Strategy.
I spent the weeks before the journey studying on tactics that worked successfully in the past, reading the posts on sf0.org and studying elusive techniques.
There was only one solution that seemed the best. Only one that seemed both enjoyable and…somewhat pratical.
Multiple costumes. Versatile costumes.
But what part of the costume made someone so…unrecognizable, so different? After visiting the International Spy Museum in Washington DC a few weeks earlier, I knew the answer(s).
- Hair. Obviously. If my hair suddenly turned from black to blonde or from straight to curly, surely it would be easy to sneak by an unsuspecting chaser.
- Classes. What I mean by classes are the clear distinguished classes in San Francisco. What you mean that there are classes in this city? Most certainly. If I dressed like a hipster, a yuppie, a Chinese bag lady, or a high-flauntin’ business man, nobody will be the wiser. Especially when they are on opposite extremes.
- Skin color. Now, it’s not meant to be racist at all. I was going to put corn starch on my face. Then when it wore off, I was going to use black face paint to draw crazy “tattoos” on my face.
- Walking style. Not easy for me, since I walk so uniquely. But what if I walk daintly…then I walk with confidence, then walk like a man…strutting. It has been more than a year since I first took the BATS improv class, but the lessons there of slipping in another role were so amazing. I can suddenly be someone else easily with a different walk.
- Being obvious. If I looked a bit crazy and yelled out obscenities in the middle of the street, wouldn’t I naturally be ignored in San Francisco? Ok, so this was something I thought of AFTER the journey. But I remember going East on Folsom and seeing a man yelling random things into the dark street…I naturally ignored him. And I realized how automatic that was for someone living in San Francisco.