If anyone can merge head-rattling obsessions, cross-dress and Elvis-sideburn them and make them quake, it'd be Charlotte Ford. The avant-garde auntie is unafraid of looking goofy, sounding squeaky or coming across as unabashedly dumb — all of which make her one of the bravest local perf-art personages to come along in the last decade.

In a creative move, MAP, long known for its anti-graffiti advocacy, has tapped local and international street artists to partner on the live experiment in painting and performance.

After getting turned down by the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, the Mütter — Philly's own world-famous collection of 19th-century medical oddities — seemed "sufficiently creepy" for Tell-Tale.

It's selfish, really: The only reason we study animals is to learn more about ourselves.

Dracula | Zombies Are Forever | Dead Air: The Fi nal Broadcast of the Zombie Apocalypse | A Tale of Two Brains

Bang on a Can Marathon: Philadelphia | Release | Cuddle Magic | Love/Hate | L. Subramaniam

Brian Sanders is driving his dancers up a wall, for real.

What better way to show admiration for a city than to poke fun at its quirky charms?

The diffuse messages are what make the Philly Naked Bike Ride refreshing.

by Brian Howard

What You Say

Do you think we give a flying fuck what that professional troll and his army of old, barely literate white folks have to say, especially on a goddamn beautiful Saturday morning? Shit, no.

Solitary confinement. In Pennsylvania, the phrase itself is controversial.

When news breaks, we make jokes.

Tue., Sept. 7, 8 p.m., $12-$13, with Cults and Slutever, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

The Kimmel Center celebrates a decade.

by Peter Burwasser

Fri.-Sun., Sept. 3-5, $30-$85, Salem County Fairgrounds, Route 40, Woodstown, N.J., 302-321-6466, delawarevalleybluegrass.org.

by Mary Armstrong

Sun., Sept. 5, 8 p.m., $15, with 22-20's and Hey Rosetta!, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 215-787-0488, northstarbar.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

Fri., Sept. 3, 8 p.m., $18-$26, with Young the Giant, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

There's startling complexity in this simple food.

Fresh tortillas are so rare in Philly that they're virtually unbuyable. Odds are you've never had one. Imagine my surprise, then, when I peered into a minuscule Italian Market storefront and saw — was it a dream? — men pressing fresh tortillas.

Barbuzzo | Berry Sweet | PBandU

The Week in Eats

by Drew Lazor

Red Bull Flugtag makes a crash landing in Philly.

by Julia West

Wed., Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m., $12, Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700, princemusictheater.org.

by Molly Eichel

There're a few things I learned about my Italian Market since last week's Ninth Street cover story mega-mix.

Joe Osborne geeks out

by Joe Osborne

Fri., Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m., free, Piazza at Schmidts, Second Street and Germantown Avenue, rooftopfilms.com.

by Holly Otterbein