The Stranger

Artist and zinester Esther Pearl Watson created her signature character—Tammy Pierce, an angsty high-school girl forever stuck in the 1980s—after finding a teenager's diary in a gas-station bathroom. Watson's new graphic novel, Unlovable, compiles the beautifully crude Tammy Pierce saga (long-running in Bust magazine) and shoves it into a sparkly blue hardcover book. At her first-ever art exhibition in Seattle, Watson will be on hand to sign copies of Unlovable, while Rusty Willoughby serenades her with song. (Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, 1201 S Vale St, 658-0110. 6–9 pm, free.) by Kelly O

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Ever hear Radiohead's "Idioteque" blended into Cybotron's "Techno City"? Probably not. That's a typical Tim Sweeney move. One of DFA boss James Murphy's favorite DJs, Sweeney possesses the specialized knowledge and keen mixing sense that get hips thinking and brains dancing. His Beats in Space radio program/podcast on WNYU airs the cream of cosmic disco, techno, Kraut rock, freak folk, house, rock, and other genres, making unexpected, brilliant transitions his trademark. With Rong Music head Ben Cook and H.M.A. (Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000. 9 pm, $10, 21+.) by Dave Segal

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I, Pierre Rivière is a French gem. First, it features a young Isabelle Huppert, who is as beautiful as the current old Huppert. Second, the 1976 film is based on a real and shocking crime that happened in 1835 ("I, Pierre Rivière, having butchered my mother, my sister, and my brother..."). Thirdly, this crime happened in rural France, and so the film has the mood of a horror movie. Lastly and most importantly, the real crime fascinated one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, Michel Foucault. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 267-5380. 9:15 pm, $9.) by Charles Mudede

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Criminally underrated Portland trio Wet Confetti broke up in May 2007, but by the year's end, all three members were making music again as Reporter. Their debut, Dust & Stars, polishes up their old act's pop tendencies, smooths out their jerkier rhythms, and adds a blanket of lo-fi fuzz and reverb to deliver slightly rackety, slightly dark dream pop that wouldn't be too out of place alongside Vivian Girls or much of Slumberland's current roster (see especially the stellar "Set Fire"). With the always-congenial Fist Fite, the Hail Seizures, and Jes Blackwell. (MarsBar, 609 Eastlake Ave E, 626-4516. 9 pm, $6, 21+.) by Eric Grandy

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Is anything weirder, more interesting, or as fraught with potential than places where humans never go? In Ice People, Antarctic geologists—tiny people in big landscapes—dig holes, sip coffee, watch the clock, weather windstorms, pour urine into a urine funnel, climb huge mountains you've never heard of, and try to uncover the mysteries of Antarctica's Dry Valleys. "You have to take yourself out of your human world and put yourself in the geology world," says one scientist, quietly (everything is quiet). "And now I'm just rocks and tills and glaciers." (Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St, 523-3935. 7 and 9 pm, $8.) by Lindy West

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tEEth isn't a dance company—it's a dream machine. And its dreams aren't always pretty. Its last show, Normal and Happy, was bizarre and hallucinatory, with some dancers encrusted in what looked like necrotizing putty. They didn't move like people so much as aliens or animals or cogs in a frantic machine. tEEth is bringing its new show, Grub, up from Portland this weekend and promises us cackling, slapping, hand-held video, and duets both awkward and violent. (On the Boards, 100 W Roy St, 217-9888. 8 pm, $18. Feb 12–14.) by Brendan Kiley

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