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JUNE 15 - JUNE 21
This week marks the 34th glamorously loud 'n proud annual Gay Pride Parade down Santa Monica Boulevard. But there's lots more to make any Angeleno proud, or at least entertained: the homegrown Latin rock of El Gran Silencio, eccentric Hollywood icon Chuck Barris, a jazz festival fit for a playboy, and the LA Film Festival, which now ranks with the best. As all you streetwise folks already know, LA has never been better, so spread it. |
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YOOX: Redesign yourself. Enter the virtual doors of www.yoox.com to discover a magical selection of over 300 designer brands including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent, and Prada. A sumptuous assortment constantly evolving with its original blend of hard-to-find pieces at value prices. Breathe fresh style this summer....
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| | A straightforward premise yields explosive results as the Great Writer's Series returns to the MET Theatre with a cadre of renowned and emerging actors — including Frances Fisher, Richard Schiff, Dana Delany, Stacy Keach, Jamey Sheridan, Troy Garity, and Jeremy Piven — reading great literary works. Tonight's program is dedicated to Western short stories by Elmore Leonard (probably best known today for films adapted from his novels, including Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight), with readings by Lou Diamond Phillips and Jason George, among others. Please note that Leonard himself is not scheduled to attend the event. (SND)
Note: The Great Writer's Series continues through Wed 6.30 with more Western-themed readings.
  
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MUSIC: Latin Rock
El Gran Silencio
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| when: | Tue 6.15 (8pm) |
| where: | House of Blues Sunset Strip (8430 Sunset Blvd, W Hollywood, 323.848.5100) |
| price: | $25 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | It's easy to understand why El Gran Silencio get more love than the average Latin-alternative seasonal flavor. Instead of simply copying gringo styles, the Monterrey, Mexico quintet meld a diverse modern-day CD collection into its mighty live roar, with results more nuevo multicultural hybrid than stale hippie polyglot. Dubbing their sound "freestyle Norteño," EGS mix revolutionary punk-rock screeds, hip-hop beats, and ragamuffin rhymes with just about every accordion-based traditional melody Mama and Papa may have swayed to in their youth. It's the closest anyone has come to duplicating Los Lobos' classic foot-in-each-culture approach, updated for 21st-century dances. (PO)
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READING
Chuck Barris
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| when: | Wed 6.16 (6pm) |
| where: | Book Soup (8818 Sunset Blvd, W Hollywood, 310.659.3110) |
| price: |  FREE |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | To non-aficionados of bad '70s game shows, Chuck Barris is best known as the protagonist of George Clooney's brilliant 2002 directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Confessions was adapted by notorious screenwriter Charlie Kaufman from Barris' purported autobiography of the same name, in which Barris described not just his rise to fame as host of The Gong Show, but also his supposed adventures as a secret-agent assassin. Confessions showed Barris to be a compelling pop-culture oddity: a reality freak show before there ever was such a thing. Here, presenting his literary sequel to Confessions, Bad Grass Never Dies, Barris delivers his bizarre charisma up close. (MD)
Note: Also at Book Soup, on Mon 6.21 (7pm), there's a release and signing party for Graham Nash's luscious photography monograph from DAP titled Eye to Eye.
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FILM
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
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| when: | Wed 6.16 (8pm) |
| where: | ArcLight Hollywood (6360 W Sunset Blvd, 323.464.4226) |
| price: | $11 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | A perfect spoof of the egos and excesses of '70s arena rock and '80s hair metal, This Is Spinal Tap follows real-life director Rob Reiner as he documents a group of British Invasion burnouts on their slowly disintegrating 1984 tour. As bandmembers Nigel Tufnel, Derek Smalls, and David St. Hubbins, co-writers Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean reveal their genius for comedy not by bursting Spinal Tap's bubble all at once, but by slowly and ingenuously letting the hot air out of the balloon with a flatulence-miming squeak. It's so spot-on that after screening it, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler became enraged, thinking the film was about him. (LG)
Note: The screening is followed by a Q&A with Harry Shearer.
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| | New York trip-hoppers Wax Poetic grace the Temple Bar stage to share a deliciously sublime take on mellow moods, acid beats, and lustful vocals. Follow band leader Ilhan Ersahin on an aural journey through jazz-inspired soundscapes with a bit of hip and a dash of hop added to the mix for slow, steady measure. Local downtempo act Elephonic warm things up with a sexy opening set, and the perpetually tasty DJ Jeremy Sole drops vinyl gems for the early crowd. (AM)
 Which superstar vocalist got her start with Wax Poetic and appears on both their albums? The second, fourth, and sixth correct answer each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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MULTIMEDIA
Tiki Till Dawn
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| when: | Thur 6.17 (7am) - Fri 6.18 (7pm) |
| where: | Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Blvd, 323.857.6000) |
| price: | FREE |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Most of us had, at some point in our youth, daydreams about hiding inside a museum with free run of the place. LACMA gives grown-up kids the chance to do just that during Tiki Till Dawn, a free 12-hour party. In addition to gaining access to current exhibitions Beyond Geometry and Inventing Race, revelers get a sneak preview of the new surf film Riding Giants. Other highlights include live music; a no-host barbeque and tiki bar; book signings by local authors Gary Baseman, Robbie Canal, Sandow Birk, and Shag; and drawings for a variety of chic prizes, including a scooter with a custom paint job conceived by Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant fame. (EC)
Note: RSVP to beat the crowds. The last all-nighter at LACMA drew over 8,000 art lovers.
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CITY GEM
Extreme Wine Tasting
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| when: | Thur 6.17 (7:30pm) |
| where: | The Echo (1822 Sunset Blvd, Echo Park, 213.413.8200) |
| price: | $18 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Wine has always had a place in literature, and now the jolly folks responsible for the Echo's Extreme Wine Tasting — which rescues the pastime from its musty context — cement the relationship. Tonight they celebrate Rex Pickett's hilariously brilliant debut novel Sideways. An oenophiliac road opus, Sideways centers on a duo's misadventures through the Santa Ynez wine country (a film version is due soon from Election/About Schmidt auteur Alexander Payne). A perfect night of books and booze. (MD)
Which actors play Jack and Miles in the upcoming film version of Sideways? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets and a copy of the book. The next three each win a copy of the book.
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| | Legendary producer Joel Dorn's kid Adam really did pick up a couple of things hanging out at those classic Atlantic Records sessions his dad helmed. One was the art of framing the groove, a major reason that his Mocean Worker albums move beyond clichéd acid-jazz vamps. The other seems to be his dad's great rapport with old jazz cats and their estates — his new Enter the Mowo album features "appearances" by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Les McCann, and Nina Simone, among others. What Adam and his sampler have in store for this rare live gig, co-starring analog synth man George Sarah and a string section, is anyone's guess, but groove will most definitely be involved. (PO)
Dorn Sr. produced which classic Roberta Flack song? The first five correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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FILM
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
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| when: | Fri 6.18 (8pm) |
| where: | Egyptian Theatre (6712 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, 323.466.FILM) |
| price: | $9 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | With A Fistful of Dollars, Sergio Leone earned his title of Spaghetti Western Auteur. This 1968 classic broadened Leone's title to simply Auteur. Combining possibly the most lyrical tracking shots this side of Kubrick with pop-culture casting (Henry Fonda as a villain alongside Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale, and Charles Bronson), Leone created an anti-epic that challenged Western myths as it celebrated them. This is to Westerns as The Godfather is to gangster movies — it recontextualized the genre entirely. Ennio Morricone's eerie harmonica-driven score and the equally haunting, barren sound design give Leone's masterpiece even more kick. (MD)
Note: This film also shows Sat 6.19 (2, 5:30 & 8:45pm), Sun 6.20 (2 & 5:30pm), and Mon 6.21 (8pm).
In which national park, also famously used by John Ford, were portions of Once Upon a Time in the West filmed? The third and fifth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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| | When the Faint abruptly changed from emo-rockers (1998's Media) into neo-wavers (1999's Blank Wave Arcade), it was a clear sign of indiedom's impending rhythmic shift. As LCD Soundsystem noted on "Losing My Edge": "I hear that you and your band have sold your guitars and bought turntables." Faint bassist Joel Peterson sold his four-string and bought an entire orchestra. Under his Broken Spindles nom de plume, Peterson's 2002 debut paired electroclash's rhythm section with Steve Reich's scattered strings and schizo xylophones. His new album, Fulfilled: Complete, ups the electro and sounds more like the Faint, which is hardly a bad thing. (YS)
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DJ
Free Thinkin 4 Year Anniversary
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| when: | Fri 6.18 (9pm-3am) |
| where: | Boardner's (1652 N Cherokee Ave, Hollywood, 323.462.9621) |
| price: | $5 / Free before midnight |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Make your way to Boardner's tonight for the four-year anniversary of LA's favorite Friday-night house institution. Witness famed DJ and production duo Iz and Diz work the floor into a frenzy with a trippy mix of SF deep and ChiTown bang, while Free Thinkin residents Louis FS and Cade delight longtime fans with their LA-fortified house. On the patio the legendary DJ Harvey delivers an extended three-hour set of ultra-rare grooves, glittering disco gems, and funky, feel-good classics. Tonight's party runs later than usual, so indulge yourself with that extra cocktail. (AM)
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| | Few indie groups make as much mystery out of such seemingly obvious musical choices as Califone, and fewer still have such devoted followings. It's inevitable that one feeds the other. Born from the ashes of '90s Chicago blues-rock greats Red Red Meat, Califone have continued down a similar path of turning the roots into something new. Songwriter Tim Rutili leads them through fields of druggy traditionalism, where country-blues minimalism, lonesome-blue country, and avant-garde Americana grow next to one another. You couldn't find a pretty poppy flower to save your life, though there are plenty of intoxicants. The picturesque views are all smudged oils, and when the intensity is right, the live band kicks. (PO)
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| | See the half-pipe in its earliest incarnation at the inaugural Sunset Sessions, a launch party for MassDistraction, an LA-based collective of multimedia artists and creative anarchists. In celebration of its latest medium for visual subversion — a line of T-shirts for the recreational politico — MassD has planned a gathering at North Hollywood's infamous Pink Motel. The occasion also marks the first in a series of fundraising events for the Skatepark Association of America. In addition to the drained pool open for skating, the event features live music from Fine White China and North Coast Underground, DJ sets by David Bacon, as well as the Suicide Girls sharing their own unique brand of entertainment for the cause. (MG)
Describe the greatest skate trick you've either seen or performed. Our three favorite answers each win a MassDistraction T-shirt.
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| | The idea of exhibiting graffiti-based art in fine-art galleries is not exactly new, but London curator Freddi C has nevertheless managed to create a series of shows that proves its worth. What began in London and wowed them in Berlin has come to Los Angeles, as WK Interact, Faile, London Police, and the ubiquitous Shepard Fairey come together for this month's installment. Fitting into the overall theme of subversive public art, these artists share an even deeper connection; each individual or group demonstrates mature, accomplished drawing styles and a taste for confrontational political content. The party train of poster protest is going global — take this opportunity to get on board. (SND)
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PERFORMANCE
The Wedding Journey: Vows in Midair
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| when: | Sat 6.19 (7pm) |
| where: | Wilshire Ebell Theatre (4401 W 8th St, 866.468.3399) |
| price: | $20-45 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Dance and physical theater artists Nehara Kalev and C. Derrick Jones render their actual wedding ceremony a high-impact dance and aerial theatre performance, taking their vows while suspended in harnesses above the audience. This ultimate intersection between life and art is officiated by legendary LA performance art guru Rachel Rosenthal, who steps out from retirement to perform. Witness them fly, dance, laugh, sing, and memorialize their bond as they literally "take the leap" 20 feet up in the air. (ASM)
Note: The Wilshire Ebell accepts cash only at the door.
Who released an album titled Aerial Pandemonium Ballet? The first five correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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CITY GEM
34th Annual Los Angeles LGBT Pride Parade
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| when: | Sun 6.20 (11am-2:30pm) |
| where: | W Hollywood (map, 323.969.8302) |
| price: | $15 / $12 advance |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | It's been almost 35 years since the first LA parade took over Hollywood Blvd in 1970, with law enforcement and legal problems ensuing. Things have definitely changed since the weekend-long festival moved to West Hollywood (mainly in and around West Hollywood Park). Starting off with a pre-festival party called Club Freedom on Friday and a main stage on Saturday with music and performances, the festival also includes other programs throughout the day for LBGT parents and kids, as well as couples' celebrations. The main event, of course, is the parade, which kicks off on Sunday at 11am. (DM)
Note: Following the parade, the festival is open until 11pm. Events also take place Fri 6.18 (9pm-1am) and Sat 6.19 (12pm-midnight).
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MUSIC: Jazz
Playboy Jazz Festival
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| when: | Sun 6.20 (2-10:30pm) |
| where: | Hollywood Bowl (2301 N Highland Ave, 323.850.2000) |
| price: | $15-100 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Artists created the sounds, and Hugh Hefner listened. With Mr. Hefner still at the helm, the West Coast's premier two-day jazz festival commences yet again 26 years later, bringing together artists and aficionados from around the globe. Once more, Bill Cosby graces the stage on Saturday night as Master of Ceremonies, introducing music legends such as Wynton Marsalis, Etta James, and Savion Glover. Sunday brings late-night staple Kevin Eubanks, passing the mic to the likes of Femi Kuti, Herbie Hancock, Brian Blade, Bela Fleck, and Katia Moraes. As the first event to be spotlighted in the newly renovated Hollywood Bowl, this party is not to be missed. (MR)
Note: This event begins Sat 6.19 (2:30-11pm).
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| | Kansas isn't even Kansas anymore. The historically free-thinking and sometimes radical state where women's suffrage was proposed in 1867, where abolitionists spilled blood to put an end to slavery, and where abortion laws were reformed before Roe v. Wade, has moved steadily to the right. Kansas native and one-time Republican Thomas Frank shakes down the conservative movement that has led Kansans and many Americans to vote against their own economic and political interests as they search for down-home values. The Washington Post and Harper's contributor pulls back the curtain of so-called traditional values to find what he sees as big business pulling the levers in Oz. (MS)
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MUSIC: Avant-Garde
earjam IV
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| when: | Sun 6.20 (8:30pm) |
| where: | REDCAT (631 W 2nd St, 213.237.2800) |
| price: | $24 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | If you have been waiting for a challenging (even vertigo-inducing) sonic concatenation, like a Mothers of Invention guitar solo stretched to evening-length or a co-production between John Cage and "Stomp," this may be just the substitute you're seeking. With dozens of aural innovators in intimate, improvisational cooperation spread over two nights of programming deep inside the experimental back pocket of Disney Hall, at the very least, 20 years down the road, you'll be able to tell your grad students you saw it in person. (DSM)
Note: This event begins on Sat 6.19 (8pm) with a different lineup.
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| | Legend has it that Judah Bauer had an upbringing befitting a Mississippi blues man: growing up the child of economically depressed artist-parents, he subsisted on saltine crackers while working his first job as a gravedigger. So it's appropriate that Bauer, most famous for his exothermic guitar work in the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, returns to the sounds of the Delta — lugubrious blues, soulful R&B, and barnstorming rockabilly — in his ever-expanding side project, 20 Miles. Appearing with the eclectic disco-cowgirl-fronted space rock of Joshua Tree's Gram Rabbit, the distinctly Brit-flavored psychedelic blues jams of the Bay Area's Low Flying Owls, and headliners Giant Drag. (LG)
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| | Seonna Hong takes a lot of chances in these paintings: she uses oil for the first time, incorporates poignant autobiographical details into the images, and hints at childhood's maybe-not-so-innocent sexuality. Her intimate canvases present sparse, stylized landscapes and railroad-related spaces, including tracks, terminals, and boxcars. Through these warmly rendered (yet chillingly empty) arenas wanders a child or two; elementary-aged girls with ribbons in their hair bend over to examine flowers, deaf to the train bearing down on them, or giddily run toward a dark tunnel. Despite the overtly psychosexual, slightly transgressive content, the work feels serene, calm, and illustrative of broad truths. (SND)
Note: The opening reception for the sixspace Summer Show, featuring Caroline Hwang, Jen Corace, and Deth P. Sun, is on Sat 6.26 (7-10pm).
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FILM
2004 Los Angeles Film Festival
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| when: | Thur 6.17 - Sat 6.26 |
| where: | Various locations |
| price: | $10 per most screenings |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | The tenth annual Los Angeles Film Festival is proof that you don't have to freeze in Park City, Utah, to enjoy the best in world cinema. Often seen as the redheaded stepchild of the festival circuit, LAFF takes a laid-back approach in presenting 195 films from 31 countries. While the fest debuts more popular picks such as Garden State, Richard Linklater's Before Sunset, and teen flick Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle, the real gems are the movies that may never achieve wide distribution, such as Guy Maddin's Cowards Bend the Knee and The Onion writer Scott Dikkers' Bad Meat, as well as a heaping helping of short films and music videos. (JCF)
Note: A variety of passes, including opening and closing galas, are also available.
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DJ: Upcoming
Tropical Sunset Boat Party
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| when: | Sat 6.26 (10pm-3am) |
| where: | TBA (Long Beach, 310.281.8217) |
| price: | $35 |
| | Dive into summertime debauchery when LA's first-ever Tropical Sunset Boat Party presents a stunning lineup of dance floor maestros to guide you on your journey through the aquatic unknown. Hit the deck with Solar and Galen of SF's famed Sunset Crew, set to drop a twisted blend of acid-infused beats, and ride the waves of dark and dirty house with international production whiz Lance De Sardi. JT Donaldson comes to the rescue with smooth jazzy grooves, while Tropical residents Mark E. Quark and Mr. Annand guide you home with an ethereal mix of deep and dubby goodness. (AM)
Note: Tickets must be purchased via Paypal (to tropicalsunsetboatparty@hotmail.com) or by mail (cashier's check or money order to Ben Annand, PO Box 151324, Los Angeles, CA 90015). Your payment must be postmarked by Mon 6.21.
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| CD REVIEW: Junior Boys, Last Exit |
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Kin
Released June 2004
$16.00 (Forced Exposure)
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All hail Junior Boys. The brainchild of Jeremy Greenspan and the now-departed Johnny Dark, these canny Canadians elegantly re-craft electro pop as a genre of pace and invention. Rather than looking exclusively backward — as so many electro artists insist on doing — these ten tracks marry the '80s template with microhouse's depth and detail. Last Exit drips with class, effortlessly living up to its billing — if you reference the likes of Timbaland, New Order, and the Beach Boys in your promotional material, you have to be confident in your credentials. Pleasingly, Junior Boys have waged their war via cyberspace, eagerly and patiently building a receptive fan base and a solid critical foundation. Join them. (ND)
Who remixed a track on the Boys' "Birthday/Last Exit" 12-inch? Third, fourth, and fifth correct answers each win a copy of this CD.
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| WE WANT THE AIRWAVES: Indie 103.1 |
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Capitalizing on an untapped market — rock lovers who expect more out of radio than the same three Offspring songs — Indie 103.1 has hipsters dusting off their radios to hear Peaches and Modest Mouse on the air. The Clear Channel-owned station has an uphill battle to win the hearts, minds, and ears of true indie fans, and it will take more than British DJs plugging Mars Volta and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs into the wash-rinse-repeat formula of daily rock radio rotation. But for now, we're listening. (JCF)
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| STREAMS: WPS1.org |
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Attempting to create a "live audio museum in cyberspace," WPS1 brings you internet-only art radio, featuring new content as well as digital gems from the audio archive of the Museum of Modern Art. Since its inception in mid-April, we've heard the gamut: from shows featuring Charlie Ahearn of Wild Style fame to poetry by Dieter Roth and Richard Hamilton to a preview of the new Sonic Youth album. Last week, they tapped the archives for a Sun Ra show from 1972 and a fierce pop art debate that debuted in 1962. Stream in. (NP)
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| Header Design: |
| Jack Nicholson | SoCity | | |
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| Wolfgang Puck | Mark Mangan | | Dr. Dre | Sascha Lewis | | Ed Ruscha | Shana Nys Dambrot | | Robert Altman | Matt Diehl | | Adrian Beltre | Yancey Strickler | | George Lucas | Aaron Warshaw | | Raymond Chandler | Jocelyn K. Glei | | John Lydon | Piotr Orlov | | Charlie Haden | Peter Stepek | | Eric Wright | Nick Parish | | James Ellroy | Lisa Rosman | | Chuck E. Weiss | Jane Lerner | | |
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