4 Play Thursdays
The Five Spot
5 S. Bank St.
Thursdays, 10 p.m., $5
(215) 574-0070
www.thefivespot.com
I've actually been to this mess, and it's a sad wannabe affair.
Knitting is back. Women who burned their bras in the '70s now join knitting circles; the knitting guidebook Stitch 'N Bitch sells out at Urban Outfitters.
Do not be fooled by the unglamorous facade of this Delaware Avenue dance party mecca. On the inside, the club's decor is as flashy as the clubbers who go there.
If you like seeing fat crazy women jerk off onstage, then River Huston has made a play for you. The latest work from antiheroine extraordinaire Huston, Sex, Cellulite & Large Farm Equipment, is an abrasive, offensive, honest and necessary look at life from the perspective of a woman who has quite literally done it all.
Collateral Damage: Echoes in Our Soul
Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine Street
Thu-Sat, 10 a.m., Free
(215) 925-9914
www.paintedbride.org
Having just now understood that Collateral Damage means the tragedy of bystanders who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during war, I now finally understand the obviously intended irony of the title of the 2002 Schwarzenegger movie.
Imagine what it's like being a career artist -- spending one's waking hours searching for inspiration while fighting vague detachment with interminable boozing.
The Faceless Figure
Philadelphia Museum of Art
26th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway Through June; Wed, Thu & Sun, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri & Sat, 10a.m.-8:30 p.m.; $10, $7 students
(215) 763-8100
www.philamuseum.org
Traditionally, the face is the most vital aspect of any successful portrait.
Betsy Ross made a statement with original fabric designs. Her spirit lives on a few doors down from her now historical house, in a little shop where women declare their independence from Prada and Vuitton.
It's easy to ride SEPTA trains while forgetting the luxury beneath one's feet. SEPTA may not be the L, or even a crippled T, but its relevance in life is undoubtedly greater than anything one can find in that silly museum of art.
Diary of a FOB (Fresh-Off-the-Boat) is the collection of photos by Penn senior and West African native Owusu Akoto after four years of traveling throughout the world.