Colin Thomson – sign singer and BSL teacher on reaching 60 and aiming for new dreams!

Watch Colin in action by clicking here.

Hi Colin, for those who don’t know you, can you tell us a bit about you?

Where do I start? I’m a deaf person with four generations of deafness in my family.  I am also a BSL Trainer. I currently work for National Deaf CAMHS as a family support worker and last but not least I believe I was one of the first sign singers or pioneers of signed songs!

More recently I have written poetry/songs which people are starting to know me for. I am based in Nottingham but travel anywhere for work or performances

When did you first signing songs?

Hmm, good question! I guess privately when I was 13/14 years old. I would only perform to close friends and my dad who was able to access music through powerful body worn hearing aids. When I signed my Dad could pick up the lyrics and follow the words!

I loved watching top of the pops – no subtitles in those days mind you – so the kids at school were all singing number one songs and I couldn’t join in. But then I bought “disco 45” a magazine with words in for all the song lyrics and I learnt the words to join in not realising the number one record had since changed!

My Father caught me practising in my bedroom, he was cleaning the windows and I was in front of the mirror with the carpet sweeper handle as my microphone! He then encouraged me to perform  for the regional sports presentation with Roy Taylor,  my cousin, and I never looked back!

My first performance was in Sheffield when I was 17 years old and my audience was half deaf half hearing

You’ve come a long way since that first performance! Do you have a few favourite or memorable experiences on stage?

Wow, there’s been a few! Performing “Mistletoe and Wine” with a deaf choir for Cliff Richards 50th birthday concert at Birmingham NEC to 5,000 people was wonderful! At the time he was raising money for the BDA (British Deaf Association.)

Performing at Deaffest a few years ago I was so touched to get a standing ovation for my rendition of “The greatest love of all” as I added deaf perspectives into the song. Doing this has become one of my trademarks!

I also performed in Minehead for a 50 plus holiday – the audience were calling and signing out as they wanted more which was lovely and made me feel like “I have still got it!”

I must also mention the See Hear Christmas show of 1983 where my sign name ‘clown’ was born. This was thanks to Paddy Ladd who had been a mentor throughout then presented See Hear. In 1991 I performed Paddy’s song “lie through your teeth” – this pop video was a wonderful experience and challenge for me.

What sort of attitudes do you encounter? Are they mostly positive?

A mixture to be honest, depending on the person’s experience. Most people rejected me in the early days saying I was not “really deaf” etc. I think signed songs were an incredibly new thing back in early 70s . Even Dot Miles, bless her, said “I’m ahead of my time though I’m not ready for you.”

Whenever I met people the first question would be “are you deaf?  Fully deaf ? Or hard of hearing.” They would ask these questions rather then comment on my songs! I think attitudes now are changing, maybe because of mainstream education or better technology or both.

I’m aware that you often share your own poetry, how did this interest start?

It started when I was young. My English teacher at primary school noticed I was good at explaining things via poetry – the how why who when who knows! Then later on when I would watch Top of Pops I tried to guess what the singers were saying. I would often lipread them wrong but this would create my own song!

I neglected poetry or songwriting till I experienced different emotions with partners and began writing love songs etc. Then more recently I wrote poems linked to emotions and mental health and I felt this was a good way of expressing myself which helped doctors who were treating me understand me more.

I also wrote about the war in Ukraine. This poem came to me as was thinking of a Alan Hull song which says “when the war is over we can be kind again”  so I tried to imagine what he may have wrote for Ukraine and drifted off from there to show my support.

What do you have planned for the future?

Obviously more performances and opportunities for people to explore and enjoy participating in signed song! Personally I would love to create a few songs with music and ‘borrow a voice’ then the song becomes mine rather than deal with copyright issues.

When I performed together with Caroline Parker – a celebration of signed songs – I felt that it had the potential for a tour! I would like to ask comedians to join up to create a touring variety show as I feel that’s something that’s missing from our deaf arts- comedy, magic, signed songs all together!

I do have a dream now ! It’s my 60^th birthday year, that’s 43 years of signed songs! I would love to do a tour and include some of my poetry plus talk about mental health, my life, and answer questions from the audience

I also plan to publish a book or two of my poems and to bring a show tour up down the country for both deaf audiences and BSL learners. Sign language really does bring people together

Watch this space! Some people may think I’ve given up or stopped doing performances but oh no, in the words of Elton John “I’m still standing!”

 

You can contact Colin for bookings or enquiries at colinthomson888@aol.com