A Little Privacy, Please

What you are going to read is a project that began over five years ago in a restroom. Specifically, it was a restroom inside of an independent, collective-run restaurant in Harrisonburg, VA. At least, this is where it officially started. The root of my fascination with these modern hieroglyphics really began in the mind of a young boy. My parents would bring me to the local bowling alley on league nights. While they bowled with their respective teams, I was left to my own devices in a building shaped (almost) like a capital T. There were always random writings on the walls in the men’s room. The writings (and drawings), among other things, always fascinated me, even though I didn’t always understand what I was reading. Looking back, I believe my fascination had more to do with the audacity of someone to write on the walls of a public place when I would’ve definitely been punished for such an action. As I’ve aged, my interest hasn’t waned; though my perception of why people write what they do, or why they bother at all, has seasoned with time. Through various creative endeavors, I have found myself in public restrooms, and residential bathrooms, of various sizes, shape, and character in different cities and states. While the typical men’s room stall profanities are numerous, I have found really interesting writing that has only increased my interest. Unfortunately, at the point of my decision to start documenting this writing, a politician was busted for tapping his foot in a stall to signal sex. The details of the scandal escape me, and it isn’t really a necessary thing to elaborate on. What made my efforts challenging was the coincidence that after that particular scandal, businesses all over started painting over their restroom graffiti. Thankfully, most music venues, bars, DIY art spaces and many others could care less about the woes of a sexually depraved politician. And, as you will see, I wasn’t without subject matter. I accumulated over 200 photographs for this project. In addition, fellow musical traveller, Nic McInturff, was thoughtful enough to send me some photos from his travels, as well. Very rarely did I give consideration to the typical writing as I mentioned earlier. But, sometimes, because of the placement of those impulsive phrases, it seemed appropriate to include them. Two hundred photos have been whittled down to a little over 100. Two interviews have been included on this subject matter: One with a behavioral therapist who has worked with adolescents and adults who have used bathroom graffiti for their own purposes, and another with an artist who has toured much of the world, and was willing to share his thoughts. While I have toured less over the past two years, my professional life finds me travelling more than ever, and not every bathroom exploration goes well, as you’ll read in three unfortunate (but true) stories at the end.