This week in New York Ben Marcus and Deb Olin Unferth read, John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) performs with PiL, MobyLives presents book trailer awards, One Story holds a Debutante Ball, Jewcy presents readings by Rachel Shukert, Sam Apple and Jami Attenberg, Paper Monument Magazine (sister-mag to n+1) throws a party for Issue 3, and Marc Ribot provides live musical accompaniment to Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid.
TUESDAY 5/18: Jewcy Magazine presents The Yiderati, this week’s installment of the series that presents emerging Jewish writers includes Jami Attenberg, Sam Apple and Rachel Shukert. The Strand. 7pm.
WEDNESDAY 5/19: Public Image Ltd. with frontman John Lydon (formerly frontman for the Sex Pistols) perform at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. This is a special performance that will be filmed for a documentary on PiL by filmmaker Alex Mar.
THURSDAY 5/20: The First Annual Moby Awards: The Best and the Worst of Book Trailers. Book trailers both big-budget and small, with author appearances and celebrity cameos. Come see for yourself and prepare yourself by seeing the full line-up of finalists. Will it be Gordon Lish’s Collected Fictions or Gail Carriger’s Blameless? The Griffin. 7pm.
FRIDAY 5/21: Paper Monument Number Three Reception. Paper Monument, the Brooklyn-based journal of contemporary art published in association with n+1. The Drawing Center. 6:30-8:30.
In My Parents’ Basement. Hiding Gallery invites you to harken back to the liberation and impulse to create in the show’s namesake. With artwork by Tao Lin, Two Tears and Nina Palucci and performance by Garden and Electric Flower. Hiding Gallery. 9pm.
One Story Literary Debutante Ball: A Celebration of Emerging Writers. The Ball will celebrate One Story’s debut and emerging authors, with artists, musicians, fashion designers and filmmakers. The highlight of the ball will be the formal “presentation” of writers who have made their debuts in One Story. Each writer will be “escorted” by an established author who has been a mentor or friend. The Old American Can Factory. 7pm-11pm.
The NYC Spelling Bee. Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. 6:30pm. Free, but $5 to compete.
SATURDAY 5/22: Ben Marcus and Deb Olin Unferth read at Bowery Poetry Club. 2pm.
3rd Ward’s Annual BBQ. With live music from Pink Noise, Stumblebum Brass Band and Hank & Cupcakes. With edible treats and free tune-ups for your bikes. 3rd Ward.
SUNDAY 5/23: Marc Ribot provides live musical accompaniment to Charlie Chaplin’s film The Kid. (Le) Poisson Rouge. 10pm.
[ART?] Mr. Brainwash at a warehouse in the meatpacking district. Whether he’s a fiction created by Banksy or an actor hired by Banksy, the “art” of Mr. Brainwash is worth peeking into, if only to be in on the joke. The too-self-consciously French, too-celebrity-conscious “artist” is the subject of Exit Through the Gift Shop a fun documentary/mockumentary allegedly by the artist Banksy. The film, about the origins of street art and its foremost players, is definitely worth a screening. It stars Shepard Fairey and a man in shade purportedly Banksy documenting the rise of the Frankenstein they created, Mr. Brainwash. Here’s a clip from a noteworthy interview by Vulture of MRB:
Vulture: Look, if you’re playing a joke on the art market, it’s a pretty fun joke.
Mr. Brainwash: Playing a joke on the art market? But the art market, is it a joke? When you think of white on a white canvas and sell it for millions of dollars, is it a joke? Is it a joke that some people are going to spend millions on this?
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Original Notable New York Illustration by Andre da Loba.
