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ISSUE . May 28th, 2009

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Cover Story

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She's On A Mission

T. Desiree Hines will change the way you think about trans Philadelphia.

by Carolyn Huckabay

Her mother said she understood why Desiree had to go. There were no jobs for classical organists in Jackson and no place for a transsexual woman in the Bible Belt. Desiree grabbed her bags and ran straight in the direction of her new life, never looking back — and never returning to Mississippi. In a way, Mama was right about her daughter: Part of Desiree did die that day. But a much bigger part was only being born.

Best of the Fest

Highlights of the 2009 Philadelphia GLBT Arts Festival, May 28-31

by Carolyn Huckabay

Opinion

Loose Canon:

The New Frugality

Waste attracts rats of all sorts.

by Bruce Schimmel

"No waste" is also the mantra now chanted by recycling advocates, whose ultimate quest is to produce less recycling — thus saving the energy and effort of remanufacturing. As Franklin might put it today, "Each person his own recycler must be."

Editor's Letter:

Editor, Unplugged

by Brian Howard

That it took me years to make the decision speaks to the level to which television — and 24-hour access to hundreds of crappy channels, news, entertainment and otherwise — had infiltrated my life.

Feedback:

Letters to the Editor

What You Say

"These fools can't even keep a doughnut shop going."

News

In Memoriam

A neighborhood tradition struggles to soldier on.

by Mike Newall

The planning for this year's parade was especially trying. Thanks to the budget mess, the city told organizers they'd be responsible for the price of police and road closures.

Sports:

At Least They're Not the Mets

by E. James Beale

This is more than just the zealotry of a nervous fan base. The Mets are legitimately in shambles. Despite their gaudy payroll, they manage to have no depth at all.

Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

With American Idol over and the screams of a thousand tiny women (thanks, Adam Lambert) silenced (for now), I'd begun thinking what I wouldn't do to hear s'more competitive singing.

A Million Stories

A possum roamed in G-Ho | Help make Triangle Park an actual park | Awesome things large crowds of random males like to do

The Bell Curve

City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter

When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Arts

Art:

My City Was Gone

Hidden City Philadelphia brings our long-forgotten landmarks back to life.

by A.D. Amorosi

During the monthlong Hidden City festival, newly crafted site-specific works of art will be housed in spaces familiar to most by reputation (South Street's Royal Theater), some by sight (North Broad Street's Metropolitan Opera House), and all by their current state of decay or dilapidation.

Arts Picks:

nEW Festival

June 3-7, various times, $10-$15, UArts Dance Theatre at the Drake, 1512 Spruce St., 215-359-7775, newfestival.net.

by Lauren F. Friedman

Philly's so bursting with talented dancers these days, it's hard to keep track. Thank goodness for nEW Festival.

Art:

Ribbons of War

Wed., June 3, 7 p.m., free, Friends' Central, Shellcross Hall, 1101 City Ave., friendscentral.org.

by Molly Eichel

Eighteen-year-old John Armstrong doesn't have a life plan — so why not stage a rock 'n' roll musical?

Theater Review:

Freudian Slip-Up

REVIEW: Hysteria

by David Anthony Fox

Stay away, unless you enjoy watching a third-rate playwright belittle a pair of geniuses.

Liquid Dreams

REVIEW: The Seafarer

They're familiar characters: louts, losers, lushes, content to spend the holiday drinking their fuckin' brains out.

Kaleidoscope

Gig Posters | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | "Pathways to Unknown Worlds" | infinitesummer.org

Art:

Hide and Seek

Hidden City honchos Jay Wahl and Thaddeus Squire talk public perception, personal narratives — and Magic: The Gathering.

by A.D. Amorosi

Arts Picks:

83rd Annual Competition

Opening reception Sat., May 30, 3-5 p.m., exhibition through Aug. 1, The Print Center, 1614 Latimer St., 215-735-6090, printcenter.org.

by Lauren F. Friedman

The 33 winning pieces in this Print Center group show include an Ohio undergrad's massive web of intricate gray lines, a Tyler alum's paean to solitude and an octogenarian's cartoonish bubblegum cityscape.

The Meatpackers Book Club

May 30-June 14, $18, Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5, 825 Walnut St., 215-316-1361, philadelphiatheatreworkshop.org.

by Mark Cofta

Imagine a book club. Then imagine a butcher shop. Now imagine them smashed together like chocolate and peanut butter.

Bread & Puppet Theater

Fri., May 29, 7:30-8:30 p.m., free, Liberty Lands Park, 913 N. Third St., 215-627-4633, breadandpuppet.org.

by Holly Otterbein

When Bread & Puppet Theater visited Philly in 2000, dozens of its members got arrested for suspected terrorist activity.

I'm Nobody

Exhibition runs June 3-21, free; artist talk and benefit reception, Sun., June 7, 2-5 p.m., $25; Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American St., 215-232-3202, cranearts.com.

by Holly Otterbein

Susan M. Hess' needlework, precious and proper, depicts Emily Dickinson's words.

Movies

... And Away

Pixar's Up starts out strong but falls flat.

by Sam Adams

Without a word of dialogue, Docter conveys the tenderness of a life lived in harmony, the disappointments weathered if never forgotten, the dreams more important in aspiration than in their fulfillment.

Up To the Task

Talking "simplexity" with the director of Pixar's newest flight of fantasy.

by Molly Eichel

"It's a little like that Walt Disney quote where he says something like, 'We don't make our movies for kids, we don't make our movies for adults. We make our movies for the child part in each one of us that maybe that world has caused us to forget about, but our films could help us remember.'"

Rudo y Cursi

City Paper Grade: B-

by Sam Adams

The stars of Y Tu Mamá También are well-matched as love-hate rivals, although Bernal's talent has blossomed more fully than his erstwhile co-star's.

Repertory Film

Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.

Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.

Music

Reconsider Me:

Longview

Green Day's Dookie and 21st Century Breakdown

OK, so maybe it's not the best-executed story — too many ballads, too much reliance on the shock of Dirnt and Cool crashing Armstrong's pity party 30, 50, even 80 seconds into a song. But as a singer, he's never sounded better than on 21st Century Breakdown's seven strongest tunes.

Music Picks:

Here We Go Magic

Tue., June 2, 7 p.m., $8-$20, with Grizzly Bear, The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-LIVE, thetroc.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

Here We Go Magic swirls a kinda-'90s lo-fi approach with a whole host of late-'00s hipster-hippie tropes.

A Camp

Sat., May 30, 9:30 p.m., $12, with Gentleman Reg and Blame the Patient, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

Colonia, the intriguing new album A Camp, is inspired by themes of colonialism and empire, blending savage and majestic imagery and kicking off with a surreally terrifying joint coronation/decapitation.

Surgeon

Fri., May 29, 9:30 p.m., $10, with Allright Junior, Atom Storage, Undercast and Stonethrown, Tritone, 1508 South Street, 215-545-0475, tritonebar.com.

by John Vettese

If Surgeon thrashed the living fuck out of your speakers on Angry Guest, wait till you hear what they've cooked up since.

Hoots and Hellmouth

Thu., May 28, 9 p.m., $15, with Old School Freight Train; Fri., May 29, 9:30 p.m., $15, with The New Familiars and The Mural and The Mint, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.

by John Vettese

Hoots and Hellmouth are a bunch of outdoorsy musicians who like to stomp and holler in a Pentecostal frenzy. Is there any re-creating that furor in the clinical recording setting?

Remembering ILLman

Thu., May 28, 9 p.m., $10, with Mill Millionz, The Mighty Onez, Mikey Galactic, Nahki and more, 69th Street Lounge, 7049-51 Terminal Square, Upper Darby, 267-991-4045, myspace.com/raywellzcalmdown.

by Deesha Dyer

Last year, up-and-coming rapper Randolph "ILLman" Yelverton was murdered.

Food

It's Your Birthday

What happens when you spend 19 straight hours at Ray's Happy Birthday Bar?

by Chris Ross

Ray's is a place where every man — if only for a night — can will himself into a chain-smoking, liquor-swilling, joke-peddling member of his own personal Rat Pack.

We Like Mike

Michael's Café

This is the kind of place where a neighbor can read the breakfast specials and say, "What, the chef changed the omelette again? I wanted yesterday's," and a server will call him by name and reply, "Don't worry about it. He'll make you yesterday's."

What's Cooking:

The Week In Eats

Get Out!

by Lauren Fleming

Dessert Competition at Dock Street | Cochon's Tasting Menu | Fair Food Farm Stand Fundraiser | Center City District Sips 2009

Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

B & G's Ice Cream & Sports Bar | Two new Capogiros | Aladeen Middle Eastern Restaurant | The Swift Half

Agenda

Agenda Lead:

Fight For Your Rite

A group of strangers struggles to create a ritual.

by Katie Karas

The details of the piece quickly, and finally, solidified. In the first act, participants depict the ills of consumption. Through song, Wiegand focuses on overeating and buying. Conversely, Hatzell's dance and monologue piece is inspired by a very different type of excess: overthinking.

Shopping Spree:

Seampoets

Fashion > Forward

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Every piece is one-of-a-kind, from the layout and design to colors and embroidery. The screenprinting studio lives in Michael's home, while Michelle's house has a dedicated sewing lab. Both artists emphasize that their work is a true joint effort.

Agenda Picks:

Zombie Talent Show

Check out local undead performers using their brrraaaiiinnnsss.

by Sherri Hospedales

Scheduled acts include a zombie PowerPoint and a zombie-flavored performance of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive."

Art Star Craft Bazaar

My, how this little art show's grown.

by Lauren Fleming

"With about 145 artists participating and only so much table space, we've had to become more selective. At first, we didn't jury our shows. But now we have to."

Animation Block Party

NYC's animated celebration wises up and comes to Philly.

by Matthew Schantz

This year, the Animation Block Party is coming down to the Sixth Borough to air the 20 best animated films from the festival's past five events.

The Zine

"People want to read something and hold it in their hands."

by Lauren F. Friedman

Zine isn't a derogatory term." It's not a magazine's ugly stepsister or a book's malnourished kid brother, but rather, "zines have a feeling of something that's been produced by hand."