Tart: All-Girl Dance Party
While getting freaked by men on the dance floor can be an excellent route to healthy social interaction, sometimes a girl wants to shake her money-maker without a dude trying to press his wiener in her butt. Or, sometimes a lady wants to freak it with other chicks, without a bunch of drooling man bologna having PG-13 fantasies. And sometimes, we women just wanna hang out with each other. Haven't you ever heard of lady unity?
Whatever. The point is, the organizers of a new monthly at Holocene, entitled TART, have heard our cries, and they have listened. They have created an oasis of Hot XY Chromosome Action, wherein las chicas may dine, drink, and discuss the Fourth Wave (believe it) or the brilliance of the Christina/Lil' Kim collab. Meanwhile, DJ Anjali (100% All Woman) will spin the bhangra, hiphop, and other sundry beats. JULIANNE SHEPHERD
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, phone 239-7639, 4-9 pm, $5
Christian/David
See the timeless American classic, True Romance, on the big screen! Whether you've known and loved this little gem for years, or have somehow made it this far into your adult life without experiencing its joys, like most things in life, the bigger version is better. Join Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Patricia Arquette)--an Elvis-obsessed comic book hawker, and a call girl--as they fall in love, kill people, get chased down by gangsters, and have sex in a phone booth! It also features Dennis Hopper making a lengthy racial insult, Gary Oldman as a dreadlocked pimp, and Brad Pitt as a couch dwelling stoner, just to name a few members of the all-star cast.
Then, you can check out a free screening of Let America Laugh, the docu-tour journal of Mr. Show's David Cross. It includes live footage from his assholian standup disses, as well as interactions with fans, family, crappy clubs, drunks on the street, and journalists. It was all filmed on his cross-country trek, from which was born the comedy CD, Shut Up, You Fucking Baby! For your added amusement, it includes scenes from his visit right here in Portland. And it's free! MARJORIE SKINNER
True Romance, Clinton St Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, Fri-Thurs, 7 pm & 9 pm, $6; Let America Laugh, Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Tues, 8 pm, free
Dueling Decks
Remember "Skate or die?" "Skate or mate?" These days, the battle cry seems to be, "Skate or make dainty porcelain dishes and cutesy cartoons," which is better than dying, but nowhere near as good as mating, we think. When you're done skating and mating, though, there's a kickass show in town that you'll probably want to check out. Push Project, which opens tonight at Compound Gallery, is a swank marriage of skate culture and contemporary art in which eight artists were asked to design a skateboard deck, of which they produced an edition of 40. The decks will be on display next to the artist's recent work.
The curators have rounded up a damn impressive line-up of artists for the show. There's Charles Krafft, who makes those blue-and-white porcelain tchotchkes of rifles and china illustrated with war-torn devastation. You probably know underground comix artist Jim Woodring from his silent, surreal, and superb Frank comics. Shawn Wolfe is of course Seattle's designer extraordinaire, and Tablet cartoonist Randy Wood and sculptor Ries Neimi, who's best known for public commissions, round out the roster. The chances of this sucking are almost nil. So try to find something cooler than that, poseur. CHAS BOWIE
Compound, 107 NW 5th, 796-2733, opening party on First Thursday, November 6, through November 30
Skratch Tour 2003
There's always been a struggle between skill and style in hiphop. Nowhere has this conflict been more apparent than in the historic mid-'90s battle between the X-Men (aka X-Ecutioners) and Q-Bert's Invisibl Scratch Piklz, who team up in 2003's installment of the Skratch Tour. While Q-Bert and crew were convinced that pure technical skill would see them to the finish line, Roc Raida's relentless cutting and clowning ("DJ Q-Bert... get off my dick!") caused many to overlook the Piklz's superior skill. In the seven years since that legendary match-up, Roc Raida has been crowned a Grand Master, Q-Bert created an animated feature, and both crews have been recognized as turntzablism's pioneers. Here's a chance to see both sides of the battle represented, alongside a bona fide legend (as an original member of Afrika Bambaataa's Zulu Nation, Jazzy Jay has overseen the birth of nearly every artist, label, and style for the last 25 years) and Z-Trip, the most consistently creative DJ in recent memory. ETHAN SWAN
Skratch Tour: Q-Bert, X-Ecutioners, Roc Raida, Jazzy Jay, Z-Trip, DJ Wicked; Roseland, NW 6th & Burnside, 1-800-325-SEAT, Saturday, November 8, 8 pm, $15-18, all ages