Interview with Wicked World Vocalist and ASL Activist Paul Raci

By Mick Michaels

COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Paul! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it is greatly appreciated.

CV: For some, your childhood and upbringing would be considered unique on several levels, especially with having two parents who were deaf; an experience that would offer many challenges for a young person but at the same time, many exceptional opportunities to grow as a person. Tell us a little about how such an experience impacted your life leading you to becoming an artist.

PR: I don’t.  Growing up in the 50’s with Deaf parents was to say the least, unusual. There were no interpreters, no captions on television, no phones for Deaf people, and really no access to any mainstream music or entertainment for the Deaf.  Period. I was their main ticket to the oppressive Hearing culture that they were forced to live in.  

A friend of my Dad brought over a huge treasure trove of 78 rpm records with a phonograph and gave it to me.  Spike Jones, Frank Sinatra and vocalists I didn’t know we’re always turning on my record player while at the same time the radio would be on...my parents wanted me to speak and were paranoid that all I would do was sign...ASL is my native tongue. So eventually I felt it my profound duty to perform and sign songs for my parents.  As I got older it was Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka tunes and then Elvis. 

CV: Paul, was music a big part of your youth growing up? Were you drawn to get involved in music at an early age?
PR:  I could not get enough music. In high school the Beatles made their impact on me. I went to see them twice in Chicago and my Deaf Mother bought me my first guitar.  My mother lost her hearing at the age of 5 to spinal meningitis, and never really recovered emotionally from that. My father was deafened at the age of 1 from the same disease but didn’t really suffer emotional loss from it.  He was content in his silence. But it was always my personal challenge to try and “interpret “music for them both. 

CV: Wicked World has a bit of uniqueness to it as well. First, the band is specifically a Black Sabbath tribute act.  But secondly, and in my opinion, even more interesting, is you, as the lead singer, sing and speak to the audience using both words and signing while performing.  How did you come to such a coupling of Black Sabbath covers and sign language?

PR:  Wicked World is a phenomenal band.  We were in rehearsal for a year getting ready to be just another Tribute Band. Had our first gig booked at a great rock venue, Petie’s Place, and decided to put some videos out of rehearsal. I decided to record one song in ASL for my Coda Brothers and Sisters just as a onetime thing.  (Child of Deaf Adults) The response was so overwhelming on FB that the band came to me and asked if it was possible to do the whole show that way.  They had been a working band over 12 years ago, had gone through a few singers and were looking to distinguish themselves somehow but we never dreamed it would be this way. 

CV: What drew you to being a Black Sabbath tribute band? Are there any considerations about doing all original material at some point?
PR:  Of course we are thinking of original material and we will be exploring that avenue as we progress together as a band.  

CV: Who did it better…Dio or Ozzy?

PR:  Not easy to answer but who did it better?

Dio.  Ozzy was an immature, destructive force, who at the same time is a great artist.  I don’t have time for petty bullshit is what I’m saying. 

CV: Has pairing the two, music and signing, been a personal calling for you? Do you feel there is a need within the music industry for this particular approach to music and is there a message you want the world to know?
PR:  YES.  I’m grateful to Wicked World for their insight and accepting this endeavor.  This is going to be a great coupling of two Cultures coming together to celebrate music. Deaf people love music. They love art, and communication and they love to Rock.  There are many performances

Interpreters out there now interpreting rock concerts and performances BUT nobody sings and signs their whole set in ASL like WW does! The message is: Deaf people are looking for a connection...isolation from your own pop culture is painful.

CV: Paul, has your talents as an actor lent itself to how you perform on stage with Wicked World? Is there a certain amount of comfort for you?
PR:  Being an actor has helped tremendously!  I approached this work with all the care I took when I did David Mamet’s American Buffalo for Deaf West Theater or Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men....many hours of translation and collaboration with colleagues adept in ASL. I think the music industry has to realize that there are so many different Deaf people and Hearing Impaired people that love music and culture... they wanna be part of it.   

CV: Do you see similarities between being an actor and being a lead singer in a rock band? Is it two sides of the same coin?
PR:  There is no difference. I did “Children of a Lesser God” in Chicago 

Same rush as a rock show!

CV: Do you think your mission to enhance the signing experience for the hearing impaired would work just as well if Wicked World were an all original music band?

PR: Absolutely!  We eventually will move to originals. We’ll have the same vibe...same fans.

CV: Paul, in your opinion, is there any difference in the music fan who is deaf and the one who is not, besides the obvious impairment? Or is it just stereotyping on the part of people's perceptions and beliefs? And do you feel the hearing impaired fans are overlooked by the music industry on a greater scale than those who are not??

PR: Check out our deaf fans.  They are so neglected and starved by the music industry that they are far more appreciative and rabid!

I want to say something about the development of our show. 

When any Hearing performer makes an attempt to Sign or communicate with a Deaf audience...the impact is tremendous.  Helen Keller said herself that of the two disabilities she had, being deaf was by far the most isolating.  Also, imagine living in the country of your birth but nobody speaks your language.  On a train or airport you have no idea what the loudspeaker is telling the world.  Deaf people are a minority and they traditionally feel oppressed.  My Father did and so did all of his deaf friends.  And so... there are ASL translations in the show that point out that mindless oppression that Deaf people suffer.  They relate...finally someone is speaking or signing or singing their language.  It’s called Deaf Culture.  Come on in and learn something new.  

CV: Does music offer hearing impaired individuals something more...something on a deeper level that many of us have possibly taken for granted?
PR: Yes Hearing people take much for granted when it comes to choices you have in the world.
  
CV: Do you feel that with the massive rise in popularity of tribute acts in recent years, original bands are finding it harder to build followings and have their music heard…especially on the local and regional club circuits?

PR:  You know what... bands come and go.  Tribute bands especially.  Originals are creations that must be nurtured. I’m not worried about music. It will always gloriously be here in its fullest!

CV: What can people expect to see and experience at a Wicked World's show?

PR:  You will see deaf and hearing people in a club environment partying and learning about one another that they previously did not expect.  A bridging of a communication GAP that has existed for far too long. And you’re gonna see alotta people having some FUN!

Our first show in over 15 years was a rousing success. We drew almost as many people as the headliners for the evening so we were happy.  Half of our crowd was deaf people and they LOVED it.  I can’t tell you all of the remarks but one deaf guy said he has been to tons of concerts with or without interpreters, Van Halen, you name it. But this was the first time he really got IT.  The message of the song, the feeling, the power!  And let’s not forget we’re talking about Black Sabbath here...this ain’t Boy meets Girl romance crap.  It’s the Universe, nuclear war, God, Satan, addiction, the lyrics are prolific. Wicked World continues on its new found journey of playing Black Sabbath music for hearing and deaf people.  Healing what we can.  

CV: What's next for you and the band?

PR: Next Gig July 19th at Petie’s Place!!

CV: Thank you again Paul for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.

Check out Paul and Wicked World at:
Facebook: click here
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hashtag/aslrock

All photos by: Lady Lea Photog

Like The Cosmic View on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/TheCosmickView   

My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word.  Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.

Want to see your logo here? Contact The Cosmic View for details and rates.