ISSUE .
November 6th 2008
First Things First1st Person Festival
by Monica WeymouthEvery Philadelphian has a few stories. That they tell really loud. At fabulously inappropriate times.
Complaint ChoirSetting Philly's petty grievances to music
by Shaun Brady"Complaining is a national pastime and a bonding experience. People really unite through negative energy."
Okie Noodling 2Fishing poles are for pussies.
by Andrew ThompsonThat noodling is so addictive is perhaps the biggest surprise in Okie Noodling 2
— surprising because of the pained, contorted expressions on the
fishers' faces when they reach underwater and struggle to pull out the
small leviathans.
American Fight Clubs"The Smithsonian should find one of these gyms and pick it up brick by brick."
by Aaron MoselleThe mix of black-and-white and color photographs pay homage to a secret
side of boxing that few outsiders are privy to. It's a side without the
flashiness of prizefighting and its stereotypical violence, corruption
and exploitation.
Crazy Sexy CancerKris Carr is living with cancer — but she is very much living.
by Monica WeymouthAfter writing herself a Valentine's Day love-note, Carr began filming a four-year video journal of her fuck-you approach to the disease doctors told her was incurable.
Underground AmericaWhen are illegal aliens real people?
by Holly Otterbein"There's a lot of punditry about illegal immigrants. People think
they're all dark, poor and pick fruit. But the truth is
no one really knows them. No one asks them who they are."
Girls Rock!Portland's Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls
by Kathryn LipmanThe message, sometimes implicit but often overt, is about self-empowerment.
Significant OthersElsewhere at this year's 1st Person Arts Festival
by Monica Weymouth

Editor's Letter:
This is Our CountryIt's over. Tuesday is over.
by Brian HowardThe tagline for Barack Obama's victory: Our long, national nightmare is over.
Slant:
Fables of Reconstruction by Nathaniel PopkinOne doesn't need a book like this to understand the amalgam of failure,
disappointment and resilience that the civil rights struggle produced.
It's plainly here, in the sometimes disheartening, sometimes
exhilarating fact of this great black city.

Loose Canon:
Addicted to WarOn 9/11, Bush went to that school to declare War on Illiteracy.
by Bruce SchimmelOur warring ways are destroying our economy, our planet and our people.
And we will either learn to make ploughshares from swords, or murder
each other with them.
Feedback:
Letters to the EditorWhat You Say
"Some Americans really are not smart enough to recognize satire, sarcasm and humor when they see it."
The Prodigal CamryI stole my own car!
by Sung-Ji SchmidtGreg watched the car while I ran back to the house to get a set of
keys. At the very least, I was going to steal back my car from these
mysteriously ballsy low-life thieves. In all likelihood, they were my
neighbors. Untidy, law-breaking neighbors, but neighbors nonetheless. I
was pissed.
IcepackAmorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. AmorosiCan we continue with some real fucking people? Like Danny Bonaduce?
Fine Print:
The Riot Act by Tom NamakoThis is how we celebrate. It's messy, it's dangerous and hours later, it's sometimes embarrassing.

Running NumbersA scholarly look at the digits that matter.
by Nick NorlenYou can barter your way in with silk and spikes.
Webb's WondermentA civil rights-era veteran on Election Day.
by Doron Taussig"We were fighting to sit in the movies other than downstairs. To make sure that the people who worked in factories wasn't getting intimidated. Not to be accepted, but respected."
The Bell CurveCity Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.
Fishtown Comes ThroughThought they wouldn't vote for a black guy?
by Isaiah ThompsonFishtown voted. And Fishtown voted for Obama, big time.
Conquering BridesburgThe Obama campaign's Election Day challenges in the Northeast.
by Tom NamakoThis section of Bridesburg includes some of Philadelphia's most
politically diverse wards. There are polling places here where you
can't find a single McCain sign. There are others where Obama placards
are nowhere to be seen.

Citizen Mom:
Dispatch:
Political Notebook:
Party Night by Mary F. PatelBefore the election was called, the day was slow.
First Friday FocusLori Hill's First Friday Hit List
by Lori HillF.A.N. Gallery | Gallery Joe | Asian Arts Initiative | Highwire Gallery | Twenty-Two Gallery
Shelf Life:
Steady AbroadUnder the Covers with Justin Bauer
by Justin BauerThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson | The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery | Night Work by Thomas Glavinic
Theater Review:
Hopelessly DevotedUnusual Acts of Devotion
by David Anthony FoxI liked it. By the end, I even felt a lump in my throat. What's more, I
have no hesitation in recommending it — as long as you have a taste for
old-fashioned sentimentality.
Clay Versus the VolcanoAn Impending Rupture of the Belly
by Mark CoftaWhile the play requires many suggested settings, Christian Pedone's set shows an idyllic suburban backdrop: handsomely bland house, white picket fence, pretty sunset view — in other words, the dream Clay's protecting.
Dance:
The Big DanceThe Pennsylvania Ballet
by Janet Anderson
All Shook UpShaker
by Deni KasrelIsrael is a place where daily routines occur in normal fashion, yet acts of terrorism and threats of war are an ongoing reality. Shaker initially portrays a scene that appears quaint and magical, but beneath the surface, menace and disquiet abound.
Now See ThisGet Out!
Rubberbandance Group | Anna Bolena | Andrea Baldeck | Le Dindon (An Absolute Turkey) | La La La Human Steps
Last ChanceCatch it or Regret It
by Molly EichelBloom | Check Out My Junk | Invented Landscapes
Arts Agenda Picks:
Just Do ItA Collaboration: What's Mine Is Yours
by Rachel WhitkinIt's been decades since they were in kindergarten, but the artists
involved in "What's Mine Is Yours" still dig the buddy system.
Just Do ItAnother Tomorrow
by Kathryn Lipman"He engages in these small exercises that seem impossible, but it's
precisely on that account that they create incredulity in the viewer."
GalleriesMuseums/ExhibitsPerforming ArtsReadings/Book Signings
Confessions of a Dangerous MindFamed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman gets his chance in the director's chair.
by Sam AdamsThe
movies made from Kaufman's scripts often suffer from a certain
airlessness, plunging deeper and deeper into a world with no center.
Synecdoche, which takes its name from a literary device in which
a part is substituted for the whole, takes that centerlessness as its
central theme.
Army of BruceAn interview with Bruce Campbell
by Shaun Brady"The character in the movie is basically how I would want to react to
fans, not how I really do. I get to hide, so if
anybody calls me out for being an asshole I just blame it on the
character."
Just Do ItChristmas on Mars
by Kathryn LipmanThe film's noisily intergalactic score dates back to 1996's "Parking Lot Experiments," when 40 cars arranged in a parking lot would simultaneously play 40 different cassette tapes that Coyne
made, creating a strange and carefully orchestrated sonic effect.
Repertory FilmYour weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.
Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.
Last to LeaveArlo Guthrie still runs on people power.
by Mary ArmstrongSpinning tales, singing songs, making us a laugh and giving us hope has
been Guthrie's living and his way of life since the '60s. He swears
that the story in "Alice's Restaurant" is 100 percent true.
Staying PowerMickey Roker and the M&M program teach lessons in perseverance.
by Shaun BradyThat urge to pass his knowledge along to a younger generation is one of
the reasons Roker is an ideal focus for this year's fundraiser.
Reconsider Me:
Back in the ArmsM.J. Fine does it again
by M.J. FineFor all the blissful guitars and wistful lyrics throughout the rest of Sunshine Lies, it wears more like a hazy memory than an eternal flame.
Hang The DJ:
Giving Truth BackJ. Edward Keyes on Shuffle
by J. Edward KeyesBlu is not an overly showy rapper, nor does he radiate the kind of smug
self-satisfaction that makes much indie hip-hop feel like a protracted
sermon. Instead, he emits a kind of casual cool.
SoundadviceGet Out!
Dancer vs. Politician | Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs | The Shackletons | Philadelphia Orchestra | Partially Artificial Musicians
Music Picks:
Frida HyvönenSat., Nov. 8, 8 p.m., $10, all ages, First Unitarian Church chapel, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619,
r5productions.com.
by M.J. FineThe woman
who has her own keys doesn't have to make sure she's on the same page
with anyone else. That's clearly true of Frida Hyvönen, who's not
afraid to appear insecure, cynical, demanding or weary on Silence Is Wild.
Bobby Sanabria QuartetFri., Nov. 7, 8 p.m. $23, Gershman Hall, 401 S. Broad St., 215-569-8080,
pcmsconcerts.org.
by Shaun BradyAlthough his Quarteto Ache is small in size, Sanabria drives the
band with fervor, so expect a playful, feverish evening.
Larkin GrimmThu., Nov. 6, 8 p.m., $10, with Meg Baird, First Unitarian Church chapel, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619,
r5productions.com.
by M.J. FineShe's bunked down in trendy cities and third-world countries, communes
and boarding school, tents and vans. But most of all, Larkin Grimm's lived
in her own head.
Contemporary VoicesSun., Nov. 9, 8 p.m., $8-$10, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619,
ihousephilly.org.
by Shaun BradyExperimental guitarist/composer Alan Licht teams with Japanese-born
cassette manipulator Aki Onda, creating a miasmic sonic landscape from
which scraps of sound and conversation emerge.
Steer GeniusMess with El Camino Real chef Jen Zavala and you'll get the horns.
by A.D. AmorosiHas all this travel turned her into a road dog? "I'd like to think I'm a road bitch," Zavala replies.
Feeding FrenzyRestaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew LazorProhibition Taproom | Mikey's American Grill & Sports Bar | Bourbon Blue
The Lovin' Poon-fulJoe's Peking Duck Original 1984
by David SnyderIf you think the name's a mouthful, wait until you see the portions.
Top 5:
Chefs' Guilty PleasuresWhat We Chew Is Secret
by Felicia D'Ambrosio1 Mitch Prensky | 2 Erin O'Shea | 3 Gene Giuffi | 4 Christopher Hora | 5 Joshua Homacki
What's Cooking:
The Week In EatsGet Out!
by Nikki VolpicelliHealthy Quick Dishes at Mirabella Café | Tenth Annual Empty Bowl Dinner | Pop's Playground Beef & Beer | Lacroix La Serre Game and Wine Dinner

Agenda Lead:
Guitar HeroHenry Owings lays down the rules.
by A.D. Amorosi"A simple argument should suffice to make the use of the Les Paul on the
cover self-explanatory: The Fender is rock. The Gibson is slightly
louder rock. In rock, louder is better. Therefore, the Gibson is the
best representation of rock."
Agenda Picks:
Just Do ItWalking Fish Scooter Party
by Dianca PottsWhen Walking Fish Theatre decided to kick off their benefit scooter raffle with an
afternoon of ukulele rock and PG burlesque, it sounded about right.
Just OpenedHudson Beach Glass
by Holly OtterbeinSean Gilvey, who's been blowing glass since he was 12, is more than willing to endure a few singed eyelashes for his work.
What We HeartJennifer Bang's Tabloid Art
by Nikki VolpicelliLindsay Lohan's drunken blunder against a North Philly backdrop complete with a
nodding junkie perched on a stoop is much, much more interesting.