King Cannibal
Clubs
King Cannibal
The Ninja Tune beatsmith makes his Gotham debut at Santos.
Own This City
Secret Science Club
Molecular Biologist Gregory Hannon will lecture on his pioneering work in the field of RNA interference. Don’t ask us to explain, but get there early to bag a seat.
Books
Padgett Powell
The strange and accessible author discusses The Interrogative Mood, a book made up entirely of questions.
Talks
“Occult NY: Or, How I Used My Bar Mitzvah Money to Buy a Ouija Board”
Mitch Horowitz, author of Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation, discusses things that go bump in the night.
Clubs
Discothèque
Chez Music master Neil Aline and his guests will be busy spinning house sounds every week downstairs at Santos.
Dance
Movement Research at the Judson Church
Movement Research continues its Monday-night series with Jesse Phillips-Fein, Nohemi Montzerrat Contreras and Saul Ulerio.
Books
Melissa Broder
Broder’s Polestar Poetry Series welcomes, er, the poet herself to read from her new book of obsessive, energetic and pop-culture-infused poetry, When You Say One Thing but Mean Your Mother.
Shopping
Yeshiva University’s Annual Soy Seforim Sale
The largest Jewish book sale in the country also features art, house wares and mezuzahs made by YU students.
Classical
Gail Archer
Leading female organist Archer continues her Bach tour across the city with a goodie bag of best-ofs for the composer’s 325th birthday.
Art
“Waterpod: Autonomy and Ecology”
Exit Art’s exhibit chronicles the roving art exhibit/environmentally focused space/science experiment that traveled around New York for five months in 2009.
Music
Groupshow: Andy Warhol’s Empire
As part of the Unsound Festival, a German trio of Jan Jelinek, Andrew Pekler and Hanno Leichtmann offers live, improvised accompaniment to Andy Warhol’s eight-hour film of the Empire State Building. (You’re welcome to come and go as you please.)
Clubs
Get Your Dance On
This regular affair at Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Bowl gets the weekend started via the funk-fueled sounds of DJ Dhundee and other local notables.
The Debutante Hour, performing for the Live at TONY holiday edition
Music
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Scott Fragala + Ching Chong Song + The Debutante Hour + The Wowz
Sounds like Bushwick, rather, with the creator of the Bushwick Book Club series, Susan Hwang, leading her charmingly old-fashioned all-gal combo, the Debutante Hour, along with musical associates.
Classes
New York Open Center Open House
Try eight different classes, including belly dancing and how to perform reflexology treatments.
Clubs
Smashed! Blocked!: Andre Williams
The revered, swaggering R&B performer Andre Williams—the man behind “Shake a Tail Feather” and “Jail Bait,” among other great tunes—is stepping up to the decks at this party devoted to garage rockers, soul stompers and organ groovers.
Music
Unsound Festival: Vladislav Delay and Lillevan + Sebastian Meissner and Kwartludium
The experimental music festival from Poland kicks off with an audio-visual improvisation between Vladislav Delay and Berlin video artist Lillevan, the first time they have performed together in the U.S.
Books
Michael Musto
The hilarious fount of gossip reads from his entertaining new collection of columns, Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back.
Clubs
Sub:culture
Jon Martin, in conjunction with DJ Shifty, Wayne Louis and Delmar Browne, spin top-shelf house, beloved classics and more.
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Image via lincolncenter.org
Books
Morris Dickstein
The cultural historian joins David Freeland to discuss his latest book, Dancing in the Dark, which ponders art and artists that emerged during the Great Depression.
Clubs
Ella
“Hot, sweaty, dark and dirty” is the motto of this throwdown, held weekly in the retro-glam Ella’s basement.
Music
Amateur Night at the Apollo
Forget American Idol—this talent showcase has been a hit for more than 70 years.
Cover image via Amazon.com
Sara Schaefer co-hosts Get Off Your Knees tonight
Comedy
Get Off Your Knees
This week’s Joke of the Week contributor Sara Schaefer co-hosts this event featuring the enchanting Kristen Schaal.
Own This City
“Homegrown Hip-Hop”
Pioneers of Latin hip-hop Joe Conzo, DJ Disco Wiz and Jorge “Popmaster Fabel” Pabon tell stories from back in the day. Reservations required.
Music
Bushwick Book Club: The History of Love
The Debutante Hour and more debut their interpretations of Nicole Krauss’s book.
Quentin Crisp
Gay
Imitation of Crisp: A Happening in the Profession of Being!
You’re invited to come to this groovy-sounding homage and strike your Crispest pose while artists draw and paint around you and various DJs set the tone.
Books
“An Evening of Indie Readings and Music”
Immerse yourself in some hipper-than-thou lit, courtesy of Ugly Duckling Presse and Fractious Press.
Lecture
“Diplomacy and Genocide: Challenges for the Future”
Panelists from organizations like the United Nations and the U.S. Department of State will discuss the process of eradicating genocide across the globe.
Simon Van Booy reads today with Jami Attenberg.
Books
Jami Attenberg + Simon Van Booy
Van Booy reads his melancholic, gently eccentric and utterly enchanting short fiction. Attenberg offers selections from The Melting Season, her new novel about a woman on the run.
Clubs
A Night at the Trac
Markus Rice, Bobby Morales and Fred Pierce take Sapphire back to the ’80s and ’90s for an evening of tracky, deep-house beats.
Music
The Earegulars
Expect a well-honed crew for this regular Sunday-night jazz jam.
Gay
The Pretty Babies
Tammy Faye Starlite leads this all-female Blondie tribute band.
Theater
hotINK Festival
One of the best free reading series around, 21 new plays will be served over three sessions this weekend.
Nature walk
Marine Mammal Watch
Apparently, it’s entirely possible that you could see a whale or a dolphin swimming off the shore of Coney Island on this trek along the beach.
Clubs
A Plant Music Saturday
Tittsworth, Dominique Keegan, Stretch Armstrong and Gavin Royce mix up genres on the Lower East Side.
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Image via: theprettybabies.com
Books
Jonathan Lethem
The novelist—an articulate and compelling speaker—discusses his work with fellow author Darin Strauss.
Clubs
Wang Dang Doodle: The Rave Up!
Dance the night away with a wide range of ’60s sounds—rock & roll, doo-wop, soul, funk and more—from guest Lenny Kaye, a music-scene lifer and Patti Smith guitarist.
Own This City
Time’s Up Critical Mass: Manhattan
Stick it to the Man by hopping on your fixie and having the best two-hour ride of your life with like-minded souls.
Casting call
Be Flo’s Helper
You know that peppy woman Flo from the Progressive Insurance commercials? Aspiring screen stars can show up at Metropolitan Pavilion (9am–6pm) for the chance to appear in a national advertising spot with her.
Event
Jersey Shore Leaves the Shore
The end is truly nigh. Sidebar hosts a Jersey Shore pageant, wherein contestants compete in six categories (including Best Fake Tan and Best Fist Pump). At the very least, come toast the decline of American culture.
Books
Lydia Davis at NYU
Davis—a masterful stylist whose short fiction magnifies the off-kilter aspects of everyday experiences (and embarrassments)—reads work from her recent book, The Collected Stories, at NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House.
Party
Digital Dumbo at Galapagos Art Space
This social media professionals network celebrates its first anniversary tonight. Cosponsor Carrot Creative will showcase its newest projects as guests mix it up over free drinks.
Clubs
Light Up the Night
Tackleberry and Mike McGill (from WNYU’s A Downtown Affair show) team up with Daniel Auster of the A1 vinyl emporium for an evening devoted to disco, boogie material, Chicago house and the like. Things kick off at 10pm at (Le) Poisson Rouge.
Books
Daniel Menaker at McNally Jackson Booksellers
Menaker helps you brush up on the history (and the art) of face-to-face verbal exchange in his latest book, A Good Talk, which considers the pleasures of conversation. He’ll show you how it’s done by chatting up Jonathan Karp, the editor-in-chief of Twelve Books.
Storytelling
“How I Learned I Might Be Obsessed”
This monthly storytelling series debuts tonight at Happy Ending with some hilarious and true tales about obsession—with people, things, whatever. Tale-tellers include Erin Bradley of Nerve and This American Life’s Jeff Simmermon.
Books
The future of publishing
Tonight at at Melville House Bookstore, publisher Dennis Loy Johnson will host “Publishing in the Age of Blah Blah Blah” to discuss the future of the book industry with authors including Lev Grossman (The Magicians), John Wray (Lowboy) and Myla Goldberg (Bee Season), among others.
Lecture
“Exploding Stars from Your Backyard”
When a star runs out of fuel, it explodes like Jiffy Pop in the sky. Head to Columbia’s Pupin Hall to learn more from astronomer and professor Joe Patterson, who will probably explain to you the difference between a supernova and just a plain ol’ nova.
Image via Amazon.com
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Books
Donald Albrecht and Thomas Mellins on Look Magazine
Albrecht and Mellins, the authors of the book Only in New York: Photographs from Look Magazine, discuss the story of the rad photo magazine at the New York Public Library. See TONY’s preview of the exhibit of the same name at the Museum of the City of New York.
Fashion
Sustainable Fashion Panel Discussion
You may enjoy shopping, but what about the ethics of aesthetics? Hear Julie Gilhart, fashion director of Barneys, and others speak on the subject at Pratt Manhattan Gallery.
Clubs
Almost your last chance to “Disco Down”
NC-17’s DJ Bastard, Glamdammit’s Twig the Wonderkid and their pals spin a mélange of Britpop, indie rock, new wave and a touch of disco on Happy Ending’s street-level floor. Catch them before the series ends on February 2.
Books
A discussion with Jedediah Berry
To celebrate the paperback release of his Borgesian whodunit The Manual of Detection, author Berry participates in what promises to be an idiosyncratic discussion with “his sister, his brother and his other brother.”
Dance
Dance on Camera Festival
This opening-night screening focuses on a documentary shot in India and New York. Mark Morris (pictured) will participate in a Q&A following the screening.
Opera & Classical
Focus! 2010: Music at the Center—Composing an American Mainstream
This evening’s concert includes Hall Overton’s Pulsations; “Lamentation” from Robert Schuman’s The Young Dead Soldiers; and Henry Cowell’s Symphony No. 13, “Madras.”
Comedy
MTV Comedy Showcase
The network hosts a solid lineup of comics—including John Roberts, Joe Mande and Carmen Lynch—at the Slipper Room.
Image via markmorrisdancegroup.org
Britt Daniel
Music
Britt Daniel
Spoon’s driving force plays a small acoustic show at Sound Fix.
Fashion
Ethics + Aesthetics = Sustainable Fashion
Pratt celebrates the designers who incorporate sustainable materials and ethical practices into their clothing.
Art
Last Day of the Myrtle Avenue El
These photographs by Theresa King document the last day the Myrtle Avenue elevated train ever ran.
Untitled (Woman Walking on Sidewalk) by William Eggleston
Art
William Eggleston
The father of fine-art color photography shows his most recent work.
Books
Nick Flynn
The poet-memoirist (Another Bullshit Night in Suck City) reads from his new book, The Ticking Is the Bomb, at BookCourt.
Clubs
It’s Only Rock & Roll: Michael T’s Birthday Party
Scene maven Michael T celebrates his birthday with bands, the Ramones movie Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, and a trannie wet T-shirt contest at 2am.
Photo via Cheim & Read
Philip Glass
Music
Philip Glass + Ira Glass
Our two favorite Glasses invade one of our glass house (i.e., the Apple Store) for a gratis evening of genius.
Eat Out
In the Flesh: Sex and Food
Food porn goes literary at this gastro-themed erotica reading series.
Dating
Between the Covers Matchmaking Mixer
Word bookstore hosts a singles mixer at nearby Diamond Bar.
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Photos by Rick Telander
With the college season hitting full stride and the Knicks hosting Kobe Bryant and the Lakers Friday night, New York basketball fans have a lot to be excited about right now. And for those who like their hoops with a little bit of history, there’s yet another reason to celebrate: the Converse Energy Space (132 Orchard St between Delancey and Rivington Sts) is currently hosting a great exhibit marking the 35th anniversary of Rick Telander’s classic sports tome, Heaven Is a Playground.
In 1974, Telander spent the summer at Foster Park in Brooklyn, observing the early days of street basketball culture (long before blacktop ballers got reality shows and sponsorships from AND1). The pop-up gallery presents a collection of his photos from that summer—featuring icons like Connie Hawkins, Albert and Bernard King, and James “Fly” Williams—alongside hoops-related memorabilia from the Converse archives, including the Subway Stars Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes worn by one of the legendary street teams covered in the book.
The free exhibit is open Thursday–Sunday from noon to 4pm (closes January 31).
Own This City Life in New York
The Feed Eating and drinking
The Volume Music news of note
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