Bill Shannon is a multi-discipline artist who goes by the names “Crutch” and “Crutch Master.” He is a skilled dancer, street performer, choreographer, skateboarder, filmmaker, and much more. Shannon’s skill set and experience would be astonishing to any person, but what truly catches people’s attention is his means of mobility crutches with round bottoms. In “Crutch” by Sachi Cunningham and Chandler Evans, Shannon’s art is showcased depicting a journey of self-acceptance and of being an activist.
Legg-Calve-Perthes is an uncommon illness found in children that can permanently cripple one or even both of their hips. Although it is possible to get hip replacements, they do not last a full life and continual surgeries can be very problematic. Bill Shannon had to grow up with a very tough diagnosis. The combination of social isolation and reduced movement available to him left him even more determined to change how things were around him. As his mother puts it, He was born a provocateur, while smiling fondly at the camera as she recalls a statement. A little later a friend of Shannon’s comments on how there was a hint of sarcasm when a show was titled “Crutch” and comments on how satisfying it is to see people get smiley.
At some point, Shannon analyzes this footage of an interaction with an old lady who passed near one of his street shows. He describes nomadic behaviors, such as a judicious hand reaching out, the attempt to dry stare without being obvious, etc. Right when we think he could be mockingly laughing at the expense of an old lady, the video continues and she stumbles at the top of a couple of steps. Here is Shannon, who had been sitting there observing her observing him, springing forward in a manner that looks like he wanted to grab her. I’m not simply saying that people are foolish. I do it myself, too. Shocking as that may be. You see, one of my legs is shorter than the other, and I don’t just mean when I’m sitting down. For Shannon, defining his disability isn’t difficult. Throughout Crutch we keep getting the feeling that he doesn’t care too much for the disability per se, and he is. He understands his body, its assets, and shortcomings, and he is never going to care about what others think. Throughout the documentary we see him embracing new artistic territories cavalierly and with a structured intensity. Like every aspiring great artist perfecting his skills, he stumbles and stumbles and stumbles.
But he is never bothered with falling. He is confident in himself and knows what his capabilities are.
What he is bothered with, however, is the unwillingness of those in the sphere around him to challenge themselves. Admittedly, he has medical issues related to his hips, but we have problems with the compulsion to gaze, intrusive inquiry, the condescension of competent adults, unwarranted assumptions, and the projection of our vexation and ideas onto unknown people. And the entire time, it seems, we are so immersed in being offended, that it becomes difficult to admit how offensive and abrasive we are being. As for the bigger picture of what it is to exist in a “well populated” civilized society, what is more disabling, Shannon’s hips or our narcissism? The magnificence of his ability makes that obvious.
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