FRIDAY 20: Sake + rockabilly
Take your love dumpling to Forbidden City, the late-night dim sum spot where dishes like the salt-and-pepper squid pair nicely with an impressive selection of hot and cold sake. Then jive and bop till the wee hours at the Rebel Night Rockabilly Dance Party; revelers are encouraged to don white tees, slick pompadours and polka dots galore. DJs will spin ’50s and ‘60s rock & roll, blues and country, but don’t sweat it if you’re lost when it comes to all that twistin’—short how-tos precede select tunes.
SATURDAY 21: Profanity + burgers
Eff yeah! Celebrate marionettes and freedom at 92Y Tribeca’s Team America: World Police Sing- & Swear-Along. Trey Parker’s 2004 film will be screened with lyrics for each of the movie’s profanity-ridden ditties. A free beer is included with the $13 ticket, which’ll help when you have to croon “Only a Woman” to your lover. Afterward, pen an entirely different ode on the paper tablecloths at The Ear Inn. The bar, housed in an early-19th-century building, doesn’t close until 4am, and you can order a burger or roast as late 1am.
SUNDAY 22: Tim Burton + pop-up eats
“Tim Burton,” the much-anticipated career retrospective on the Jack Skellington–of-all-trades, opens today at the Museum of Modern Art. Cruise the drawings, paintings, props and other film memorabilia from Burton’s personal archives (think never-before-seen student art and unfinished project sketches), then bounce over to the PerkStreet Lounge (a.k.a. the 303Grand pop-up space) for an early Turkey Day. The “Thrifty Thanksgiving” includes booze and festive fall tastings of butternut squash bisque, maple-glazed turkey and pear-and-gingersnap cheesecake—all courtesy of local vendors. R.S.V.P. is required; bring canned goods for a local food pantry.—Shayna Courtney
Yesterday, we told you about a BYOB opera event in an art gallery. Consider tonight part two of your high-culture misadventures when you make your way over to Ido Sushi (29 Seventh Ave South at Bedford St; 212-691-7177, idosushi.com) for the restaurant’s weekly opera night. This time, there’s no staged production, though—the series is completely open-mike. Singers just show up with sheet music for the pianist and start belting out the arias.
Chef and part owner Tora recognizes the uniqueness of using a sushi joint as a classical-music venue, but he remains steadfast: “Some people got shocked by the high-frequency voices. So they left, and I said, ‘Bye bye.’” Tora, who takes voice lessons himself and encourages his daughter to practice on the upright Yamaha in the corner of the restaurant, is interested in creating an open environment for musicians and opera lovers. It seems to be working—between six and ten singers usually show up for the performance, which runs from 8 to 10pm. Should you have a song in your heart, you’re welcome to take the mike. “This is open for anybody,” says Tora. “If you have music, you can sing here.”
TGIF! Your perfect weekend is here, and it’s a work of art. Start in Times Square with the opening of “Leonardo da Vinci’s Workshop,” a re-creation of the Renaissance man’s studio, complete with a walking 3-D model of a mechanical lion and a robot knight. Continue to probe the world of nightmarish animals at “Subliminal Communication,” an exhibition of Surrealist works by Gilbert Oh and Joe Vaux—check out a piece called Deep Sea Diva, featuring a she-octopus chopping up whales with her tentacles.
Animals of a third kind can be found at the book launch of Sandhogs (it turns out they’re humans who’ve been digging a new city water tunnel 800 feet below the streets of Manhattan since the ’70s). And if all of this wackiness is a bit too much to handle this early in the weekend, head to the Town Hall to catch Ray Davies, who will revisit the Kinks’ back catalog with the aid of the Dessoff Chamber Choir, making for a quintessentially British perfect Friday.
Books Jayne Anne Phillips
Phillips, recently nominated for a National Book Award, reads from her latest novel, Lark & Termite, which alternates between scenes of war and the story of two siblings living in the South.
Event Sandhogs book launch
Photographer Gina LeVay shares a slide show and discusses her book about sandhogs—urban miners who dig tunnels beneath the streets of Manhattan.
Art “Remembering the Fulton Fish Market”
Artist Naima Rauam stages the fourth edition of this exhibit, which features her sketches and paintings of the Fulton Fish Market from its days in South Street Seaport.
Happy Ending Lounge(302 Broome St between Eldridge and Forsyth Sts; 212-334-9676, happyendinglounge.com) lives up to its euphemistic name tonight—expect things to get hot and heavy at the fourth anniversary of the “In the Flesh” reading series (8pm, free), hosted by erotic writer and cupcake connoisseur Rachel Kramer Bussel. To celebrate in style, she’ll feature some of the steamiest readers from over the years, including memoirists Lily Burana (Strip City) and Isobella Jade (Model Life), as well as the organizers of the 2010 Sex Blogger Calendar.
As its longevity suggests, the event is very popular, so it’s advisable to get there by 7:30pm to snag a seat. You’ll also want to put yourself in prime position to bogart one of the 300 cupcakes Bussel’s baking for the occasion (check out her cupcake-themed blog here). Erotic giveaways throughout the evening include a paddle and slapper from Extreme Restraints, a $100 Babeland gift card and the prize of all prizes, a 24k gold dildo from Jimmyjane.
Don’t miss out on an evening of opera and booze at ICO Gallery(606 W 26th St at Eleventh Ave; 212-966-3897, icogallery.com) in Chelsea tonight. Starting at 7:30pm, the multiuse gallery will host a performance of Madama Butterfly, produced by Opera Company of Brooklyn. This progressive company has been supporting young opera singers and musicians since 2000 and loves attracting new audiences through performances in unique venues. So bring some tissues and let yourself get carried away by the tragic love story—it certainly beats getting your heart broken for real.
Keep in mind the event is BYOB—just make a pit stop on the way over. We’re not exactly experts on wine-opera pairings, but the work was scored by Puccini, so we’re going to recommend something Italian. Tickets can still be purchased here for $20-35.
Video shot by Mandela Gregoire, edited by Elizabeth Kreutz
A lost female astronaut has wandered the streets of New York for the past two weeks. The performance piece by artist Alicia Framis is part of the art biennial Performa 09, and ironically responds to the exclusion of women from the race to the moon 40 years ago. We caught up with Framis to chat about the project and grabbed footage from her videographer Mandela Gregoire.
The lost astronaut followed instructions written by authors and artists including New Yorker writer Michael Shulman, artist and Hercules and Love Affair alum Kim Ann Foxman, and performance artist Marina Abramovic.
Although the performances are over, the astronaut’s base camp—which displays logs and photos of her excursions and architectural models of moon homes—is on view at APF Lab (15 Wooster St between Broome and Canal Sts; 212-966-0193, artproductionfund.org; daily, noon–6pm) through November 22. See more photos from the project after the jump. Read more »
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Photographs: Diana Sonis
Fancy ladies (and gents) in fancy hats. What more can we say about the Milliners Guild’s fourth annual St. Catherine’s Day Fete? Except gaze upon the exquisite glory of the handcrafted headpieces. Moved to purchase an extravagant chapeau? Peruse a list of the guild’s members here.
Did you miss our third annual live showcase as part of the New York Comedy Festival? Enjoy a snippet from each of the fantastic performers; it will have to be enough to tide you over until next year.
Clubs Deep See: Patrice Scott
A Motor City master of evocative house plays an intimate set at Bar 13.
Comedy Craig Robinson
The Office star employs every ounce of his abundant smoothness to make you laugh.
Event “Jewish Comedians: On Woody Allen”
Columbia Professor Jeremy Dauber heads to the 92nd Street Y to discuss Allen’s impressive but overlooked early career as a comedian (7:30pm, $27).
Books Greil Marcus: Lipstick Traces
Marcus, pictured, wrote his seminal work on punk and the Situationist movement 20 years ago, but it still rocks.
Party Post-Apocalypse Survival Party
Join party-lovin’ musician Andrew W.K., comedian Matt McCarthy, author Tony O’Neill and more at this discussion, which doubles as a launch party for Pomp and Circumstance magazine.
It’s all going down in a couple hours at Hammerstein Ballroom(311 W 34th St between Eighth and Ninth Aves, 212-279-774): Sixteen of the best B-boys from around the world face off in a one-on-one, single-elimination-format competition to crown a champion of Red Bull BC One 2009. Think of it as America’s Best Dance Crew, minus the crew part and Mario Lopez. Instead, you get host KRS-One (who will lend his legendary mike skills to the proceedings throughout the evening), as well as live performances from Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek, Rock Steady Crew and the National Double Dutch League. Oh, and no Lil Mama or JC Chasez, either—winners will be chosen by B-boy godfather Crazy Legs and former Red Bull BC One winner Ronnie Abaldonado.
What else do you need to know? Check out the footage of this year’s contestants settling into NYC (with a stop at graffiti mecca 5Pointz), then backflip over to the Hammerstein stat!
Do you have a heap of old pajamas and stinky T-shirts in your closet that you’ve been meaning to get rid of since 2004? Give them the new home they’ve been waiting for at “This Fable Is Intended for You: A Work Energy Principle,” an interactive art project cosponsored by the arts>World Financial Center and Under the Radar Festival. All you have to do is show up at 1 New York Plaza (Water St at Whitehall St) from now until Dec 20 and drop off any clothes you don’t want anymore; come January, the piece will be used in a performance piece that makes use of giant used-clothing ropes, all sourced from the dregs of New Yorkers’ closets.
“This is an opportunity for the community to actively engage in a common project from start to finish,” says artist MK Guth. That may be artist-speak for “Please help, I don’t want my large-scale public art piece to suck!” But still, it’s a good alternative to the Salvation Army (which only takes still-decent, usable clothes). To see the work-in-progress and chat with the artist, feel free to stop by Muth’s space anytime Tuesday to Friday from noon to 5pm. You’ll find him in an abandoned storefront between a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Subway.
If you don’t know who Henry Selick is, a quick glance at his directing credits—Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas,James and the Giant Peach, etc.—should give you a sense of his status as one of the premier auteurs of the animation world. Tonight at 7pm, join him at the Crosby Street Hotel (79 Crosby St between Prince and Spring Sts; 212-226-6400, crosbystreethotel.com) for an intimate discussion of his career and craft, including clips from his oeuvre ($20; go to movingimage.us or call 718-784-4520 for tickets).
If you want to do something beforehand, look no further than the hotel bar. You can order high tea until 5:30pm, or pop in for a quick cocktail before the event. Committed stop-motion geeks can also catch Selick again tomorrow night at the Director’s Guild Theater (7:30pm, $20), where he’ll chat with Museum of the Moving Image chief curator David Schwartz, following a screening of Coraline in 3-D. And, of course, you’ll eventually want to bring your newfound Nightmare Before Christmas knowledge to the new Tim Burton retrospective at MoMA.
Take a look at this image. Isn’t it just the picture of civility? Yet take away the handcrafted headpieces and the children descend into Lord of the Flies barbarity. Such is the social benefit provided by the humble milliner.
Show your support for this most ennobling profession by donning your fanciest hat and joining the ladies of the Milliners Guild on a procession from 1025 Sixth Avenue (between 38th and 39th Streets) to Haven, for an after-party, via Bryant Park and 42nd Street at Fifth Avenue. The procession starts at 5pm and nonmembers can enter a Best Hat competition at Haven, judged by guild members. Enjoy these TheNew York Times pictures from last year, and check back here tomorrow for this year’s most resplendent chapeaus.
Book Mark Danner
The intense war reporter gives a talk on government-sponsored torture and how it’s documented.
Drink Up Le Bingo at (Le) Poisson Rouge
Drag King Murray Hill hosts this nominally French-themed night. One wonders what a real French person would think of Tater-Tots and a can of Rolling Rock for $6.
Lecture “Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin”
On what would have been his 200th birthday, this lecture examines Darwin’s life and legacy.
Eat Out Whiskey Dinner
Ward off the cold at this wintry dinner, where French Culinary Institute students will serve six courses paired with single-malt whiskey.
Comedy The Nights of Our Lives
The UCBT’s humorous reading series, hosted by the fantastically funny David Martin, features stand-ups and improvisers waxing humorous about true-life tales.
Tired of stiff and boring readings? Head to the Yippie Museum Cafe(9 Bleecker St at Bowery; 212-677-5918, yippiemuseum.org) at 8pm tonight for an evening of literature, video and live music from a laser harp. The event is organized by online literary magazine and collective The Fiction Circus, which brings fiction to people who otherwise might not attend a reading.
Author Chavisa Woods reads “Eye of the Tiger,” a magical-realism story inspired by Survivor’s “violent disco rock” song of the same name, with a video piece featuring artwork from Finley Kipp and stop-motion animation by Brooklyn artist Itziar Barrio. Goodman Carter plays the laser harp (fittingly called “the Beamz”), which features six laser beams that trigger different notes, and can be programmed to play virtually any sound. It requires only a musician’s hand to intercept the beams to create a soundtrack. Carter shares his own literary fiction with punk undertones, and plays the laser harp in according moods, accompanied by fellow writer Xerxes Verdammt’s work.—Laura Yan
Tonight and tomorrow night, take on the politics of art and art’s take on politics by attending one or more of these lectures:
Eleanor Heartney at the SVA Theatre 333 W 23rd St between Eighth and Ninth Aves
How do you understand an art world that embraces animals suspended in formaldehyde and performative surgical experiments as fine art? Eleanor Heartney, critic and contributing editor to Art in America and Artpress, will attempt to reconcile the pluralism in today’s art, exemplified by artists such as Eduardo Kac and Orlan, in her lecture “Art Today: Tales of Plastic Surgery, Genetically Altered Rabbits and Other Acts of Art” at 7pm tonight (November 17).
Murtaza Vali at Cabinet 300 Nevins St at President St, Gowanus, Brooklyn
Vali’s lecture “Segregated Space: On Progress,” November 18 at 7pm, will address the important postcolonial dialogue that has been revising the notion of oceans as lengths of separation into an understanding that they are actually arenas for particular types of cultural encounters and exchanges. Focusing on the project Wharfage (2009) by the Mumbai-based group CAMP, the work exemplifies the ways in which the Indian Ocean has been a site of connection between the Gulf, South Asia and East Africa.
Gutai at the Guggenheim 1071 Fifth Ave between 88th and 89th Sts
Gutai may be having a comeback—at least in relevance. Tomorrow night (November 18) at 6:30pm, Alexandra Munroe, the museum’s senior curator of Asian art, will be hosting a panel of artists and scholars—including Paul Jenkins, Ming Tiampo, Judith Rodenbeck and Reiko Tomii—about the contemporary implications of the Gutai Art Association’s practice of transnationalism. More than 50 years after the group’s founding, “A ‘Concrete’ Discussion of Transnationalism” will look at how a globalized art market has made transnationalism an unavoidable factor rather than a novel or seemingly unattainable goal.—Emily Bauman
The Gershwin Hotel (7 E 27th St between Fifth and Madison Aves; 212-545-8000, gershwinhotel.com), which was host to last month’s Magikal Charm series, is all about unusual performance art. And if you’re into miming, beat-boxing and “sonic cartoons,” don’t miss tonight’s act by comedian and sound artist Zero Boy (8pm, $10). In addition to touring the U.S. and Europe, Zero Boy appears regularly on NPR for a segment called “Stump Zero Boy,” where listeners call in with outrageous and challenging scenarios (like “a woman giving birth on a U-57 submarine that’s under attack”), which Zero Boy must then enact using only his voice.
Tonight’s show, A Trip to Coney Island with Zero Boy, started as a three-minute bit in his regular stand-up routine, but when Zero Boy saw how well audiences responded to the material (e.g., hot dog eating contests), he reworked it into a 45-minute play. Drawing on major events in Coney Island’s history, Zero Boy infuses the colorful tale with his own brand of cartoonlike and zany narration. Audience members get to join in on the fun at the end of the play, when Zero Boy asks, “The future of Coney Island is ___” and then acts out scenarios based on audience’s suggestions.
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Take a look at this image. Isn’t it just the picture of civility? Yet take away the handcrafted headpieces and the children descend into Lord of the Flies barbarity. Such is the social benefit provided by the humble milliner.
Eleanor Heartney at the SVA Theatre
Murtaza Vali at Cabinet
Gutai at the Guggenheim
