C'mon now: Ol' Stage Door Jonny knows how it is. Jonny knows just how damn sexy an unreconstructed rock 'n' roller can be: the long hair, the lean bod, the tight jeans, the pouty lips, the tight leather pants, the leather jacket. Sure, they can be pretty skanky at times, but if the thought of Bon Jovi or Jim Magnum in his prime or Patti Smith or—ultimate sex symbol—Jim Morrison does it for you, than high yourself to the Museum of Contemporary Art to see Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967, an exhibit of visual art, music, film and art-rock music videos that chronicles 40 years of international rock.
Featured artists include Andy Warhol, Tony Oursler, Richard Prince, Dan Graham, Christian Marclay, Adam Pendleton, Jack, Raymond Pettibon, Ed Paschke, Pedro Bell, Karl Wirsum, Kai Althoff, Pipilotti Rist, Yoshitomo Nara and Assume Vivid Astro Focus. Among the many subjects of the exhibit are Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Phil Spector, Frank Zappa, Iggy Pop, Captain Beefheart, the Smiths, the Stones ( of course! ) and Kraftwerk.
The exhibit runs through Jan. 6, but go see it by Nov. 14 and admission is free. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Museum of Contemporary Art is offering 40 Free Days ( Sept. 29-Nov. 14 ) , with free admission to all MCA exhibits and a number of special concerts, talks and programs. For example, many of Jonny's readers might enjoy the Oct. 23 Stitch n' Bitch event for knitters of all levels. You know who you are! Bring your needles and yarn, and exchange knitting techniques and stories with artist Pate Conaway, 5:30-8 p.m. Then, stay for a bite at Puck's Cafe.
The circuit boys may find it hard to believe that there are gay men and women who not only like serious music but write or perform it themselves. Hey, ever hear of Leonard Bernstein or Samuel Barber or Tchaikovsky? Chicagoan Jeff Abell is such a fella, although queer icons Bernstein, Barber and Tchaikovsky will be left eating Abell's musical dust as he performs an evening of experimental piano works Sun., Oct. 21, at the Columbia College Concert Hall, 1014 S. Michigan, in 'Boredom & Danger: Minimal & Fluxus.' The first half of the program, Minimalism, includes compositions by John Cage, Morton Feldman, Terry Jennings and Peter Garland. The second half features pieces associated with the 1960s Fluxus movement, with composers George Machiunas, George Brecht, Takehisa Kosugi, Ken Friedman and Dick Higgins being highlighted. The Fluxus movement explored the intersection of repetition and surprise, and Abell says, 'That's certainly going to be true in this program [ but ] I promise no pianos will be injured in the performance.' Boredom & Danger is free—Jonny always likes free—at 2 p.m.
As a celebrated interdisciplinary artist, Abell is known for many things, but giving piano recitals is not one of them ( although he is a highly trained composer ) . More typically, he gives so-called lectures in which he invokes 'queer saints' while wearing little more than honey and gold leaf, or sometimes he's covered himself in colored chalk and raw tomato.
A local cabaret favorite, Elizabeth Doyle ( winner of a 2007 After Dark Award ) , will make her New York City debut Nov. 3 and 6 at the Metropolitan Room, along with musical director Jeffrey Roscoe. Doyle is taking the act she's performed with success at Maxim's and Davenport's: a tribute to blondes of the silver screen, including Mae West, Madonna, Doris Day and Dolly Parton. Jonny does hope Ms. Doyle performs that raunchy Mae West favorite, Easy Rider Man.
Those who pick up and read Windy City Times punctually still have time to attend this Friday's Chix Mix Pink Party at Circuit, 9 p.m.-4 a.m. It's Chix Mix's second annual fundraiser for the Lesbian Community Cancer Project ( LCCP ) and it's only $7 at the door. But wait, there's more! The Chix Mix Pink Party also will be the official release party of Vanessa Carlton's CD Heroes—Villains and Leann Rimes' CD, Family. The Party also will feature Flesh Tones Burlesque, the Sexy Danyell, an aerial act with Jenn from The Dolls and DJ Dragonfire. Ladies and their male friends are cordially invited. It's a smoke-free event and, as a cancer benefit, it would be, like, way un-PC if it weren't.
A Michael Jordan ( '#23 Basketball Player' ) as you've never seen him before, ditto Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis wearing coats of many colors and a fantastic menagerie beyond belief ... These are a few of the treats to behold in the Garfield Park exhibit of the wild, monumental, playful and joyous outdoor sculptures of Niki de Saint Phalle, a celebrated artist who works in fiberglass embellished—oh, how embellished!—with mirrors, mosaic tile, glass and semi-precious stones. With some of her work reaching 18 feet tall, this really is eye-popping art. Niki in the Garden, as the exhibit is called, closes Wed., Oct. 31, so your days to see it are numbered. Technically, the exhibit is free, although a $5 donation is suggested ( and requested ) .
