Upcoming events of note

Just as 2009 left off, we pick right up with a bunch of interesting events taking place here in NYC. Besides the Downtown Pix exhibit (opening next week), here are a few more I found interesting:

Patti Smith
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
33 East 17th Street, New York, NY 10003

Journalist Katherine Lanpher interviews musician and author Patti Smith, who will read from her new memoir about her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, "Just Kids: From Brooklyn to the Chelsea Hotel, a Life of Art and Friendship."



Tuli Kupferberg benefit
Friday, January 22, 2010 7:30
St. Ann's Warehouse
38 Water St, Bklyn, NY 11201

"Tuli Kupferberg, the influential songwriter who co-founded the Fugs, suffered two strokes, in April and September 2009, which left him blind, confined to his apartment and in need of 24-hour care. He is recovering well—he is able to speak clearly—but has overwhelming medical expenses not covered by Medicare or the very modest publishing/royalties income he earns at the age of 86. A number of his friends and admirers are coming to his aid by performing in a benefit concert produced by Hal Willner, including his fellow Fugs, John Kruth and an all-star band, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Pete Stampfel, John Zorn and others who will be announced soon." Tickets available here.



Andre Williams vs. Nick Tosches
Friday, February 5, 2010 10:00
The Poetry Project at St. Marks Church
131 East 10th Street, NYC 10003

To celebrate the first book from Norton Records new publishing arm, Kicks Books, writer Nick Tosches and musician Andre Williams will be reading selections from Williams' new novel, Sweets and Other Stories.

"The first fiction effort from Andre Williams! Sweets is a narrative which takes you for a wild ride from Chicago to Houston, New Orleans, and New York City, as a teenage girl finds herself in a family way, without a family. Forced to fend for herself, she is taken under the wing of a local pimp who entices her into prostitution. The adventures that follow are a free-for-all foray through the fantastic world of pimps and their women, funeral directors, gangs and drug running, with sidebar anecdotes that are guaranteed to appall, alarm and astonish. Extreme entries remain unedited, and none of Williams' raw drawl storytelling style has been tampered with in this standout fiction debut."



May 4th sees the release of I Learned the Hard Way, the 4th album from Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings on Daptone Records.

And lastly, Cheap Trick will be playing at Irving Plaza on Monday, January 25. Sweet.