Photographer Lilly Warner [1] may be one of the founding members of the Rat City Rollergirls [2], but this coming month at Cafe Venus [2], she pulls a surprise move: All this time, she's wanted to be a wrestler. "Seattle Semi-Pro Wrestlers" features dozens of Warner's photos of these tough yet stylishly dressed bruisers in backstage repose, calmly gathering their wits about them before they go out and slam some poor sucker into the mat. Here's what Hurricane Lilly [2] had to say about her pile-driving brothers in arms:
Why photos of semipro wrestlers? How did you discover this great all-American endeavor?
I started photographing local indie wrestling when the Ballard Wrestling Foundation (BWF) was putting on matches at the Sunset Tavern. I was a big fan of the BWF, as I was also a World Wrestling fan, so I was excited to see what I had only heard of as "backyard wrestling" in my own city. The Seattle Semi-Pro Wrestlers [3] formed shortly after and then BWF disbanded, so I continued to go to SSP matches and photograph them. I would shoot the matches and also do backstage portraits of the individual wrestlers.
Will there be wrestlers at the opening? Any names we ought to know?
Ooh, I hope so, and I am hoping that they will all be in their wrestling garb as well! And while I love indie wrestling as a whole, I do have favorites (that is kind of the point), so I have to say that I would be overjoyed if Deevious Silvertongue and Ronald McFondle graced me with their presence. I have also been a longtime fan of Mr. Fitness (who is now retired). He is one of the most technically skilled wrestlers I have seen.
And what's your favorite wrestling maneuver/takedown?
My favorite move has always been the Reverse Boston Crab [4].
On Jan. 31, from 6 to 9 p.m., Cafe Venus welcomes Lilly Warner -- and, we hope, Deevious Silvertongue -- for an artist's reception. The show will hang through the end of February, but to get the full effect, you really ought to get down there for the opening, meet the wrestlers and maybe recieve a few borderline-painful handshakes.
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