New issue of Vice magazine just landed! Its in the free area come get it, fo’ its gone!
Aight?! PERF!
| Feb ’08 |
| 22 |
| 7:00 pm |
Friday, February 22nd, 7:00 PM — Free!
About Concrete, Bulletproof, Invisible and Fried: My Life as a Revolting Cock:
When hardcore industrial rocker and Ministry supremo Al Jourgensen recruited Chris Connelly as a singer for The Revolting Cocks, the young Scottish lad could hardly have imagined the mayhem that was to ensue.
As an integral part of Jourgensen’s Mad Max-like mutant family of musicians, Connelly joined a drug-crazed traveling circus. Live shows were transformed into an ear-splitting redneck disco from hell, under the influence of a mind-boggling cocktail of every conceivable narcotic, with sleazy strippers and even reports of live cattle on stage.
As well as Jourgensen and all the Wax Trax crew, the book features cameo appearances by Ogre of Skinny Puppy, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke, Jah Wobble, and Cabaret Voltaire. Despite the unrelenting chaos, both Ministry and the Revolting Cocks have been immensely successful; Connelly appeared on two US gold albums (The Land of Rape and Honey and The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste) and worked as songwriter on Ministry’s million-plus selling platinum album Psalm 69. Connelly’s superbly written, funny, irreverent and sometimes downright scary memoir is one of the finest portrayals of a man trapped in the eye of a post-punk industrial storm this side of Armageddon. Chris Connelly will be on hand to read from and sign copies of his book.
About Chris Connelly:
While his contributions to Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, and Pigface have earned him a reputation as a ferocious industrial rocker, singer/songwriter Chris Connelly’s solo career has explored softer music that’s more in line with Nick Cave, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and the later work of Scott Walker. Born and raised in Edinbourough, Scotland, and currently living in Chicago; Connelly has had a long and sustained musical career as a solo artist.
1. Slingshot 2008 Planner Large Size (Slingshot Collective) $12.00
2. Roctober #44 $4.00
3. Mojo Feb 08 $9.50
4. Roy Orbison in Clingfilm: A Novel by Ulrich Haarburste $10.00
5. What Is the What by Dave Eggers (Vintage) $15.95
6. Believer #50 Jan 08 $8.00
7. Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Chandra Moskowitz Isa and Terry Hope Romero (Marlowe) $27.50
8. Bitch #38 $5.99
9. Venus #34 Win 07 $4.50
10. Cometbus #50 by Aaron Cometbus $2.00
| Feb ’08 |
| 7 |
| 7:00 pm |
THE FIRST STOP ON A NATIONAL TOUR!
Join Elizabeth Crane for her hometown launch event, as she reads from her new book You Must Be This Happy to Enter.
Denial, god, dystopia, academia, and reality TV collide in acclaimed author Crane’s third story collection, and the latest installment from Akashic’s Punk Planet Books imprint.
“Crane has a distinctive and eccentric voice that is consistent and riveting.”
–New York Times Book Review
“Crane is funny, even when her subject is pain . . . There’s an energy and immediacy to [her] stories that make them feel as if they could have been delivered in one beautiful, raw rant over a bottle of wine. A night reading them is well spent.”
–Entertainment Weekly
Whether breathlessly enthusiastic serenely calm, or really concentrating on their personal zombie issues, Crane’s happy cast explore the complexities behind personal satisfaction. You Must Be This Happy to Enter exists in a world very much like our own but infused with more joy and magic. It’s a place where the happy are jailed, the sincere cause confusion, and pop culture so seamlessly melds with real life that characters can walk right out of the television and come live with you.
Crane’s third collection, aims to convey something fresh in literature: utter sincerity. With a trademark mix of hyperreality, humor, and heartfelt emotion, You Must Be This Happy to Enter asks readers to connect with the loopy ways of her characters. Because even though they’re occasionally severed from reality, they still seem to know something you don’t about keeping upbeat in a strange and crumbling environment.
ELIZABETH CRANE is the author of two previous story collections, When the Messenger Is Hot and All This Heavenly Glory. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including the Chicago Reader and The Believer, as well as several anthologies, including McSweeney’s Future Dictionary of America and The Best Underground Fiction. A winner of the Chicago Public Library’s 21st Century Award, Crane teaches creative writing at Northwestern’s School of Continuing Studies, the School of the Art Institute, and the University of Chicago. She lives in Chicago.
| Feb ’08 |
| 21 |
| 7:00 pm |
Neal Pollack reads Alternadad at Quimby’s!
Thursday, February 21th, 7:00 PM
FREE
A few years ago, Neal Pollack was probably the least likely father you’ve ever met: a pop-culture-obsessed writer and self-styled party guy known mostly for outrageous literary antics. In typical fashion, he responded to the birth of his son by forming a mediocre rock band and taking it on tour. Now, in Alternadad, he tells the hilarious and poignant story of how he learned to be a father to his son, Elijah, after the failure of his short-lived rock ’n’ roll dreams.
Pollack and his wife, Regina, were determined to raise their son without growing up too much themselves. They welcomed the responsibility but were worried that they’d become uptight and out of touch. Through the ups and downs of the first years of their son’s life their determination is put to the test, and they find themselves changing in ways they never expected, particularly after Elijah develops a biting problem in preschool.
Alternadad is a refreshingly honest book about the wonders, terrors, and idiocies of parenting today. From enrolling his son in an absurd corporate gymnastics class to a disastrous visit to a rock festival to uncomfortable encounters with other parents whom he’d ordinarily avoid, Pollack candidly explores the everyday struggles and the long-term compromises that come with parenthood.
Mixing ironic skepticism with an appreciation for the absurdities of everyday life, Alternadad is a portrait of a new version of the American family: responsible if unorthodox parents raising kids who know the difference between the Ramones and the Sex Pistols. Wildly funny, surprising, and often moving, it just might be the parenting bible for a new generation of mothers and fathers.
Neal Pollack will give a lively talk, read a little form the book, take questions, and then sign copies of the books if anyone so desires.
About the Author
Neal Pollack is the author of several acclaimed books of satirical fiction, including The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature and the novel Never Mind the Pollacks. A contributor to many magazines, newspapers, and Web sites, he also keeps a semidaily blog at www.nealpollack.com. He lives in Los Angeles with his family.
