The power of “The Hairy Call” helped free Jonathan Ames from his corset.
No, this is not a new fantasy epic. It’s a true story you may hear when The Moth alights in Washington on April 15 at Lincoln Theatre.
Ames has performed with the hip, hot New York storytelling collective since it began 10 years ago.
In addition to appearances on David Letterman, his storied past includes amateur boxing (“The Herring Wonder”), a one-man play (“Oedipussy”), roles in indie and porn films, a Guggenheim Fellowship and six books, including his essay collection, “I Love You More Than You Know” (Grove Press, 2006).
Then there was the corset, worn in his early years to treat his severe back problem.
“I hid the corset beneath heavy sweatshirts,” says Ames. At age 8, he made two friends who dragged him into the mainstream of boyhood antics and adventure. They taught him the life-changing Hairy Call, a cross between primal scream therapy and a Tarzan yell.
“I like to get the audience into a call and response with the Hairy Call,” says Ames of his performance’s sonic signature of his performance.
“Audiences haven’t seen anything like The Moth,” he continues. It’s not a reading, but real stories.” A performance consists of five or six stories ranging from comedic to dramatic to tragic. To limit each storyteller to 10 minutes, The Moth’s resident violinist breaks out in a sonorous anti-ramble romp. “We’re very protective of the audience,” Ames said.
Naturally, there’s a story behind the name. Moth founder George Dawes Green’s love of storytelling arose from childhood nights in Georgia when friends and family gathered on the porch to swap stories. He remembered the moths flitting by the porch light. “It was kind of his Citizen Kane/Rosebud moment,” Ames says.
Like moths, the group traveled from bar to bar, and now frequently to theaters. One recent Los Angeles date drew 1,400 people. Come April 15, you can hear what the buzz is about.
If you go
The Moth
» Venue: Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW
» Time: 7 p.m. April 15
» Tickets: Go on sale Tuesday; $18 through Ticketmaster
» More info: www.themoth.org
