READINGS & TALKS
Have a Little Pun Launch Party
Clements is known as a prolific and generally kick-ass Seattle illustrator. She's written a book of beautifully illustrated puns called, you guessed it, Have a Little Pun. Some of the puns are smart-dumb, some are good-dumb, some are dumb-dumb. Buy the book and decide for yourself which is which. Chances are you'll want to very carefully rip out a page, slide it into an old frame, and hang it in your bathroom. I'm partial to the illustration of "Birch Please." The combo of the bucolic and the bratty strikes me as genius. (1927 Events, Weds Aug 12 at 6 pm, free with RSVP) RICH SMITH
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FILM
The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead
While pretty much every other original punk band (and plenty of not-so-original ones) has been documentaried to pieces, the Damned have somehow remained in the shadow of their peers, the eternal Kinks to the Sex Pistolsâ Beatles and the Clashâs Stones. Band math analogies aside, the Damned never quite fit into a rock ânâ roll narrative. They simply refused to be obvious like that. Of all the year zero punk groups that mattered, they were the unruliest. But everything fits some narrative in the end. And no one will walk away from this rousing movie with any doubts about their greatness. (Northwest Film Forum, Fri Aug 14 at 8 pm, Sat-Sun at 4 and 8 pm, $11) SEAN NELSON
ART
Legendary Children: Paris Is Burning & Beyond
Paris Is Burning documents the New York drag-ball scene that began in the '70s and peaked in the early '90s. (Thanks, Madonna.) The balls were a heated laboratory of black American self-invention where black gay men dressed in a variety of white male and female fashions. To celebrate 25 years of this highly influential and beloved film, in conjunction with its show Disguise: Masks and Global African Art, SAM is throwing a ball of its own, with a screening and talk-back session, dance party, and runway. (Seattle Art Museum, Fri Aug 14 at 6 pm, free with RSVP) CHARLES MUDEDE
PERFORMANCE
Hari Kondabolu's Scratch Nights
It's not always a guaranteed pleasure to watch comedians working out new material, but Hari Kondabolu is not just any comedian. You could make the case that his asides, self-edits, and ad-libs are as funny as the individual finished bits. Though the finished work is, all in all, a whole other level of funny. These shows give small audiences an intimate look at the process of a comic whose trajectory is thrilling to behold. Plus, when you see the final, polished gems months from now, in video clips from TV appearances shared on your Facebook feed, you 'll be in a great position to make the comments all about how YOU saw it first. Everybody wins! (Eclectic Theater, Aug 16-17 at 7 and 9 pm, $7 adv/$10 DOS) SEAN NELSON
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FOOD & DRINK
Seattle Street Food Festival 2015
Weekdays at noon, the pristine streets of South Lake Union are crowded with food trucks serving workers, often lined up 20 deep. But Iâm going to let you in on a secret Iâve heard from some business owners: Serving SLU is a drag, because most customers would rather scroll through their phones than interact with them. This yearâs Street Food Festival, relocated from Capitol Hill, is our chance to redeem ourselves, Seattle: Make some eye contact and show some love to the 70+ food vendors working in cramped quarters to give you things like Indian fry bread tacos (Off the Rez), fish and chips (Nosh), and hickory-smoked pork (Wood Shop BBQ). (217 9th Ave N, South Lake Union, Fri Aug 14 from 3-9 pm, Sat Aug 15 from 12-11 pm, Sun Aug 16 from 11-7 pm, free) ANGELA GARBES
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FESTIVALS
Columbia City Blues Festival
Columbia City's most charmed live music venue presents its third annual blues festival, curated by Wayne Horvitz and fueled by two factors: love of the form and loathing for "what blues festivals have become: boogie and Bud LightâŚ" Horvitz told me he plans to "keep it fun but also curatorial, with programming that has a little bit of historical context and honors the repertoire" while taking care "not to make a museum piece out of it." Horvitz is worth trusting on that score. This year, the festival will focus on the legacy of Willie Dixon, while featuring local talents playing blues numbers by Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, and Los Lobos plus a tribute to the late Johnny Winter. Best of all, Kathy Moore will lead a killer band (Faith Stankevich, Angelina Baldoz, Laurie Miller, and Aisha Elmehdaoui) through ZZ Top's finest LP, Tres Hombres. Damn straight. (The Royal Room, Aug 14-16, free on Fri, $8 adv/$10 DOS Sat-Sun) SEAN NELSON
QUEER
Desperate Living: A John Waters-Inspired Art Show
Attention, John Waters fans: "Attendance is mandatory or you will be injected with rabies by royal proclamation of Queen Carlotta!!!" Pony's second-ever art show is dedicated to the creepy brilliance of John Waters, and organizers want you to "dress like the human trash that you are." Artworks for sale include pieces by John Criscitello, Kelly O, Marcus Wilson, Tara Thomas, and more. Also pies. There will be pies. (Pony, Thurs Aug 13 at 6 pm, free) CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE
