TBA:

OooooOOOoooh, Rufus Waaaaainwright. That is to say, we've got an interview with the TBA headliner. I am, it shames me to say, skipping his show with the Oregon Symphony tonight. Why? Because I want to go home and watch reruns of 30 Rock. But after THAT it is totally all about the free opening night party at the WORKS, featuring Japanther, and I will see you all there, and probably I will even change out of my sweatpants first. Obligatory reminder! Mercury TBA blog! I'm going to do a ticket giveaway there later this afternoon, so pay attention, ya jerks.

THEATER:

Erik mouth breathes all over new sketch comedy troupe SWEAT. They are made up of performers from the 3rd Floor and Roadhouse: The Play. They are funny. No one is surprised.

BOOKS:

The Rajneesh Chronicles, Tin House publisher Win McCormack's book about the Rajneeshees (Oregon's "state cult." Slightly less winsome than the Western Meadowlark.), is deemed a "rambling shell of a book" by Dave Bow.

Ned investigates Yeti Nine, Mike McGonigal's zine-form investigation of "weird, wild, and woolly ideas."

And I equivocate about Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, in the quabillionth unasked-for review of what has to be the most-reviewed book of the year. (Short answer: Everyone talks about what an asshole Franzen is, which wouldn't be an issue except you can kinda tell he's an asshole when you're reading his book, and not in the Henry Miller, at-least-he-knows-how-to-have-fun-even-if-it's-misogynist-fun kind of way.)