body like I was ascience project.
Rand Metcaffe (23:59):
She asked me questions nobody dared ask.
Terry Galloway (24:06):
She asked me questions nobody ever dared ask.
Rand Metcaffe (24:11):
But then I had to think about my body in ways I
never had before.
Terry Galloway (24:22):
But then I had to think about my body in ways I
never had before.
Rebecca Metcaffe (24:26):
Rand, why is it harder for you to swallow
food than it is to drink from astraw?
Rand Metcaffe (24:32):
Hell I don't know.
Terry Galloway (24:34):
Hell if I know.
Rand Metcaffe (24:36):
Once I was eating popcorn in my usually gimpy guy
way.
Grab huge handfulls andstuffing them into my
mouth getting more on me thanin me.
Terry Galloway (24:59):
Once I was eating popcorn in my usual gimpy
guy way, grabbing huge handfulsof the stuff and stuffing it
into my mouth.
Getting more on me than in me.
Rebecca Metcaffe (25:11):
Rand, have you ever thought about using your
fingers like tweezers to pick upthe popcorn and put in your
mouth?
Rand Metcaffe (25:18):
Wow.
What a revelation.
Terry Galloway (25:22):
Wow.
What a revelation.
Rand Metcaffe (25:25):
I tend to throw myself out to the world
in full tilt.
Terry Galloway (25:34):
I tend to throw myself out to the world's full
tilt
Rebecca Metcaffe (25:39):
Rand, have you ever thought about slowing down
and keeping your heels on theground?
Rand Metcaffe (25:44):
No.
I never thought about it.
But I'm thinking about it now.
Terry Galloway (25:53):
No, I never thought about it, but I'm
thinking about it now.
Rand Metcaffe (25:58):
Are these just habits?
Is it laziness on my part?
Is it a guy thing?
Terry Galloway (26:10):
Are these just habits?
Is it laziness on my part?
Is it a guy thing?
Rebecca Metcaffe (26:17):
Rand, maybe you're angry with your body.
Rand Metcaffe (26:25):
Angry with this body?
This body?
This body that takes all myconcentration just to speak.
You can tell how well that'sworking out.
Terry Galloway (26:43):
Angry with this body?
This body?
This body that takes all myconcentration just to speak.
You can tell how well that'sworking out.
Rand Metcaffe (26:56):
This body?
This body that could sabotageme at any moment if I relax and
quit thinking about swallowing.
This body?
(27:18):
This body that could sabotageme at any moment if I relax and
quit thinking about swallowing.
This body that makes drool spout from my mouth.
Always with such lousy timingalways at the worst time.
(27:48):
Like when I'm eating or havingsex or talking before a live
audience.
Terry Galloway (28:01):
This body that makes drool sprout from my mouth
and always with such lousytiming, like when I'm eating or
having sex or talking before alive audience.
Rand Metcaffe (28:16):
So for God's sake, don't make me laugh with a
mouthful.
Terry Galloway (28:23):
And for God's sakes, don't make me laugh with
a mouthful.
Rand Metcaffe (28:34):
Angry with this body that when I try to command
my good hand as opposed tothe evil
one, to caress my lover's back struggles to convey my love and tenderness.
Terry Galloway (28:58):
Angry with my body.
This body that when I try tocommand my good hand as opposed
to the evil one, to caress mylover's back struggles to convey
my love and tenderness.
Rand Metcaffe (29:14):
Angry with with this
body? This body that had to have somebody wipe its ass until theage of seven.
Angry with with this body? Thisbody that had to have somebody
(29:37):
wipe its ass until the age ofseven.
This body couldn't dress itself until the
age of eight.
This body that couldn't dressitself until the age of eight.
This body that made me feel
(29:59):
so alienated, desperate, and horny.
Terry Galloway (30:06):
This body that made me feel so alienated,
desperate, and horny.
Rand Metcaffe (30:14):
Maybe I am angry with my body but it's calling me
to wake from my amnesia.
Terry Galloway (30:27):
Maybe I am angry with my body, but it's calling
me to wake up from my amnesia.
Rebecca Metcaffe (30:39):
Jesus Christ, that's powerful.
Terry Galloway (30:41):
And Rand, that's that's why it needs to be told.
That's why, darling.
Rebecca Metcaffe (30:47):
You know, you have a gift for conveying your
love and tenderness.
You do.
Terry Galloway (30:54):
And Rand...
Rebecca Metcaffe (30:56):
I feel every moment.
Terry Galloway (30:57):
And he did a great job of reading it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (30:59):
Yes.
Terry Galloway (31:00):
I I think he has performed this several times
before.
And he and every time it's new,but you can uh he because he's
performed it, I think he wasarticulating it better.
I I don't know whether that isso to you, but it was certainly
so to us.
Kurt Wilkinson (31:21):
I did.
I heard that very clear.
That was very powerful.
Uh thank you very much, Rand.
I'm very surprised by my reaction.
Terry Galloway (31:33):
You're surprised by your own reaction.
It's really powerful.
Kurt Wilkinson (31:39):
And thank you for telling your very personal
story, even when it's stillquite emotional for you.
And it's okay to feel emotions.
That's your own life, that'syour lived experience.
R (31:50):
But the sad story is right...
Terry Galloway (31:54):
But Rand, it it is it, you know, that's what
makes it so I want to say it'simportant.
It's important in a reallyprofound way, and that's what
makes it so.
Because it's just like when youit and in Macbeth, when you
said that one line, and you saidit with such effort and and
(32:19):
vehemence and precision that itwoke people up.
Rand Metcaffe (32:24):
This is what Actual Lives is about.
Terry Galloway (32:28):
It's what Actual Lives is about, waking people
up, moving them, moving them,you know, moving them, yes,
yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (32:38):
Yeah.
I think by by telling your trueself Rand, it allows others to
see your true self and to seeand to tell themselves, wow, uh,
that person can do thosethings.
I didn't think that they could.
And I think it's wonderful thatyou've been able to act in
Shakespeare and affect a lot ofpeople in a lot of different
(33:01):
ways.
Terry Galloway (33:03):
Yeah.
He would, do you know thatstory?
Kurt Wilkinson (33:07):
No, I haven't heard of uh his Macbeth story.
Rand Metcaffe (33:10):
Well, it's it's...
intellectual.
Rebecca Metcaffe (33:16):
Uh Rand had a particularly poignant line.
Um, and it affected, I youcould hear the audience just
fall silent and hush.
Terry Galloway (33:27):
Rand was in uh a production of of uh of a Mickee
Faust production called AMovable, uh Murderous Movable
Macbeth.
And uh he and Rebecca wereplaying Familiars of the
Witches, and then Rand wasplaying The Knight, and um and
Rand had a particular line, andthis came about because we were
having just a workshop in Faustabout how to showing people
(33:50):
who've never done Shakespeare,how to say Shakespeare, and how
it's uh it's conversational, itcan be.
And there's one line that's oneof the most important lines in
that play, which is "The Queen,my Lord, is dead." And Rand was
(34:11):
given that line.
And so when he came out, he hadpracticed and practiced this
line.
And he didn't even really wantto do Shakespeare.
He didn't really want to do theline, but we had this, we had
everybody say the line in thatworkshop, and the one that
stopped people in their trackswas Rand.
Because he arti- did you wantto try that line?
(34:34):
Oh you do need a rest what Isay.
I need a rest.
Kurt Wilkinson (34:38):
Yeah, you can't, you can't, you can't put him on
the spot like that.
Terry Gallowa (34:42):
It was wonderful.
And and in this case, thedisability worked to enhance the
art.
Because that line has to standout.
"The Queen, my Lord, is dead."
Now you're getting emotional.
Terry Galloway (35:00):
Huh? Yes.
He's getting emotional right now.
Yeah.
Do you want to try it?
Rand Metcaffe (35:05):
"The Queen, my Lord, is dead."
Terry Galloway (35:11):
No, you did it better the first time.
Kurt Wilkinson (35:15):
I did like I did like that though.
It's like he's so shocked thathe was grasping for air.
Rand Metcaf (35:29):
I've got that going
Terry G (35:29):
It was better onstage.
Kurt Wilkinson (35:29):
Yeah, no, I can imagine it.
I I I've got the pipes.
I can imagine him projectingthat very well.
Big, big projective voice.
I can imagine.
Rand Metcaffe (35:40):
I can try one more time.
Kurt Wilkinson (35:44):
It's all right.
We don't need to put you onthe spot.
Terry Galloway (35:46):
Okay.
Okay. Good.
Kurt Wilkinson (35:49):
He's like, okay, good.
John Beer (35:52):
You know why I like you Rand?
You go in the same piece, yougo from funny to frustrated to
angry, and then you bring insome taboos that nobody else
talks about.
So it's just really gutsywriting.
Thank you.
Terry Galloway (36:09):
Everything he writes is like that, except the
silly stuff.
You can have fun. We can have a good time.
John Beer (36:19):
But even that too, Rand.
You've delivered this to bigaudiences, and there are people
that you don't know who you'retalking to, and you can't even
see them, probably, because ofthe stage lights.
So, uh, how do you, Rand, screwup the courage to tell such
personal things to so manypeople?
(36:39):
It's it's something I can learnfrom.
Rand Metcaffe (36:42):
I don't be ???.
And be courageous.
I'm trying to be honest.
Terry Galloway (36:52):
Wait,
Rand Metcaffe (36:53):
I'm trying to be honest.
You're trying to be honest, notcourageous.
Like honest.
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (37:00):
Well, I think he's both.
Honest and courageous.
Terry Galloway (37:03):
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (37:04):
And I think I love that about you.
Rebecca Metcaffe (37:06):
You performed this for so many people.
You went to DC and performedit.
Rand Metcaffe (37:10):
Yeah.
Rebecca Metcaffe (37:10):
You went national.
And that's hard.
That's hard to think aboutdoing.
Kurt Wilkinson (37:14):
I think there's a lot of different kinds of
courage there.
I don't think it's just thecourage of going out and talking
to people about your story, butI think it is that courage to
have that dialogue with yourselfin the way that theater as it
was was formed in the beginning.
Uh, there's a lot of peoplethat struggle to even have that
(37:37):
bit of self-introspection.
And I think that's somethingthat disability can help with,
because it kind of forces you toreally look at yourself, look
at your body, look at your mind.
It sure does.
And the way that it affects you, uh, and how you
can best help your body andmind go through the world.
John Beer (37:55):
Mm-hmm.
Terry Galloway (37:56):
Mm-hmm.
But you can see that throughoutRand's life, though, too.
You know, this same kind ofthing makes him crawl up the
steps at the Capitol.
You know, then it's the samething that got you arrested.
How many damn times have youbeen arrested?
Rand Metcaffe (38:09):
Nineteen
For civil disobedience.
Because...
Kurt Wilkinson (38:13):
So were you actually, were you a part of the
Capitol Crawl back
Rand Metcaffe (38:16):
Oh yes!
Kurt Wilkinson (38:17):
at ADA?
That's excellent.
Rand (38:22):
Were you there too? Yeah.
John Beer (38:22):
So you've been...
Kurt Wilkinson (38:23):
I wasn't there.
I uh I wasn't quite born yet.
I was born in '97.
But I do... I wanna...
You're a young spring chicken!
Rand Metcaffe (38:33):
Those were the best days of my life.
Kurt Wilkinson (38:43):
That's gotta be.
That's gotta be some greatmemories.
I do want to personally thankyou, Rand, for being literally a
part of the group that gave methe rights that I enjoy as a
citizen of these United Statesin helping getting that ADA law
(39:04):
passed uh about seven yearsbefore I was born.
Rand Metcaffe (39:07):
Yes.
Do you realize that 500 peoplewith disabilities took over the
rotun da and really gotarrested?
Rebecca Metcaffe (39:24):
500 people got arrested.
Rand Metcaffe (39:26):
500.
Rebecca Metcaffe (39:27):
Wow, 500.
Rand Metcaffe (39:28):
500
Kurt Wilkinson (39:30):
And I've heard that...
They didn't know what to dowith that.
T (39:35):
They didn't know what to do!
Kurt Wilkinson (39:38):
Yeah, well, it's it's crazy.
You get enough disabled peoplearound there and they'll just
take over the place.
Rand Metcaffe (39:54):
I was with ADAPT.
Terry Galloway (39:54):
A DAPT, yeah.
Rand Me (39:55):
But they were all over.
We all had severaldisabilities. We would take over bathrooms, blocks, buses.
Terry Galloway (40:03):
Buses.
Rebecca Metcaffe (40:14):
For those people who aren't familiar with
the story of the capital steps,can can you kind of tell people
what happened?
Rand Metcaffe (40:20):
Well, um, okay.
Well we were therefirst to get the ADA passed.
Um they were they were theywere dragging their feet.
So I got all the guys to be atthe capitol during that day.
(40:48):
We then decided to go up to therotunda until we
get a committment to everyonein the rotunda all that day and
(41:11):
then they began to arrest us oneby one.
Rebecca Metcaffe (41:17):
But you have like blood on the...
Rand Metcaffe (41:22):
People who were quiet hauling up the stairs,
they jumped out of theirwheelchairs and began to climb
up the stairs, and there wereblood everywhere.
Terry Galloway (41:39):
Blood?
Rand Metcaffe (41:43):
Crawling up.
Terry Galloway (41:44):
Oh, they got crawling up the stairs...
Rand Metcaffe (41:47):
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (41:48):
Scraping of the knees and stuff like that.
Rand Metcaffe (41:50):
Yeah.
But we all did that, and it wasso moving.
Kurt Wilkinson (42:01):
Yeah, it was a great sacrifice that you all
did.
Rand Metcaffe (42:06):
I won't forget that.
Terry Galloway (42:07):
You know that PBS series that uh the PBS uh
special they did about the ADAbill
Rebecca M (42:12):
"American Experience"
Terry Galloway (42:13):
You catch a glimpse of Rand up there, you'll
see him.
Kurt Wilkinson (42:15):
Oh, that's excellent.
He said, remember the littlegirl who climbed up the steps,
right?
Well, she took all of histhunder.
Rand Metcaffe (42:21):
I don't care.
Kurt Wilkinson (42:24):
You weren't you weren't quite small and cute
enough, Rand.
You had to work on your image.
You have to be smiling for thecameras.
I was ???.
Yeah, there uh I saw that Netflix documentary
"Crip Camp," and there's thatscene of the capitol crawl in
(42:45):
there, and there's a little boythere.
Rand (42:47):
I know that movie, yeah.
Terry Galloway (42:51):
"Crip Camp" is a wonderful. Oh that's a great, oh,
that's a great one.
Ra (42:54):
???... uniqueness of ADAPT.
Kurt Wilkinson (43:00):
I've heard a lot of stories uh from people who
have been arrested.
It can be kind of weird becauseeven if someone uh who's
disabled, like I've neveractually been arrested before,
and when I think about it, I'mlike, how would that happen?
John Beer (43:17):
Well, I think Rebecca mentioned them from the email.
Rebecca Metcaffe (43:20):
Right place at the right time.
John Beer (43:22):
The big man will let you out of the out of the uh
jail in Houston because it wasnot accessible.
Rand Metcaffe (43:29):
Right, uh, yeah.
We particularly enjoy irony. Thatwas the most ironic thing.
I know and he was arrested umfor disobed for absurd.
Rand Metcaf (43:44):
Civil disobedience.
For civil disobedience. Andabout making public buses
accessible.
And then they couldn't keepthem.
So they had to drop thecharges, but they couldn't keep
them because they weren'taccessible.
Rand Metcaffe (44:01):
The jail was inaccessibile.
Rebecca Metcaffe (44:04):
Yeah.
Rand Metcaffe (44:05):
The jail.
Terry Galloway (44:06):
I think you guys should have started a gangs of
New York.
Everybody with a disability,we're gonna form a gang.
Kurt Wilkinson (44:20):
I mean, you were, you were, you were who the
police were chattering about onthe radios in DC.
I mean, that's gotta be somekind of clout right there.
I was I was gonna say it's veryimportant for us to make sure
that the Capitol is accessible.
It's very important for us tomake sure that buses are
accessible.
Maybe not as important for thejails to be accep-, accessible.
(44:43):
Maybe, maybe those can wait.
Rand Metcaffe (44:52):
Yeah.
John Beer (44:53):
Yeah, Rand, I wanted to tell you that my grandfather
was in a wheelchair, used awheelchair in the 1970s, and he
could get basically nowhere inpublic.
And I started using awheelchair in the 90s, and I
could go almost everywhere.
There's a lot of work to doyet.
(45:13):
But the difference between hislife and my life is you.
So we stand on your shoulders.
So thank you for that.
Thank you for your work.
Rand Metcaffe (45:25):
Thank you.
John Beer (45:26):
And nineteen arrests holy cow.
I thought you looked familiar.
I probably saw you on the onthe wall of my post office or
something.
Rebecca Metcaffe (45:39):
America's most wanted.
John Beer (45:41):
Wanted rabblerouser.
Kurt Wilkinson (45:43):
Rand's got a famous mug.
I do.
How about next we hear uh our last story from
Rand today?
Although Rand has so manystories.
"You Can Call Me Al" That'spretty funny.
Rand, we would love for you toread for us.
(46:04):
"You Can Call Me Al".
Rand Metcaffe (46:06):
In college, I was walking around campus.
Every once in a while, peoplewould wave to
me. They called me Al.
Rebecca Metcaffe (46:23):
In college, I was walking around campus.
Every once in a while, a personwould wave to me.
They called me Al.
Rand Metcaffe (46:32):
This would happen every day for about six weeks.
I wonder who the hell is thisAl?
I'm serious.
Everywhere I would go.
Rebecca Metcaffe (46:49):
This would happen every day for about six
weeks.
I wonder who the hell is thisAl?
I'm serious.
Everywhere I go.
Rand Metcaffe (46:59):
One day I saw this guy walking toward me with
a familiar CP shuffle way ofwalking.
Rebecca Metcaffe (47:18):
One day I was I saw this guy walking towards
me with a familiar CP shuffleway of walking.
Rand Metcaffe (47:26):
He runs towards me.
He throws his arms aroundme. We are two lost buds.
Rebecca Metcaffe (47:42):
And he runs towards me.
He throws his arms around me.
We are two lost buds.
Rand Metcaffe (47:51):
He goes, "Hey Rand!" I go "Hey Al!" But wait...
Rebecca Metcaffe (48:01):
He goes, "Hey Rand!" I say "Hi, Al!"
Rand Metcaffe (48:07):
You have to know the rest.
I'm about six feet tall.
He's about five eight.
He weighs about two hundredpounds.
And I was really skinny.
(48:30):
And get this, Al wasHispanic and I am white.
Rebecca Metcaffe (48:43):
But wait, you have to know the rest.
I am about six feet tall.
He's about five eight.
He weighed 240 pounds and I wasreally skinny.
And the best part, Al wasHispanic and I am white.
Rand Metcaffe (48:59):
What do you really think about that
experience now?
Rebecca Metcaffe (49:04):
What do you think about that experience now?
Kurt Wilkinson (49:08):
That is a story that I personally empathize with
a lot.
Uh, because I often, especiallyin college, uh, I would have
these people wave to me, come upto me, like act like they're my
best friend, and then they'relike, "Yeah, you're that guy,
right?
I saw you like at a concert inTennessee like five years ago or
(49:34):
something".
And I'm like, "I've never beento Tennessee in my life".
Sometimes it's just figuringout, okay, this is the one other
person in a wheelchair thatthis person has interacted with
in their life.
Terry Galloway (49:47):
Exactly.
Rebecca Metcaffe (49:48):
I witnessed it too.
I witnessed people come to himand say, "Hey Wayne," and Rand
says, politely, "I'm not, I'mnot Wayne, I'm Rand".
And I say, "No, you're not.
You're Wayne!" And I and hesaid, "No, I'm I'm Rand." And I
say, "No, I saw you, and you andyou talked to me, and you are
(50:11):
Wayne."
Kurt Wilkinson (50:13):
You think that you know you?
I know you, buddy, okay?
Everywhere you go! Everywhere you go you hear about it that we all look alike.
John Beer (50:31):
All the handicaps look alike.
Rand Metcaffe (50:35):
But here's the kicker.
I can be a Wayne.
He's my doppelganger.
My Wayne.
Rebecca Metcaffe (50:47):
Um we we met Wayne actually actually at a
pharmacy.
We were he was staying in line,and we were walking down the
aisle of the grocery store, andwe saw him with a familiar CP
shuffle, and I was like, hey,guys, Wayne.
And we had never met himbefore.
Rand Metcaffe (51:05):
But he looked like he could be my brother.
Rebecca Metcaffe (51:09):
Yeah, they look a lot alike to be fair.
Terry Galloway (51:11):
Except, wouldn't it have been funny if that
actually wasn't Wayne?
And if it's somebody named Alexand you're going, "No, you're
not Alex, you're Wayne!"
Y'all end up confusing yourselves.
(51:37):
These are great stories, Rand.
These are really thank you.
And Rebecca, thank you.
Because thank you for for uhtalking through with Rand, you
know, and and and uh and and andorganizing this, you know,
helping to organize it.
Thank you, for that.
Rebecca Metcaffe (51:53):
Welcome, welcome.
Terry Galloway (51:54):
Yeah, that was great.
Kurt Wilkinson (51:56):
Yeah, all three of you have been wonderful thus
far.
I'm so glad that we were ableto work together uh to get this
episode off the ground so thatway we can make sure that as
many people hear these storiesfrom Rand as possible.
Uh, because they really do,they stand the test of time,
(52:18):
they're still relevant today, uhas they were many decades ago
when these were first writtenand first performed.
Terry Galloway (52:25):
They really are.
Kurt Wilkinson (52:25):
Uh and I think,
Rand Metcaff (52:26):
Thank you so much.
Kurt Wilkinson (52:28):
Yeah, you're very welcome, Rand.
Uh I can st- uh when you werereading it, I could still feel
the power that's in it, evendecades later.
Uh and I want to thank like allthree of you for the work that
you've done over the decades.
Like, I'm sure for you it'sjust life, and you don't really
imagine yourself doing anythingelse, but it's been really
(52:52):
actually truly helpful to a lotof uh people in the disability
disability community all acrossthis country.
Terry Galloway (53:00):
And I just want to say, um, like the last word
of my my uh memoir is actuallyRand.
The, his name, Rand.
I'm so touched by that.
Yeah, yeah.
And so I just think maybe thelast word in this podcast should
also be Rand.
Kurt Wilkinson (53:15):
Rand, what would you like to say to the people?
Fuck em if they can't take a joke!
Terry Galloway (53:21):
Before we go on stage with Faust, it's very
important that we all say fuckem if they can't take a joke.
Because...
Kurt Wilkinson (53:31):
That's the last word from Rand.
If you can't take a joke, fuckyou! Thank you so much for
joining us.
Terry Galloway (53:39):
Goodbye.
Rebecca Metcaffe (53:40):
Goodbye.
Rand Metcaffe (53:41):
Bye!
Terry Galloway (53:41):
Goodbye.
John Beer (53:42):
Thank you all.
Kurt Wilkinson (53:43):
Bye-bye! Thank you for listening to the third
season of the True Tales byDisability Advocates Podcast.
If you enjoyed this episode, ohplease share it with your
friends and talk about us onsocial media.
If you'd like to let us knowwhat you think of the podcast,
consider leaving us a review onsocial media or on your favorite
(54:04):
podcast platform.
Don't forget to follow us onFacebook, Instagram, and
LinkedIn.
Goodbye, everybody, and have awonderful day.
Kamand Alaghehband (54:15):
All episodes of the True Tales by Disability
Advocates podcast are free onApple Podcasts, Spotify, and
anywhere you get your podcasts.
Funding for the True Tales podcast is supported by GTOPS, TheCity of Austin grants for
technology opportunities, andby a generous grant from the FS
(54:38):
Foundation.
Lighting paths, firing ideas,sparking creations.
Kristen Gooch (54:44):
To learn more about the speaking advocates
program, sign up for ournewsletter at artsparktx.org.
That's A R T S P A R K T X dotO R G.
Welcome to True Tales by Disability Advocates
Podcast, authentic voices ofpeople thriving with
disabilities, where individualsuse the art of storytelling to
change the world.
John Beer (00:22):
The True Tales by Disability Advocates Podcast is
produced by Art Spark Texas'Speaking Advocates Program.
The free virtual training isopen to people of all
disabilities, no matter whereyou live.
Keep listening to hear how life's challenges can spark a desire to speak out and advocate for yourself and others.
Kurt Wilkinson (00:50):
Hello, you're listening to the True Tales by
Disability Advocates Podcast.
Changing the world one story at a time. Thisis the show where advocates
harness the power ofstorytelling to build community
with their peers and developempathy in others.
Hello, everyone! I'm KurtWilkinson.
Jennifer McKinney (01:13):
I'm Jennifer McKinney.
Adam Greibel (01:14):
I'm Adam Griebel.
John Beer (01:16):
I'm John Beer.
Kurt Wilkinson (01:17):
And we are your hosts for season
three. Hello everybody! Welcometo the True Tales by Disability
Advocates Podcast, where webring stories to life.
(01:39):
I am here with fellow host ofthe show, John Beer.
John, how are you doing, John?
John Beer (01:47):
Very good, Kurt.
Thank you so much for having meon the show.
Kurt Wilkinson (01:51):
Yes, we're so glad to have you back.
Thank you for helping us outwith this season, John.
And I'm sure you're superexcited about our guests that we
have.
John Beer (02:02):
Absolutely.
I've been looking forward tothis.
We're gonna have a goodconversation.
Let me introduce you all.
Again, my name is John Beer,and I would like you all, if you
would, to introduce yourselves,what you do, and if you're all
right with disclosing yourdisability.
Rand Metcaffe (02:18):
My name is Rand Metcaffe.
My disability iscerebral palsy.
I've been with Mickee Faust forwhat 30 years now.
Terry Galloway (02:34):
And I'm Terry Galloway, and um my disability
is that I'm I'm deaf as adoornail.
And uh I've been deaf since I'mgoing deaf since I was probably
popped out of the womb.
I now have two cochlearimplants.
I used to have uh um whatpeople refer to as deaf speech,
but a lot of people just thoughtI was polish.
(02:57):
So I got cochlear implants.
I've been doing um the ActualLives for a long, long time, and
Mickee Faust for even longer.
And I'm also an independentsolo artist, and I wrote a
memoir called Mean Little DeafQueer, in which I wanted to talk
in part because all the peopleI've been saying to say, tell
(03:19):
your stories, tell your storystories turned on me and said,
tell your story.
Kurt Wilkinson (03:22):
Yes, that's what we're all about on this podcast
is telling your story.
Rebecca Metcaffe (03:26):
I'm Rebecca Metcaffe, and I'm Rand's better
half.
Rand Metcaffe (03:30):
Indeed.
Rebecca Metcaffe (03:31):
I um I I received a traumatic brain
injury in a car accident 20years ago.
And the benefit from that, themost the gift from that was that
my son, who was four monthsold, was in an accident next to
me.
And his carseat clamshelled,and he was uninjured, but I was
(03:51):
immediately put into a coma.
But the gift was that I wasable to die for my son and show
him how much I loved him andstill live.
John Beer (04:01):
Thank you.
Kurt Wilkinson (04:01):
Thank you for sharing that.
John Beer (04:02):
Yes.
And now Rand is here because hewas one of the original
storytellers in Actual Livesyears ago.
Uh and Terry is one of theco-creators of the program in
2000, and Rebecca is good enoughto help us facilitate our
(04:23):
conversation.
So we're looking forward tohaving a great conversation with
you all.
I have multiple sclerosis, Iuse a wheelchair because of
that, and I'm from the SpeakingAdvocates program at Art Spark
Texas, which is a directdescendant of Actual Lives.
So I'm really interested inhearing your origin stories
(04:44):
here.
Rebecca Metcaffe (04:45):
Yeah, good.
John Beer (04:46):
All right, so let's kick off by listening to a story
from Rand called Drive byHealing.
Rand Metcaffe (04:55):
I used to jog every day, two or three miles a
day with my dog.
Rebecca Metcaffe (05:03):
I used to jog every day, two or three miles a
day with my dog.
Rand Metcaffe (05:08):
One Sunday morning, I was jogging as usual,
and a van passed me and thenpulled back to the curb.
Rebecca Metcaffe (05:22):
One Sunday morning, I was jogging as usual,
and a van passed me.
It pulled over to the curb.
Rand Metcaffe (05:29):
Four college-age people got out.
One guy had a beard.
He looked exactly like Jesus.
Rebecca Metcaffe (05:41):
Four college-age people got out.
One guy had a beard, the other,eh, he kind of looked like
Jesus, but nicely dressed.
Rand Metcaffe (05:50):
He grabbed, he grabbed my hand and shook it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (05:55):
Jesus grasped my hand and shook it.
I tried to get my hand back,but he wouldn't let go.
The other three peoplesurrounded me.
Rand Metcaffe (06:04):
And the first guy said,
Rebecca Metcaffe (06:08):
And the first guy said,
Terry Galloway (06:10):
God did not mean for you to be like this.
May we pray for you?
Rand Metcaffe (06:16):
I was thinking, oh fuck, here we go again.
Rebecca Metcaffe (06:22):
I was thinking, oh fuck, here we go
again.
Rand Metcaffe (06:26):
I was looking at my
dog, she was looking back at me,and I I got evil thought in my
head.
So I said, Okay, you can prayfor me.
God knows I need it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (06:49):
I was looking at my dog, she was looking at
me, and then I said, Okay, youcan pray for me.
God knows I need it.
Rand Metcaffe (06:58):
So they smiled at me and began to speak in
tongues.
Terry Galloway (07:06):
Oh, pray God...
Rebecca Metcaffe (07:07):
So then they began earnestly praying,
Terry Galloway (07:09):
Oh god...
Rebecca Metcaffe (07:11):
and then they began to speak in tongues.
What the fuck?
Rand Metcaffe (07:16):
I was standing there, standing there with my
dog looking at me.
For five minutes.
Rebecca Metcaffe (07:26):
I was standing there, standing there and my
dog looking at me.
I swear for five minutes.
Rand Metcaffe (07:32):
After they all stop.
I said "PraiseGod, another miracle!" And then I took one step.
Rebecca Metcaffe (07:47):
After they all stop, I said, "Praise God, I
think I'm healed!" And then Itook a step.
"Oh my god! What did y'all doto me?
I can't even feel my hands.
I can't walk.
(08:08):
What the hell?"
I started yelling.
"Oh no! Oh my God, what are youdoing to me?
I can't walk.
Oh my God, I can't feel mylegs.
Oh, I can't feel my legs, Ican't walk.
I don't think I can talk now."
(08:29):
They didn't know what to do. Andoh that was so much fun.
I was getting bored and gettinghungry for lunch.
I yelled "Thank you God! I amhealed!
They didn't know what to do, and oh, that
(08:49):
was fun.
I was getting bored and gettinghungry for lunch.
I yelled, "Thank you, God! I amhealed!
Rand Metcaffe (08:58):
And they they got in the van as fast as they
could and drove away.
Rebecca Metcaffe (09:08):
I thank them.
They didn't know what to think.
And they got back in the vanand took off.
Terry Galloway (09:15):
And drove like hell! When we would do this on
stage, we had captioning.
Yeah, people who know uh Randor know anyone with CP, it's
easier for them to understand, Ithink.
Kurt Wilkinson (09:27):
But that was an absolutely wonderful story,
Rand.
Thank you so much.
I think that is so hilarious.
I'm not personally a veryspiritual person myself.
And when I was in college, Iwas in uh some uh secular groups
(09:48):
such as Individuals For FreeThought.
And we all in that groupthought it was hilarious to mess
with the like super preachersthat would sometimes come to our
campus and harass the students,and messing with them was a lot
of fun, at least giving themsome of their medicine.
So I thought the story washilarious.
Rand Metcaffe (10:08):
I do like to mess with people.
Rebecca Metcaffe (10:13):
I think that story also stemmed from being
bullied at church as a child.
You want to hear about that? Well,um, ???
the kids the whole place andgot bullied in Sunday school, my
(10:33):
neighbor is a ??? Republican,but in Sunday school he
usually teased me, mocked me.
And beat you, right?
Rand Metcaffe (10:48):
Yeah, we got into fights. It would then
continue week after week afterweek, and nobody would say any
words about um bullying me.
That the influential teacher isattending nothing was going on.
Terry Galloway (11:13):
Wait, the adults, Rand I didn't get to
that.
So some they would pretend theteachers would pretend that
nothing was going on when thesekids in Sunday school were
bullying.
Rand Metcaffe (11:22):
Yeah.
Because I think because theyhave powerful profession in the
church.
Terry Galloway (11:35):
Because those kids had what, uh powerful
petitions,
Rebecca Metcaffe (11:39):
parentship powerful.
Terry Galloway (11:40):
Yeah, thank you.
Yeah they could do anything that they want to.
They, yeah,
Rand Metcaffe (11:49):
But the idea is to get teased in church but
everywhere else I was acceptedby the m.
Rebecca Metcaffe (12:04):
The irony was that he didn't get he was he got
bullied in church, but neveranywhere in the neighborhood.
Terry Galloway (12:11):
Oh
R (12:11):
Yeah. I was one of the guys.
He was just one of the guys.
Terry Galloway (12:16):
But Rand, that's why you're so skeptical, you
know, about religion and soskeptical about that because you
saw hypocrisy at work.
Rand Metcaffe (12:24):
I did.
Terry Galloway (12:25):
Yeah, yeah.
I love that.
Rand Metcaffe (12:27):
Yeah, you can do it too.
I have a friend who is amassage therapist.
And uh
Terry Galloway (12:38):
Wait, he's a therapist?
Rebecca Metcaffe (12:40):
He has a friend
Kurt Wilki (12:41):
A massage therapist.
Rebecca M (12:42):
with massage therapy
Rand Metcaffe (12:43):
Oh I see.
He has a client they weretalking about, you know.
Where are your friends?
And he goes, I'm from Freeport.
He's here.
My sister, I had a girlfriendwho grew up in
(13:09):
Freeport with Rand Metcaffe andshe said, Oh my god, I'm in,
that class, that Sunday schoolclass.
Terry Galloway (13:24):
She was in that Sunday school class.
Rand Metcaffe (13:27):
And she was traumatized by how I was being
treated.
Terry Galloway (13:34):
Wait, wait, wait.
That person, the person thatthe massage therapist was
working on was in Rand's Sundayschool class?
What was the last part?
Rand Metcaffe (13:42):
People were the kids in class, but uh I wasn't
being teased by her.
She watched our bully.
So she was an onlooker.
I mean, she didn't do anythingto stop it, but she wasn't part
of it.
Well, uh
Terry Galloway (14:02):
trying to stop it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (14:03):
She didn't she didn't try to
Terry Galloway (14:04):
She didn't try to
Rebecca Metcaffe (14:05):
just complicit , yeah,
Terry Galloway (14:06):
right.
Rand Metcaffe (14:09):
Well, she was afraid.
Terry Galloway (14:11):
She was afraid.
Rand Metcaffe (14:13):
Afraid. But I had no idea that my bully was
affecting people in that way.
Terry Galloway (14:25):
That your bullying was say that again
after...
Rand Metcaffe (14:29):
She was a bystander, but she was affected
by the way I was bullied.
Rebecca Metcaffe (14:38):
She was affected by
Terry Galloway (14:38):
Yes, she was a bystander, but affected by the
way you were bullied.
Oh, I love that Rand.
Rand Metcaffe (14:43):
I had no idea.
I I thought it was a me againstthem.
I had no idea there was abystander being influenced by
this.
Terry Galloway (15:01):
So it was them against everybody else.
And wait, is that right?
That the body wait, how did youfeel that Rand?
Because this is a wonderful andcomplex thing about bullying.
Rand Metcaffe (15:11):
Yeah.
Terry Galloway (15:12):
I really love this.
So, so um I want to make sure,and you guys have to forgive me
because I'm deaf.
And uh and Rand and I have along history of trying to
communicate despite the factthat I'm deaf.
And he used to write downbefore Rebecca came into his
life, he used to use his goodhand to write in cursive all the
questions and and responses toquestions because I I could not,
(15:35):
I'm I was too deaf, and I therewas no way that I was going to
be able to read his lips.
You know, so so but we workedit out.
It was a hard, crude kind ofconversation.
But Rand, I want you to repeatthat last part.
Rand Metcaffe (15:48):
But more than two.
I used to get into fights.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Get in to fights about it.
Rand Metcaffe (15:55):
We can.
I will I would fight them.
Terry Galloway (15:59):
You would fight
Rebecca Metcaffe (16:00):
with them back?
Rand Metcaffe (16:02):
And then uh I would I would meet my parents to
go to regard the church.
And they would notice I wouldcome every day of class.
And I would tell them I fell.
Terry Galloway (16:24):
So when your parents would see the arm bit,
it wasn't fair.
I wouldn't tell them.
You wouldn't tell them.
Rand Metcaffe (16:30):
No.
You just told em you fell.
Yeah.
Rebecca Metcaffe (16:32):
Yeah.
Rand Metcaffe (16:33):
Every week. And I put him back
Rebecca Metcaffe (16:34):
But Rand...
Kurt Wilkinson (16:39):
So you were so you were throwing hands, Rand.
You were going up to yourbullies and you were fighting
them back.
Rebecca Metcaffe (16:45):
Yeah.
Rand Metcaffe (16:45):
Well, I came home, I think my mom could say
no.
Kurt Wilkinson (16:53):
Your mom would say no.
It was against your parents'wishes, but you fought back.
Rand Metcaffe (16:58):
I didn't want to tell my parents because um we
were so religious.
It was so important to
Terry Galloway (17:10):
Because their religion was so important.
Rebecca Metcaffe (17:13):
Because they were very religious,
Terry Galloway (17:15):
They were very religious.
Rebecca Metcaffe (17:16):
And...
Kurt Wilkinson (17:17):
Yes, it wouldn't be very Christian.
Terry Galloway (17:20):
Okay.
Rand Metcaffe (17:20):
I really didn't want my mother to find out
Terry Galloway (17:27):
That it was...
Rand Metcaffe (17:27):
Well, I care about my mother.
Terry Galloway (17:30):
You you loved your mom so much you didn't want
her to find out that it wasthere at Sunday school.
You were getting bullied.
She was so, oh man, Rand.
I don't mean that.
Kurt Wilkinson (17:41):
Yeah, I I'm so sorry that you had to deal with
all of that bullying as a kid.
And sadly, I think that's quitea common experience for
disabled people in Sundayschools.
There is there is a kind ofculture there where it's kind of
expected that you will behealed by the religion, and if
not, then there is something uhthat to them seems wrong.
(18:07):
Uh, I actually did a play aswell uh called My Body Is Not a
Prayer Request that uh was abouta lot of commentary about uh
the failure of especiallyAmerican Christianity to be uh
accessible and to treat peoplewith disabilities well in their
congregations.
Rand Metcaffe (18:26):
Yeah,
Terry Galloway (18:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
John Beer (18:29):
Interesting, yeah,
Yeah.
Terry Galloway (18:30):
Yeah, yeah.
The whole healing trope is justit's everywhere.
Yeah. They were taken back a little bit with Drive by Healing
You know,
Rebecca Metcaffe (18:42):
that his manages Drive by Healing.
Kurt Wilkinson (18:47):
Yeah, but well that's what they hope.
You know, you gave them whatthey wish that they could do
every day is just to point atsomeone and say, You're healed.
Rand Metcaffe (18:57):
Very fun.
Terry Galloway (18:58):
Yeah, but I like it, it fucks them over.
Kurt Wilkinson (19:02):
Yeah, they never expect it to actually work.
Yeah they probably fail all the time.
Terry Galloway (19:10):
Yeah, but what I loved about it is that Rand
took back the power.
John Beer (19:13):
Yeah, that's....
He took back the power.
And in such a funny, clever,wonderful
way. He took back the power. Yeah.
It's like you turned the tables on them and you
started trolling them, you know?
Terry Galloway (19:26):
Yeah.
John Beer (19:27):
You got a way for the people than I do when I'm
confronted by that.
Terry Galloway (19:32):
Yeah, yeah.
John Beer (19:34):
Rand, when you tell when you tell that story, how
often do you get other peoplewith disabilities saying this
happened at some point thishappened to me?
Rand Metcaffe (19:43):
I know people come back to me and say it
happened to me.
I have maybe because it's veryemotional that they don't want
to um talk about.
Terry Galloway (20:02):
They don't want to talk about it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (20:04):
Maybe maybe people don't maybe people who
are disabled don't see the storyas funny necessarily.
Terry Galloway (20:11):
Well, that's...
Rebecca Metcaffe (20:13):
I mean we think it's hilarious and we use
humor to to as healing.
Terry Galloway (20:19):
Yeah.
Rand Metcaffe (20:19):
I'm trying to.
Terry Galloway (20:21):
But we have a lot of it, and and whatever the
thing's about, and we have a lotof that.
I've I've heard a lot of thatin Actual Lives.
We've heard a lot of that.
Just a lot of it.
Yeah, yeah.
But that is one of my favoritestories.
It's so horrible.
It's so terrible.
Kurt Wilkinson (20:37):
Yeah, it's it's both funny and terrible because
I think people withdisabilities, when they hear
that story, they can have anempathetic response.
And it can be like, oh, thatstuff happens all the time.
It's so funny.
Or it could be like, hey, thatkind of stuff happens to me, and
I'm actually really annoyedabout it.
And it is discrimination.
(20:59):
Yeah, yes, it is.
And it's kind of the disabled person's choice,
uh, whether to have it bounceoff of you and you kind of see
the humor in it and you thinkit's funny, or also kind of
rightly so, you do see it asoffensive and see it as
something that people withdisabilities shouldn't have to
deal with day to day.
Rebecca Metcaffe (21:18):
Wow.
Rand Metcaffe (21:19):
Yeah.
Terry Galloway (21:19):
Yeah.
John Beer (21:20):
I think that's why it's important you're telling
that story because you'rebuilding community among
disabled people.
Because you know, we werealize, oh, that doesn't just
happen.
I have a Rand too.
You know, like drive by youlike what about like that?
Rebecca Metcaffe (21:38):
I heard myself telling that story to other
people because it's it's just ait's a fun story, but it's also
a good illustration of people'sreactions to disabilities.
John Beer (21:48):
Right.
Kurt Wilkinson (21:49):
Yeah.
John Beer (21:50):
And, and...
Kurt Wilkinson (21:50):
Someone might have had a similar experience
and thought that it was just forthem.
Rand Metcaffe (21:54):
Yeah.
John Beer (21:56):
Yeah.
The non-disabled people thathear your story.
Do you think they're taking thepoint and learning something?
Rand Metcaffe (22:03):
Who knows?
John Beer (22:10):
I mean, do you ever hear like a good thing?
Fuck em if they can't take a joke!
Rebecca Metcaffe (22:19):
And we try to we try to find it fun to make
people feel uncomfortable.
Rand Metcaffe (22:23):
Yes!
Kurt Wilkinson (22:33):
Awesome.
Well, I think we've had awonderful discussion based on
this story.
Rand, would you like to help uswith uh your story, Body
Amnesia?
Rand Metcaffe (22:47):
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (22:48):
Wonderful.
Terry Galloway (22:49):
Yes.
Rebecca Metcaffe (22:50):
I just want to say one thing.
I am not the wife.
Terry Galloway (22:54):
Yeah.
Rebecca Metcaffe (22:55):
Well, let me be clear.
This is from a previousmarriage.
Terry Galloway (22:59):
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (23:00):
Gotcha.
Rand Metcaffe (23:00):
The opposite
Terry Galloway (23:02):
Okay.
Kurt Wilkinson (23:03):
Wife of the past becomes wife of the present.
Rand Metcaffe (23:11):
If the body has a memory, mine has amnesia.
Terry Galloway (23:18):
If the body has a memory, mine has amnesia.
Rand Metcaffe (23:24):
My brain conveniently forgets what my
body is doing.
Terry Galloway (23:31):
My brain conveniently forgets what my
body is doing.
Rand Metcaffe (23:36):
My wife at the time look at, observed, and
studied my body.
I was a science project.
Terry Galloway (23:51):
My wife at the time looked at, observed, and
studied my body like I was ascience project.
Rand Metcaffe (23:59):
She asked me questions nobody dared ask.
Terry Galloway (24:06):
She asked me questions nobody ever dared ask.
Rand Metcaffe (24:11):
But then I had to think about my body in ways I
never had before.
Terry Galloway (24:22):
But then I had to think about my body in ways I
never had before.
Rebecca Metcaffe (24:26):
Rand, why is it harder for you to swallow
food than it is to drink from astraw?
Rand Metcaffe (24:32):
Hell I don't know.
Terry Galloway (24:34):
Hell if I know.
Rand Metcaffe (24:36):
Once I was eating popcorn in my usually gimpy guy
way.
Grab huge handfulls andstuffing them into my
mouth getting more on me thanin me.
Terry Galloway (24:59):
Once I was eating popcorn in my usual gimpy
guy way, grabbing huge handfulsof the stuff and stuffing it
into my mouth.
Getting more on me than in me.
Rebecca Metcaffe (25:11):
Rand, have you ever thought about using your
fingers like tweezers to pick upthe popcorn and put in your
mouth?
Rand Metcaffe (25:18):
Wow.
What a revelation.
Terry Galloway (25:22):
Wow.
What a revelation.
Rand Metcaffe (25:25):
I tend to throw myself out to the world
in full tilt.
Terry Galloway (25:34):
I tend to throw myself out to the world's full
tilt
Rebecca Metcaffe (25:39):
Rand, have you ever thought about slowing down
and keeping your heels on theground?
Rand Metcaffe (25:44):
No.
I never thought about it.
But I'm thinking about it now.
Terry Galloway (25:53):
No, I never thought about it, but I'm
thinking about it now.
Rand Metcaffe (25:58):
Are these just habits?
Is it laziness on my part?
Is it a guy thing?
Terry Galloway (26:10):
Are these just habits?
Is it laziness on my part?
Is it a guy thing?
Rebecca Metcaffe (26:17):
Rand, maybe you're angry with your body.
Rand Metcaffe (26:25):
Angry with this body?
This body?
This body that takes all myconcentration just to speak.
You can tell how well that'sworking out.
Terry Galloway (26:43):
Angry with this body?
This body?
This body that takes all myconcentration just to speak.
You can tell how well that'sworking out.
Rand Metcaffe (26:56):
This body?
This body that could sabotageme at any moment if I relax and
quit thinking about swallowing.
This body?
(27:18):
This body that could sabotageme at any moment if I relax and
quit thinking about swallowing.
This body that makes drool spout from my mouth.
Always with such lousy timingalways at the worst time.
(27:48):
Like when I'm eating or havingsex or talking before a live
audience.
Terry Galloway (28:01):
This body that makes drool sprout from my mouth
and always with such lousytiming, like when I'm eating or
having sex or talking before alive audience.
Rand Metcaffe (28:16):
So for God's sake, don't make me laugh with a
mouthful.
Terry Galloway (28:23):
And for God's sakes, don't make me laugh with
a mouthful.
Rand Metcaffe (28:34):
Angry with this body that when I try to command
my good hand as opposed tothe evil
one, to caress my lover's back struggles to convey my love and tenderness.
Terry Galloway (28:58):
Angry with my body.
This body that when I try tocommand my good hand as opposed
to the evil one, to caress mylover's back struggles to convey
my love and tenderness.
Rand Metcaffe (29:14):
Angry with with this
body? This body that had to have somebody wipe its ass until theage of seven.
Angry with with this body? Thisbody that had to have somebody
(29:37):
wipe its ass until the age ofseven.
This body couldn't dress itself until the
age of eight.
This body that couldn't dressitself until the age of eight.
This body that made me feel
(29:59):
so alienated, desperate, and horny.
Terry Galloway (30:06):
This body that made me feel so alienated,
desperate, and horny.
Rand Metcaffe (30:14):
Maybe I am angry with my body but it's calling me
to wake from my amnesia.
Terry Galloway (30:27):
Maybe I am angry with my body, but it's calling
me to wake up from my amnesia.
Rebecca Metcaffe (30:39):
Jesus Christ, that's powerful.
Terry Galloway (30:41):
And Rand, that's that's why it needs to be told.
That's why, darling.
Rebecca Metcaffe (30:47):
You know, you have a gift for conveying your
love and tenderness.
You do.
Terry Galloway (30:54):
And Rand...
Rebecca Metcaffe (30:56):
I feel every moment.
Terry Galloway (30:57):
And he did a great job of reading it.
Rebecca Metcaffe (30:59):
Yes.
Terry Galloway (31:00):
I I think he has performed this several times
before.
And he and every time it's new,but you can uh he because he's
performed it, I think he wasarticulating it better.
I I don't know whether that isso to you, but it was certainly
so to us.
Kurt Wilkinson (31:21):
I did.
I heard that very clear.
That was very powerful.
Uh thank you very much, Rand.
I'm very surprised by my reaction.
Terry Galloway (31:33):
You're surprised by your own reaction.
It's really powerful.
Kurt Wilkinson (31:39):
And thank you for telling your very personal
story, even when it's stillquite emotional for you.
And it's okay to feel emotions.
That's your own life, that'syour lived experience.
R (31:50):
But the sad story is right...
Terry Galloway (31:54):
But Rand, it it is it, you know, that's what
makes it so I want to say it'simportant.
It's important in a reallyprofound way, and that's what
makes it so.
Because it's just like when youit and in Macbeth, when you
said that one line, and you saidit with such effort and and
(32:19):
vehemence and precision that itwoke people up.
Rand Metcaffe (32:24):
This is what Actual Lives is about.
Terry Galloway (32:28):
It's what Actual Lives is about, waking people
up, moving them, moving them,you know, moving them, yes,
yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (32:38):
Yeah.
I think by by telling your trueself Rand, it allows others to
see your true self and to seeand to tell themselves, wow, uh,
that person can do thosethings.
I didn't think that they could.
And I think it's wonderful thatyou've been able to act in
Shakespeare and affect a lot ofpeople in a lot of different
(33:01):
ways.
Terry Galloway (33:03):
Yeah.
He would, do you know thatstory?
Kurt Wilkinson (33:07):
No, I haven't heard of uh his Macbeth story.
Rand Metcaffe (33:10):
Well, it's it's...
intellectual.
Rebecca Metcaffe (33:16):
Uh Rand had a particularly poignant line.
Um, and it affected, I youcould hear the audience just
fall silent and hush.
Terry Galloway (33:27):
Rand was in uh a production of of uh of a Mickee
Faust production called AMovable, uh Murderous Movable
Macbeth.
And uh he and Rebecca wereplaying Familiars of the
Witches, and then Rand wasplaying The Knight, and um and
Rand had a particular line, andthis came about because we were
having just a workshop in Faustabout how to showing people
(33:50):
who've never done Shakespeare,how to say Shakespeare, and how
it's uh it's conversational, itcan be.
And there's one line that's oneof the most important lines in
that play, which is "The Queen,my Lord, is dead." And Rand was
(34:11):
given that line.
And so when he came out, he hadpracticed and practiced this
line.
And he didn't even really wantto do Shakespeare.
He didn't really want to do theline, but we had this, we had
everybody say the line in thatworkshop, and the one that
stopped people in their trackswas Rand.
Because he arti- did you wantto try that line?
(34:34):
Oh you do need a rest what Isay.
I need a rest.
Kurt Wilkinson (34:38):
Yeah, you can't, you can't, you can't put him on
the spot like that.
Terry Gallowa (34:42):
It was wonderful.
And and in this case, thedisability worked to enhance the
art.
Because that line has to standout.
"The Queen, my Lord, is dead."
Now you're getting emotional.
Terry Galloway (35:00):
Huh? Yes.
He's getting emotional right now.
Yeah.
Do you want to try it?
Rand Metcaffe (35:05):
"The Queen, my Lord, is dead."
Terry Galloway (35:11):
No, you did it better the first time.
Kurt Wilkinson (35:15):
I did like I did like that though.
It's like he's so shocked thathe was grasping for air.
Rand Metcaf (35:29):
I've got that going
Terry G (35:29):
It was better onstage.
Kurt Wilkinson (35:29):
Yeah, no, I can imagine it.
I I I've got the pipes.
I can imagine him projectingthat very well.
Big, big projective voice.
I can imagine.
Rand Metcaffe (35:40):
I can try one more time.
Kurt Wilkinson (35:44):
It's all right.
We don't need to put you onthe spot.
Terry Galloway (35:46):
Okay.
Okay. Good.
Kurt Wilkinson (35:49):
He's like, okay, good.
John Beer (35:52):
You know why I like you Rand?
You go in the same piece, yougo from funny to frustrated to
angry, and then you bring insome taboos that nobody else
talks about.
So it's just really gutsywriting.
Thank you.
Terry Galloway (36:09):
Everything he writes is like that, except the
silly stuff.
You can have fun. We can have a good time.
John Beer (36:19):
But even that too, Rand.
You've delivered this to bigaudiences, and there are people
that you don't know who you'retalking to, and you can't even
see them, probably, because ofthe stage lights.
So, uh, how do you, Rand, screwup the courage to tell such
personal things to so manypeople?
(36:39):
It's it's something I can learnfrom.
Rand Metcaffe (36:42):
I don't be ???.
And be courageous.
I'm trying to be honest.
Terry Galloway (36:52):
Wait,
Rand Metcaffe (36:53):
I'm trying to be honest.
You're trying to be honest, notcourageous.
Like honest.
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (37:00):
Well, I think he's both.
Honest and courageous.
Terry Galloway (37:03):
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (37:04):
And I think I love that about you.
Rebecca Metcaffe (37:06):
You performed this for so many people.
You went to DC and performedit.
Rand Metcaffe (37:10):
Yeah.
Rebecca Metcaffe (37:10):
You went national.
And that's hard.
That's hard to think aboutdoing.
Kurt Wilkinson (37:14):
I think there's a lot of different kinds of
courage there.
I don't think it's just thecourage of going out and talking
to people about your story, butI think it is that courage to
have that dialogue with yourselfin the way that theater as it
was was formed in the beginning.
Uh, there's a lot of peoplethat struggle to even have that
(37:37):
bit of self-introspection.
And I think that's somethingthat disability can help with,
because it kind of forces you toreally look at yourself, look
at your body, look at your mind.
It sure does.
And the way that it affects you, uh, and how you
can best help your body andmind go through the world.
John Beer (37:55):
Mm-hmm.
Terry Galloway (37:56):
Mm-hmm.
But you can see that throughoutRand's life, though, too.
You know, this same kind ofthing makes him crawl up the
steps at the Capitol.
You know, then it's the samething that got you arrested.
How many damn times have youbeen arrested?
Rand Metcaffe (38:09):
Nineteen
For civil disobedience.
Because...
Kurt Wilkinson (38:13):
So were you actually, were you a part of the
Capitol Crawl back
Rand Metcaffe (38:16):
Oh yes!
Kurt Wilkinson (38:17):
at ADA?
That's excellent.
Rand (38:22):
Were you there too? Yeah.
John Beer (38:22):
So you've been...
Kurt Wilkinson (38:23):
I wasn't there.
I uh I wasn't quite born yet.
I was born in '97.
But I do... I wanna...
You're a young spring chicken!
Rand Metcaffe (38:33):
Those were the best days of my life.
Kurt Wilkinson (38:43):
That's gotta be.
That's gotta be some greatmemories.
I do want to personally thankyou, Rand, for being literally a
part of the group that gave methe rights that I enjoy as a
citizen of these United Statesin helping getting that ADA law
(39:04):
passed uh about seven yearsbefore I was born.
Rand Metcaffe (39:07):
Yes.
Do you realize that 500 peoplewith disabilities took over the
rotun da and really gotarrested?
Rebecca Metcaffe (39:24):
500 people got arrested.
Rand Metcaffe (39:26):
500.
Rebecca Metcaffe (39:27):
Wow, 500.
Rand Metcaffe (39:28):
500
Kurt Wilkinson (39:30):
And I've heard that...
They didn't know what to dowith that.
T (39:35):
They didn't know what to do!
Kurt Wilkinson (39:38):
Yeah, well, it's it's crazy.
You get enough disabled peoplearound there and they'll just
take over the place.
Rand Metcaffe (39:54):
I was with ADAPT.
Terry Galloway (39:54):
A DAPT, yeah.
Rand Me (39:55):
But they were all over.
We all had severaldisabilities. We would take over bathrooms, blocks, buses.
Terry Galloway (40:03):
Buses.
Rebecca Metcaffe (40:14):
For those people who aren't familiar with
the story of the capital steps,can can you kind of tell people
what happened?
Rand Metcaffe (40:20):
Well, um, okay.
Well we were therefirst to get the ADA passed.
Um they were they were theywere dragging their feet.
So I got all the guys to be atthe capitol during that day.
(40:48):
We then decided to go up to therotunda until we
get a committment to everyonein the rotunda all that day and
(41:11):
then they began to arrest us oneby one.
Rebecca Metcaffe (41:17):
But you have like blood on the...
Rand Metcaffe (41:22):
People who were quiet hauling up the stairs,
they jumped out of theirwheelchairs and began to climb
up the stairs, and there wereblood everywhere.
Terry Galloway (41:39):
Blood?
Rand Metcaffe (41:43):
Crawling up.
Terry Galloway (41:44):
Oh, they got crawling up the stairs...
Rand Metcaffe (41:47):
Yeah.
Kurt Wilkinson (41:48):
Scraping of the knees and stuff like that.
Rand Metcaffe (41:50):
Yeah.
But we all did that, and it wasso moving.
Kurt Wilkinson (42:01):
Yeah, it was a great sacrifice that you all
did.
Rand Metcaffe (42:06):
I won't forget that.
Terry Galloway (42:07):
You know that PBS series that uh the PBS uh
special they did about the ADAbill
Rebecca M (42:12):
"American Experience"
Terry Galloway (42:13):
You catch a glimpse of Rand up there, you'll
see him.
Kurt Wilkinson (42:15):
Oh, that's excellent.
He said, remember the littlegirl who climbed up the steps,
right?
Well, she took all of histhunder.
Rand Metcaffe (42:21):
I don't care.
Kurt Wilkinson (42:24):
You weren't you weren't quite small and cute
enough, Rand.
You had to work on your image.
You have to be smiling for thecameras.
I was ???.
Yeah, there uh I saw that Netflix documentary
"Crip Camp," and there's thatscene of the capitol crawl in
(42:45):
there, and there's a little boythere.
Rand (42:47):
I know that movie, yeah.
Terry Galloway (42:51):
"Crip Camp" is a wonderful. Oh that's a great, oh,
that's a great one.
Ra (42:54):
???... uniqueness of ADAPT.
Kurt Wilkinson (43:00):
I've heard a lot of stories uh from people who
have been arrested.
It can be kind of weird becauseeven if someone uh who's
disabled, like I've neveractually been arrested before,
and when I think about it, I'mlike, how would that happen?
John Beer (43:17):
Well, I think Rebecca mentioned them from the email.
Rebecca Metcaffe (43:20):
Right place at the right time.
John Beer (43:22):
The big man will let you out of the out of the uh
jail in Houston because it wasnot accessible.
Rand Metcaffe (43:29):
Right, uh, yeah.
We particularly enjoy irony. Thatwas the most ironic thing.
I know and he was arrested umfor disobed for absurd.
Rand Metcaf (43:44):
Civil disobedience.
For civil disobedience. Andabout making public buses
accessible.
And then they couldn't keepthem.
So they had to drop thecharges, but they couldn't keep
them because they weren'taccessible.
Rand Metcaffe (44:01):
The jail was inaccessibile.
Rebecca Metcaffe (44:04):
Yeah.
Rand Metcaffe (44:05):
The jail.
Terry Galloway (44:06):
I think you guys should have started a gangs of
New York.
Everybody with a disability,we're gonna form a gang.
Kurt Wilkinson (44:20):
I mean, you were, you were, you were who the
police were chattering about onthe radios in DC.
I mean, that's gotta be somekind of clout right there.
I was I was gonna say it's veryimportant for us to make sure
that the Capitol is accessible.
It's very important for us tomake sure that buses are
accessible.
Maybe not as important for thejails to be accep-, accessible.
(44:43):
Maybe, maybe those can wait.
Rand Metcaffe (44:52):
Yeah.
John Beer (44:53):
Yeah, Rand, I wanted to tell you that my grandfather
was in a wheelchair, used awheelchair in the 1970s, and he
could get basically nowhere inpublic.
And I started using awheelchair in the 90s, and I
could go almost everywhere.
There's a lot of work to doyet.
(45:13):
But the difference between hislife and my life is you.
So we stand on your shoulders.
So thank you for that.
Thank you for your work.
Rand Metcaffe (45:25):
Thank you.
John Beer (45:26):
And nineteen arrests holy cow.
I thought you looked familiar.
I probably saw you on the onthe wall of my post office or
something.
Rebecca Metcaffe (45:39):
America's most wanted.
John Beer (45:41):
Wanted rabblerouser.
Kurt Wilkinson (45:43):
Rand's got a famous mug.
I do.
How about next we hear uh our last story from
Rand today?
Although Rand has so manystories.
"You Can Call Me Al" That'spretty funny.
Rand, we would love for you toread for us.
(46:04):
"You Can Call Me Al".
Rand Metcaffe (46:06):
In college, I was walking around campus.
Every once in a while, peoplewould wave to
me. They called me Al.
Rebecca Metcaffe (46:23):
In college, I was walking around campus.
Every once in a while, a personwould wave to me.
They called me Al.
Rand Metcaffe (46:32):
This would happen every day for about six weeks.
I wonder who the hell is thisAl?
I'm serious.
Everywhere I would go.
Rebecca Metcaffe (46:49):
This would happen every day for about six
weeks.
I wonder who the hell is thisAl?
I'm serious.
Everywhere I go.
Rand Metcaffe (46:59):
One day I saw this guy walking toward me with
a familiar CP shuffle way ofwalking.
Rebecca Metcaffe (47:18):
One day I was I saw this guy walking towards
me with a familiar CP shuffleway of walking.
Rand Metcaffe (47:26):
He runs towards me.
He throws his arms aroundme. We are two lost buds.
Rebecca Metcaffe (47:42):
And he runs towards me.
He throws his arms around me.
We are two lost buds.
Rand Metcaffe (47:51):
He goes, "Hey Rand!" I go "Hey Al!" But wait...
Rebecca Metcaffe (48:01):
He goes, "Hey Rand!" I say "Hi, Al!"
Rand Metcaffe (48:07):
You have to know the rest.
I'm about six feet tall.
He's about five eight.
He weighs about two hundredpounds.
And I was really skinny.
(48:30):
And get this, Al wasHispanic and I am white.
Rebecca Metcaffe (48:43):
But wait, you have to know the rest.
I am about six feet tall.
He's about five eight.
He weighed 240 pounds and I wasreally skinny.
And the best part, Al wasHispanic and I am white.
Rand Metcaffe (48:59):
What do you really think about that
experience now?
Rebecca Metcaffe (49:04):
What do you think about that experience now?
Kurt Wilkinson (49:08):
That is a story that I personally empathize with
a lot.
Uh, because I often, especiallyin college, uh, I would have
these people wave to me, come upto me, like act like they're my
best friend, and then they'relike, "Yeah, you're that guy,
right?
I saw you like at a concert inTennessee like five years ago or
(49:34):
something".
And I'm like, "I've never beento Tennessee in my life".
Sometimes it's just figuringout, okay, this is the one other
person in a wheelchair thatthis person has interacted with
in their life.
Terry Galloway (49:47):
Exactly.
Rebecca Metcaffe (49:48):
I witnessed it too.
I witnessed people come to himand say, "Hey Wayne," and Rand
says, politely, "I'm not, I'mnot Wayne, I'm Rand".
And I say, "No, you're not.
You're Wayne!" And I and hesaid, "No, I'm I'm Rand." And I
say, "No, I saw you, and you andyou talked to me, and you are
(50:11):
Wayne."
Kurt Wilkinson (50:13):
You think that you know you?
I know you, buddy, okay?
Everywhere you go! Everywhere you go you hear about it that we all look alike.
John Beer (50:31):
All the handicaps look alike.
Rand Metcaffe (50:35):
But here's the kicker.
I can be a Wayne.
He's my doppelganger.
My Wayne.
Rebecca Metcaffe (50:47):
Um we we met Wayne actually actually at a
pharmacy.
We were he was staying in line,and we were walking down the
aisle of the grocery store, andwe saw him with a familiar CP
shuffle, and I was like, hey,guys, Wayne.
And we had never met himbefore.
Rand Metcaffe (51:05):
But he looked like he could be my brother.
Rebecca Metcaffe (51:09):
Yeah, they look a lot alike to be fair.
Terry Galloway (51:11):
Except, wouldn't it have been funny if that
actually wasn't Wayne?
And if it's somebody named Alexand you're going, "No, you're
not Alex, you're Wayne!"
Y'all end up confusing yourselves.
(51:37):
These are great stories, Rand.
These are really thank you.
And Rebecca, thank you.
Because thank you for for uhtalking through with Rand, you
know, and and and uh and and andorganizing this, you know,
helping to organize it.
Thank you, for that.
Rebecca Metcaffe (51:53):
Welcome, welcome.
Terry Galloway (51:54):
Yeah, that was great.
Kurt Wilkinson (51:56):
Yeah, all three of you have been wonderful thus
far.
I'm so glad that we were ableto work together uh to get this
episode off the ground so thatway we can make sure that as
many people hear these storiesfrom Rand as possible.
Uh, because they really do,they stand the test of time,
(52:18):
they're still relevant today, uhas they were many decades ago
when these were first writtenand first performed.
Terry Galloway (52:25):
They really are.
Kurt Wilkinson (52:25):
Uh and I think,
Rand Metcaff (52:26):
Thank you so much.
Kurt Wilkinson (52:28):
Yeah, you're very welcome, Rand.
Uh I can st- uh when you werereading it, I could still feel
the power that's in it, evendecades later.
Uh and I want to thank like allthree of you for the work that
you've done over the decades.
Like, I'm sure for you it'sjust life, and you don't really
imagine yourself doing anythingelse, but it's been really
(52:52):
actually truly helpful to a lotof uh people in the disability
disability community all acrossthis country.
Terry Galloway (53:00):
And I just want to say, um, like the last word
of my my uh memoir is actuallyRand.
The, his name, Rand.
I'm so touched by that.
Yeah, yeah.
And so I just think maybe thelast word in this podcast should
also be Rand.
Kurt Wilkinson (53:15):
Rand, what would you like to say to the people?
Fuck em if they can't take a joke!
Terry Galloway (53:21):
Before we go on stage with Faust, it's very
important that we all say fuckem if they can't take a joke.
Because...
Kurt Wilkinson (53:31):
That's the last word from Rand.
If you can't take a joke, fuckyou! Thank you so much for
joining us.
Terry Galloway (53:39):
Goodbye.
Rebecca Metcaffe (53:40):
Goodbye.
Rand Metcaffe (53:41):
Bye!
Terry Galloway (53:41):
Goodbye.
John Beer (53:42):
Thank you all.
Kurt Wilkinson (53:43):
Bye-bye! Thank you for listening to the third
season of the True Tales byDisability Advocates Podcast.
If you enjoyed this episode, ohplease share it with your
friends and talk about us onsocial media.
If you'd like to let us knowwhat you think of the podcast,
consider leaving us a review onsocial media or on your favorite
(54:04):
podcast platform.
Don't forget to follow us onFacebook, Instagram, and
LinkedIn.
Goodbye, everybody, and have awonderful day.
Kamand Alaghehband (54:15):
All episodes of the True Tales by Disability
Advocates podcast are free onApple Podcasts, Spotify, and
anywhere you get your podcasts.
Funding for the True Tales podcast is supported by GTOPS, TheCity of Austin grants for
technology opportunities, andby a generous grant from the FS
(54:38):
Foundation.
Lighting paths, firing ideas,sparking creations.
Kristen Gooch (54:44):
To learn more about the speaking advocates
program, sign up for ournewsletter at artsparktx.org.
That's A R T S P A R K T X dotO R G.
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