Weekly Rochester Events #257: It Sucks Because It Blows

Thursday, December 11, 2003

The new human-like Cylon concept is marginally good. There's little explanation for why a creature will turn on its creator (the Frankenstein's monster motif) in as organized a manner as the Cylons do. The better part of the plot revolves around the tough decisions to make when all of humanity is on the brink of extinction. I kinda like it because I end up caring about the characters more than average. I'm about halfway through the second of the two parts and I'm hoping it doesn't end shitty. We'll see.

What else ... Oh, I got to see the movie version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which I thought was exceptionally good. Generally, I have reservations about seeing someone else's "cult favorite," and in the past I haven't really enjoyed transvestite-themed films (such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show or even The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.) But I have to ultimately disagree with the outward assessment, and claim that Hedwig is not a transvestite movie.

I think the film is entirely about love and love lost. It's foundation is in Aristophanes' speech about how humans originally had four arms, four legs, and dual genitals—from the sun came the male-male, the Earth, the female-female, and from the moon, the male-female. When the humans tried to attack the gods, the gods split them into the forms we see today with a single gender and a pair of arms and legs. From that point on, the concept of soul mates was born and these half-humans wandered the world seeking their other half. It's an interesting notion and a pretty good rationalization of the concept of soul mates.

Remarkably, Hedwig and the Angry Inch manages to spin that idea into a plausible reality. I think the most interesting thing is that if Hedwig (or any of the characters, for that matter) were solidly grounded in either gender, the film would be campy. By declaring the relationships to be gender-irrelevant, the film works. I guess I understand why people get the transvestite idea, but that tends to taint the description of the film: it's not about transvestites as much as it includes transvestites. Much like life, I guess, which isn't about transvestites as much as it includes transvestites. Get it?

Oh, and the music is pretty good too ... at least the rock/punk-rock style was right up my alley.

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) will be hosting Sunnyland, and Joe Romano Quartet starting around 8 p.m. (get there before 8:30 to save $5!) [source: Montage calendar] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Cremaster 3 starting at 8. Among other things, five Chrysler Imperials take part in a demolition derby in the Chrysler building's art-deco lobby. [source: Dryden Theater calendar] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is the unbelievably awesome jazz/rock/everything of Jerseyband, School Bus Yellow, and the eclectic ambient/power-pop sounds of Hinkley. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is eclectic rock from The Peachy Neachys (as Das Peechi Neechey) , and Banned from the Tavern. [source: WITR calendar] At the The Genesee Center for the Arts (713 Monroe Ave.) tonight is the Genesee Pottery's Holiday Sale today from 11 until 7 today and tomorrow from 11 to 5. [source: Genesee Center for the Arts calendar] Tonight at Fat Moe's (4419 Dewey Ave.) is disco and rock covers from The United Booty Foundation starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] Richmond's (21 Richmond St.) will be hosting The Parker Brothers, and high quality rock from Willie Shutter starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime]

T U E S D A Y

Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is Blackloud, Healthcare, Hi Vol. Components, and excellent acoustic or not music (whatever he's going to do) from Ian Downey starting around 10:45 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is hosting an Acoustic Open Mic from 8 to 10. For this one, there's no microphones and it's pretty open ended. [source: Daily Perks calendar]

W E D N E S D A Y

Tonight at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) is an After Dark Entertainment presentation of Don't Look Down, One Year Nothing, Third Estate, and Garage Door Rodeo starting around 6:30 p.m. Over at The Earthtones starting around 7:30 p.m. is the excellent acoustic soloist JoAnn Vaccaro. [source: Freetime] Tonight at Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) starting around 6 is acoustic/folk with Big Drum—Songwriters In The Round with Meg Gehman from Meg & The Clams, Dave Mabelis from Ethel, and Kerry Regan from Watkins & the Rapiers. [source: Montage calendar] The All-Purpose Room (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St.) will have student compositions performed from the Eastman Computer Music Center starting around 7. [source: All-Purpose Room calendar] Tonight from 8 to 10 is an Open-Mic Comedy Night at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) While once it was a workshop type of environment, it's now more-or-less a regular open mic ... by default it's still a place to try out new stuff. [source: Daily Perks calendar]