For most of us, eating a bowl of soup or cereal is a simple task that we do without a second thought. But for Jason “Shakes” Hostetler — a filmmaker, budding stand-up comedian and longtime employee of East Nashville music venue The 5 Spot — eating soup or cereal was something he avoided for nearly all of his life.
“I used to say, ‘Soup is a flavored spoon to me,’ ” says Hostetler, who has cerebral palsy. “I just didn’t use spoons. I didn’t eat soup or cereal.”
So when Hostetler got his first Liftware spoon in 2017, it was a life-changing experience. Liftware employs stabilizing technology to keep the spoon level, even if the user has tremors or other mobility issues. The technology functions in a way similar to how a smartphone orients its screen as you turn it. There are two different spoons — one designed for people with cerebral palsy and one for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Even before he first tried a Liftware spoon, Hostetler, who is 44, had worked hard to develop a positive outlook and become comfortable with who he is. “When you have palsy,” he says, “pretty much everything is a challenge. Putting a key in a lock. Tying your shoes. Everything is difficult. But I hit that point in my life where I just laugh at it.”
Hostetler’s sense of humor in the face of these challenges is evident in the name of his film production company, Not So SteadyCam Productions, and in his nickname, Shakes. “It was an accident,” he says when asked about the origin of the nickname. “I was sitting in a bar one night, and it just happened, and it stuck.”
And he says he continues to embrace it. “I mean, I dress up as Michael J. Fox for Halloween every year!” His T-shirt collection is further evidence of his lighthearted take on living with cerebral palsy: One features his tagline “Make America shake again,” and another reads, “I run better than the government.”
Still, while Hostetler had already become pretty comfortable in his own skin, his first time using the spoon was an emotional experience that gave him an even greater sense of self-sufficiency. It also inspired him to take on a new mission: trying to get Liftware spoons, which can cost about $300 with all the accessories, into the hands of anyone who could benefit from one.
“I realize that the majority of people who have a diagnosis don’t have my outlook,” Hostetler says. “The idea of being able to feed themselves, it’s just a way for me to get them one step closer to the comfort and confidence level that I have.”
Not long after he started using the spoon, Hostetler set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to buy Liftware spoons to give to people in need. And after hearing the news in early 2018 that Neil Diamond had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Hostetler came up with the idea of a Diamond tribute night to raise money for spoons.
The event, Spoons of Diamond, took place on July 28, and it was a success in more ways than one: In addition to raising money to buy Liftware spoons, it was the first time Hostetler took the stage to do stand-up comedy in more than 20 years. (He had done a couple of stand-up gigs in his early 20s when he was living in his hometown of Memphis, but as he tells it, “I wasn’t comfortable yet with myself and palsy, and the second time, I bombed.”)
When the time came to plan this year’s fundraiser, which takes place Saturday at The 5 Spot, another Neil came to mind — Neil Young. In the press release, Hostetler notes that Young’s friends gave him the nickname “Shakey” because of his unsteady camerawork in his old home movies, making it the perfect tie-in. Furthermore, Young and his daughter Amber Jean have epilepsy, and both of his sons have cerebral palsy. Young’s late ex-wife Pegi co-founded The Bridge School in California for children with severe speech and physical impairments, and for many years, Young hosted an annual benefit show for the school.
One thing Hostetler is particularly excited about is the recent addition of local CBD company LabCanna as an event sponsor. CBD products have had a huge impact on Hostetler’s life.
“From 2010 to 2017 I had 10 surgeries and was in two comas,” Hostetler says. “Three of those surgeries were within six weeks. And I was being pumped full of all sorts of drugs. I was being handed a prescription for four opioids a day, for the last 10 or 12 years at least. It got to the point where I decided I didn’t want any more chemicals. I decided to try CBD, and I just hit my one-year mark two weeks ago of no opioids. The CBD helps with both discomfort and tremors, with far less side effects.”
Hostetler says LabCanna has agreed to pay all of the production costs so that 100 percent of the money raised at the door and through the silent auction can go to spoons. “The partnership with LabCanna is, for me, the equivalent of getting a record deal,” Hostetler says. “That’s been the turn of phrase around here by all my musician friends: ‘You just got signed.’ ” He says there’s going to be a special announcement from LabCanna at the show, but he’s tight-lipped about the details. He also makes a point of thanking neighborhood magazine The East Nashvillian for their help with both shows.
“Jason’s a good dude who is dedicated to benefiting humanity,” 5 Spot co-owner and longtime friend Todd Sherwood says of Hostetler. “He’s been a unique member of the 5 Spot team, and his quick wit has done well to keep all the riff-raff in check.”
To date, Hostetler has given away 18 of the Liftware spoons. After this week’s show is over, Hostetler says he’ll be looking into setting up a 501c3 nonprofit. “This went from something I’ve been doing in my spare time with a GoFundMe, and now it’s growing,” Hostetler says. “It allows me to combine giving these spoons away and the comedy, because I host every show.” You could say he’s a sterling guy.
Saturday’s show Harvest Spoon will feature a house band anchored by members of Los Colognes and other local luminaries, and the list of guest singers interpreting Young’s music includes Caitlin Rose, Rorey Carroll, Kim and Scott Collins, Lilly Winwood, Zach Ryan, Parker Gispert and many more. If you can’t make it but would like to contribute to the cause, visit gofundme.com/Shakes37206.
