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Issue 303 |
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Your cultural event guide
Here's a snapshot of our favorite things to do in San Francisco this week. |
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San Francisco
Feb 19-25, 2008
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Look up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's WonderCon, bringing costumed fanatics and weekend enthusiasts together to geek out in harmony over the comics-TV-film mediaverse. Our personal heroes are Paper Tiger Television's subversive media makers — after 25 years, they're still culture-jamming the boob tube with the question, "It's 8:30pm, do you know where your brains are?"
- Matt Sussman, Managing Editor
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SPECIAL FEATURE
24hr Photo
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Besides giving you a heads up on the coolest culture in town, Flavorpill sends photogs around each week to capture some of the events listed in our NYC mailer. Our latest 24hr Photo galleries include hyper crowds at the Whitney for Dan Deacon's museum takeover, and happy punks storming the stage at Brooklyn's Market Hotel for LA noiseniks No Age.
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Out of Town
Flavorpill and Urban Experiment send another reader outside her metropolitan comfort zone.
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Flavorpill Mobile
Access Flavorpill listings, rate events, and find friends on the go, all via your handheld device.
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FILM: Documentary
Paper Tiger Reads Paper Tiger Television
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Tuesday Feb 19 (7:30pm)
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Pacific Film Archive Theater (2575 Bancroft Way, 510.642.0808)
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| price: |
$9.50
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When the rabble-rousing Paper Tiger Television began its crusade of savvy, critical programming in 1981, FOX News was just a glimmer in Rupert Murdoch's eye. More than 25 years later, the organization's emphasis on media literacy seems prescient and in increasingly embattled territory, given the hyper-consumptive state of the American cultural scene. Paper Tiger Reads Paper Tiger Television documents the collective's open-source tactics, and includes playful blasts of animation, political theatre, video art, and uncut commentary from lefty luminaries like Howard Zinn.
- Max Goldberg
[Info Source]
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PERFORMING ARTS: Cabaret/Burlesque
Trannyshack's 12-Year Anniversary Bash
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Tuesday Feb 19 (10pm–3am)
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The Stud (399 9th St, 415.252.7883)
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$8
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All good things must come to an end, and so Trannyshack — all but synonymous with Tuesday nights in San Francisco — continues its prolonged exit by restaging some of its most fabulous, disgusting, and ostentatious numbers from the past year. Will Kim Burly and Renttecca delight with a reprise of "Two Trannies, One Cup"? Will Hoku Mama Swamp once again out-costume Cate Blanchett when she performs "God Save the Queen" from this year's Miss Trannyshack Pageant? And to what new Brobdingnagian heights will Holy McGrail's wigs reach? Raise a glass to Heklina and company and find out.
- Matt Sussman
[Info Source]
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PERFORMING ARTS: Dance
Compañía Nacional de Danza
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Wednesday Feb 20 (8pm)
More times»
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Novellus Theater (701 Mission St, 415.978.2787)
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| price: |
$35 - 55
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Spain's Compañía Nacional de Danza ballet troupe has garnered praise and courted controversy ever since creative director Nacho Duato started moving the decades-old company into bold, new directions in the mid '90s. Combining elements of classic ballet, folk, and modern dance, the troupe treats the starkest of subjects — drug abuse, racism — with power and grace. Tonight, the Compañía presents the San Franciso debut of Gilded Goldbergs, a suite of dances inspired by the 30 varied harmonic progressions in Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations.
- Tanya Feldman
[Info Source]
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FILM
Closely Watched Films: Terence Davies
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Wednesday Feb 20
More times»
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Pacific Film Archive Theater (2575 Bancroft Way, 510.642.0808)
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| price: |
$9.50
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British filmmaker Terence Davies' much-lauded films are known for their stylistic nostalgia and themes of emotional endurance. Inspired by his experiences growing up in working-class Liverpool and living with an abusive father, Davies couples poetic vignettes with period music to create a resonant flow of time and emotion. Each night of this series features a different Davies screening. In the autobiographical Terence Davies Trilogy (1984), three shorts weave a compelling depiction of a young man struggling with his homosexuality in the face of religion and family. Also, shot-by-shot director's commentary accompanies his masterpiece, Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988).
- Annie Lo
[Info Source]
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READING: Poetry
Federico García Lorca: Poet in New York
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Thursday Feb 21 (7pm)
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City Lights (261 Columbus Ave, 415.362.8193)
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FREE
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The poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca wrote most of his masterworks in Spain, but he spent more than a year in America while at the height of his creative powers. Poet in New York is culled from pieces written during Lorca's nine-month tenure at Columbia University in 1930. Poets Pablo Medina and Mark Statman began work on a new translation of the collection — which had been out of print for more than a decade — in the months following 9/11. They visit City Lights to celebrate the new edition and to discuss the enduring resonance of Lorca's work.
- Max Goldberg
[Info Source]
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READING
David Rakoff
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Thursday Feb 21 (7:30–9pm)
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San Jose Museum of Art (110 S Market St, 408.271.6840)
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| price: |
$18
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David Rakoff has a wry sense of humor, a sharp eye for the grotesque, and a penchant for blunt honesty — and while that can be a dangerous combination, Rakoff's "charming misanthrope" routine never gets old. In the author/playwright's most recent book, Don't Get Too Comfortable, he sinks his teeth into the petty follies of the Western bourgeoisie (and the upper crust) with typically keen insight. At this evening's session of the Creative Minds series, Rakoff leads an audience discussion on current trends in the art world. And it's likely to be an invigorating one — after all, the man told off Karl Lagerfeld and lived to tell about it.
- Tanya Feldman
[Info Source]
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MUSIC: Hip-Hop
Too $hort w/ Greedy Entertainment and K. Real
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Friday Feb 22 (8pm)
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1015 (1015 Folsom St, 415.431.1200)
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$35 / $25 advance
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Too $hort, the Bay Area's self-appointed "Godfather of Hip-Hop," has been on the scene for over two decades, so clearly, he doesn't need to grandstand about his longevity. Outside of his usual concerns — rapping about pimpin' and chasing tail over squelchy 808 beats — $hort's been busy acting as hyphy's talent scout, mentoring and promoting local acts like the Pack and Mistah F.A.B. Those boys return the favor, both on record (like last year's Get Off the Stage) and onstage; tonight's show is sure to be a packed love fest for this long-term playa.
- Matt Sussman
[Info Source]
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MORE FLAVOR: Convention
WonderCon
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Friday Feb 22
More times»
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Moscone Center (747 Howard St, 415.974.4000)
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| price: |
Various prices
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With the Alternative Press Expo's recent move to November, SF's comic nerds and sci-fi dorks now have only one outlet for their obsessions this spring. WonderCon '08 features career panels hosted by LucasArts animators, historical lectures on the origins of manga, panel discussions with indie pen-and-ink star Beck Cloonan and DC Comics' retro-genius Darwyn Cooke, and sneak previews of some of this summer's biggest-budget, FX-enhanced flicks. Evening entertainment includes screenings of esoteric and mainstream anime, fan-film showcases, and the annual costume competition. There's a little something for the fanboy (and fangirl) in everyone.
- Connie Hwong
[Info Source]
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MORE FLAVOR: City Gem
Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt
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Saturday Feb 23 (4:30–9pm)
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Justin Herman Plaza (1 Market St, 415.772.0734)
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$40 / $35 advance
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This challenging city puzzle, an annual tradition since 1988, puts urban adventurers and trivia buffs to the test. Sixteen clues on San Francisco history and culture send treasure-hunting teams scrambling to obscure landmarks from Chinatown to Telegraph Hill, combing neighborhoods for vestiges of the city's rich past. The event's organizer, private investigator and amateur historian Jayson Wechter, makes sure the detective work is for a good cause; this year's proceeds go to Circus Center and Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.
- Annie Lo
[Info Source]
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MUSIC: Rock/Pop
Six Organs of Admittance w/ I'm a Gun and Donovan Quinn & the 13th Month
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Saturday Feb 23 (10pm)
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Bottom of the Hill (1233 17th St, 415.621.4455)
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| price: |
$12
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On his early Six Organs of Admittance albums, Ben Chasny was frequently pegged as a more psychedelic John Fahey. The label still applies in a broad sense, but it's hard to think of another local artist who has so fully explored his own musical possibilities. Chasny's latest album, Shelter from the Ash, shows a propensity for everything from earthy drones and repetitive riffs to more traditional song structures. A distinct moodiness always reigns, as Chasny's down-tuned steel strings evoke eclipses, shadowy forests, and other natural nightmares. While the guitarist has gradually opened up Six Organs of the Admittance to various collaborators, the project still bears the marks of an intensely personal exploration.
- Max Goldberg
[Info Source]
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MUSIC: Rock/Pop
Swallows w/ Agent Ribbons
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Sunday Feb 24 (9:30pm)
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Hemlock Tavern (1131 Polk St, 415.923.0923)
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$6
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Sleater-Kinney may be on an indefinite hiatus, but they still cast a long shadow. Witness the cute duo Swallows, who bang out power-chord pop punk like it was 1997. Guitarist-vocalist Em Brownlowe and drummer Jonathan Miller moved to Portland to start the band (presumably in hopes of drinking the same Northwestern water that nourished so many riot grrl outfits); while it isn't the most original musical formula, Brownlowe's vocal range is worth the price of admission. She goes from shriek-heavy intensity to brooding malaise with ease, and her lyrics convey a lightly pessimistic take on love.
- Max Goldberg
[Info Source]
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FILM
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
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Sunday Feb 24
More times»
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| where: |
The Castro Theatre (429 Castro St, 415.621.6120)
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| price: |
$9.50
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Heath Ledger's death marks the loss of a prodigious talent. His American acting career began with lighthearted fare, but Ledger quickly branched out to challenging, provocative films, most prominently Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. Ledger gives a note-perfect performance as Ennis Del Mar, a reticent cowboy who must suppress his inner life to conform in an unforgiving society. The film's powerful depiction of love denied earned it critical acclaim and multiple awards; it's a sad reminder of the power Ledger had to move an audience.
- Annie Lo
[Info Source]
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MORE FLAVOR: Discussion
V. Vale and Naut Humon: Attention Depiction Disorders
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Monday Feb 25 (7:30–9pm)
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Berkeley Art Museum Theater (2621 Durant Ave, 510.642.0808)
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| price: |
$10 - 100 suggested donation
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Working from the Information Age cliché that quantity overwrites quality (and over-stimulation trumps measured intake), RE/Search publisher V. Vale and Asphodel boss Naut Humon put together a suitably manic audio-visual discussion about our ADD culture. Not unlike the list compiled in J.G. Ballard's sci-fi story "Project for a Glossary of the 20th Century," Vale and Humon's musings on "the age of shuffle" and "infotainment" embrace radical possibilities while still retaining critical skepticism. Their talk, presented by Berkeley's Center for New Media, will conclude with a practical example: rare footage of a 2004 Survival Research Labs performance.
- Matt Sussman
Note:
This presentation is a benefit for the continued recovery of Survival Research Labs associate Todd Blair.
[Info Source]
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MORE FLAVOR: Lecture
Trampoline Hall
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Monday Feb 25 (8pm)
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| where: |
12 Galaxies (2565 Mission St, 415.970.9777)
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| price: |
$7
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At some point in your social life, you've probably found yourself in the awkward position of discussing a subject you're not terribly familiar with: finances, music, the presidential primaries. But talking yourself into a corner is precisely the point of Trampoline Hall, a roving literary salon devoted to impromptu punditry and makeshift expertise. Each night, three people give talks on subjects about which they only have a passing knowledge, and the audience is encouraged to play devil's advocate. Past lectures have covered everything from the number 32 to female poisoners in 18th-century France. Debate club this is definitely not.
- Matt Sussman
[Info Source]
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ART
Matt Furie: Nature Freak
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Tuesday Feb 19 (11am–5:30pm)
More times»
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Jack Fischer Gallery (49 Geary St, Suite 440, 415.956.1178)
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| price: |
FREE
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Matt Furie lets his freak flag fly in this collection of meticulous colored-pencil and ink drawings, evoking Marcel Dzama by way of Troma Entertainment's schlocky horror flicks. His frames contain a Boschian assortment of brightly colored, humanoid forms — composed of exposed musculature, vines, veins, animal parts, pop-culture quotations, and oozing fluids — that separate themselves into pairs. The characters hold hands or, more often, engage in acts of weird sexual congress. But not all of Furie's creatures are busy illustrating Swamp Thing's Kama Sutra. There's a bevy of beastly BMX riders, as well — which only adds to the odd interplay of kid and adult influences in Furie's art.
- Matt Sussman
[Info Source]
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FILM
Caramel
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Tuesday Feb 19
More times»
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Landmark Opera Plaza (601 Van Ness Ave, 415.267.4893)
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| price: |
$9.50
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Lebanese import Caramel (a reference to grooming wax) may be about ladies at a neighborhood cosmetics salon, but that's where all comparisons between it and Queen Latifah vehicle Beauty Shop (2005) stop. Following five women — a menopausal actress; a Muslim about to marry a man who doesn't know she's lost her virginity; another woman hiding her affair with a married man; an old woman who's finally found love after caring for her sister her whole life; and a lesbian forced to sublimate her sexuality — this loose-limbed drama breathes remarkable pathos and humor into still-universal issues exacerbated by the many challenges presented in modern Beirut.
- Lisa Rosman
[Info Source]
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About Us |
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Cultural Partner
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Editors
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Flavorpill San Francisco
All events featured on Flavorpill SF are pure editorial — we never accept paid promotions or advertisements. If you know about an upcoming event that you think should be covered in Flavorpill SF, email us a press release at sf_events at least two weeks prior to the event and we'll consider it.
To learn more about our staff and policies, see the credits and about us pages. If you'd like to respond to our editors about a listing published here, or have a general inquiry, please email sf_feedback.
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Flavorpill also publishes eight other email magazines, covering ART, BOOKS, NEWS, MUSIC, and cultural events in four other cities — NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, LONDON, and CHICAGO. Coming soon: STYLE/DESIGN and FILM. Subscribe now.
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