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A(p)(p)©@i?tai April @13fo§ I©®lli9i2i§}@ra Last February I had the good fortune to see Linda Moakes in concert at Winter Womyn's Music Festival in Charlotte, N.C. I had been hesitant about taking the trip; I had recently fallen in love and, though 1 hate to admit it, dreaded the thought of being" so far away for so long." (Yes, the concert was just a few hours away and I was only gone for two days.) To add to my misery, I was working the stage for the festival. Not a glamorous job, despite getting to meet the entertainers. I dragged through the first day and night but on Saturday evening Linda Moakes took the stage, and my self-pity and love-induced fog immediately lifted Moakes is not a comedian. She is, however, a very, very funny teacher who reveals and dissects all our pimply imperfections. And she is a "healer", a self- description that sounds too "California" for me but, damned if it isn't hue! Her act on that Saturday night in Chariotle healed me, at least temporarily. 1 spoke with Moakes a few days ago. When I told her how she had turned my weekend around in Charlotte, she was delighted; it was proof that her theory of humor as a healer holds hue. "Physiologically, humor has a very positive effect", Moakes staled. "It's an aerobic work-out of sorts. Endorphins get kicked up and you feel more relaxed. It's very healthy." She continued, "I recently attended a conference on "the Power of Laughter and Play." Sid Caeser and Steve Allen were there and talked about how stressful their careers were in the early years. They were not having any fun. Both reminded us that we need to maintain our child-like traits. They're vital to our growth as a species. We need to keep our 'beginner's mind' in order to have fun and heal ourselves, our relationships and the planet." Heavy, clean stuff. Not very funny either, I thought. I kept thinking a joke or at least an anecdote would follow; she was non-stop with them on stage in Charlotte. But, no jokes. "It's a very spiritual process (tire act) for me, too. When I'm on stage I'm working with my higher self." Moakes must have sensed 1 had difficulty with "New Age" language and slopped short. "It’s esoteric, it sounds silly. But, who cares?" Yea who cares? Despite the trendy words and phrases, Moakes' sincerity comes through. She believes what she's saying, and she believes in the power of self-determination as well as the power of laughter, play and" the universe putting you where you need to be." "How to create the results you want in your life- my work is about that too," she said. "1 made up this career and it's important for people to do that If you don't know what to do, then make something up! The rest will follow." She also cares for her audience, giving off an almost maternal warmth. Perhaps that's left over from her teaching days. She taught speech and debate to teenagers for five years and left only because the system would not listen to her or the kids. 'The system said kids lcam from reading Julius Caesar, Moakes remembered. "But the kids and I wanted to learn in other ways. 1 was furious because 1 couldn't change anything. Now 1 know it's not my job to fix things.' "I lost my identity when I quit teaching", she told me. "When I began doing comedy, I reclaimed it. 1 am comfortable on stage in front of a crowd. As an art form, comedy fits me very well." I was curious about her feelings about her comedy as a "politcal" act, if she felt that at all. Her material is well-balanced between lesbian/gay themes and "everybody" themes. She had said nothing in our conversation about being a lesbian. When I asked her about if she turned the focus from herself to Tom Ammiano, with whom she has worked on many occasions. 'Tom is so gay oriented and I'm not", she stated. "I’m not as focused on that subject He's politcally motivated and brilliant on many levels. I have a whole different way of being. I think we make a great combination." Despite Moakes' reticence to talk about the subject, she does perform some pointed and insightful pieces on lesbians and gay men. The Lesbian Handbook, an "absurd and neurotic" book written in 1976 that she stumbled upon, provides Moakes with tons of ammunition. And she uses it to make her point, once again, that laughter heals us and brings us together. 'We arc all the same," she staled. "No matter who we are, we all have these goofy ways of living and looking at things. And when we get together we celebrate our diversencss and our wholeness." That's probably the most political statement well get from Moakes, which is fine with me. I'd much rather be tickled and healed. Any time. -Christina Cash Linda Moakes. Photo by Irene Young All Proceeds From This Presentation of Different Will Go To Benefit The Names Project/ Atlanta and SAME, The the Southeastern Arts, Media and Education Project; Inc. T 8 PM, Thursday And Friday Evening, April 28-29 Peachtree Playhouse. Tickets $15. Reservations: 872-9678