Marilyn Hacker
(READING) Dear Marilyn: I'd like to say something. In a verse. Make it rhyme, fold and unfurl, origami poetry. Did you ever count out meters on your fingers, pink mouth gnawing at your tit, bills pasted to floorboards with baby spit and probably cat shit? How did you manage? You had a kid. Did you forgo sleep? Lovers? Decent food? (Something more than mac 'n' cheese with frozen peas?) All eight of your books I consumed, heavy cream poetess. Put a pat of butter between my cheek and teeth. Each line coils around the next, perfect puff pastry of poetry. Informal formalist, you possess the scientific know-how of French patisserie chefs, centuries of recipes, and starched white hats. But Ms. Hacker, there is flour on your cheek. Sometimes you wear brown socks. Marilyn, take off your glasses. Let me rub that high bridge of your nose. Let your breath flicker the minuscule hairs on my ear lobes. Love, RACHEL KESSLER
Kane Hall 130, UW campus, 282-2677 (Jeffrey Cantrell, curator), 7:30 pm, free.
Amir Zaki
(VISUAL ART) L.A. artist Zaki photographs obscure corners of L.A. at night, using ambient artificial light and patches of computer-intensified color to make beautifully spooky images of L.A. banalities like parking lots and office buildings. His work integrates the noir touch so prevalent in contemporary L.A. art, with the kind of cool, critical urban eye associated with über-L.A. artist Ed Ruscha.
James Harris Gallery, 309A Third Ave S, 903-6220; opens Thurs March 2, 6-8 pm.
Soup
(DANCE) The sweeping, playful energy of d-9 Dance Collective comprises one of the best bets on the Seattle dance scene, so a program combining the troupe's fresh talents with those of some of the most respected local artists in the field makes Soup a sure thing. Wade Madsen, Jim Coleman, and Therese Freedman join the company for an evening that features the nine vibrant women of the collective and their guest dancers in pieces choreographed by the trio, as well as the choreographers themselves dancing in their own works. This should be a night to savor, highlighting past pieces that are both quirky and unexpectedly touching-there's a particularly gorgeous solo with d-9's Theodora Fogarty in a Madsen piece set to Andrew Lloyd Weber's Requiem. STEVE WIECKING
Freehold's East Hall Theatre, 1525 10th Ave, Oddfellows Hall, Second Floor, 781-7746, Thurs-Sun March 2-5 at 8 pm, $10-$12.
Movies for Drunks
(FILM) Movie theaters are once again becoming viable all-ages alternatives to bars and clubs for those insomniacs, drunks, and stoners looking for a night out. At the Grand Illusion, programmer-about-town Robert Graves hosts his last late-night screening at this venue (he'll be programming full-time at Consolidated Works) with party favors, prizes, and the 1966 James Coburn "airport bank heist" film, Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, which includes a brief appearance by Harrison Ford in his first film. Or enjoy the music, but say goodnight to smoky clubs, as the Egyptian shows Jonathan Demme's innovative Talking Heads concert film, Stop Making Sense. Or, less thrillingly, you can catch the monthly midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Varsity. ANDY "B.Y.O.B." SPLETZER
Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th (at University Way), 523-3935, Fri-Sat March 3-4 at 11:30 pm. Stop Making Sense, Egyptian, 805 E Pine, 323-4978, Fri-Sat March 3-4 at midnight. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Varsity, 4329 University Way NE, 632-3131, Sat March 4 at midnight.
Full Nelson 3
(EXHIBITION) Here's your chance to answer the burning question, "What passes for experimental in Finland?" The old Redhook Brewery in Fremont, recently gutted, finds itself overflowing with the alternative intoxication of Full Nelson 3, an exhibition of visual art and experimental performance. The evening brings together 15 international artists for an event that made a big splash last year, and promises to be just as innovative this time around. Popular locals Derek Horton and Tamara Paris are just two names on a roster that includes performance artists from across the globe, and visual and audio installations from several inventive Emerald City talents. STEVE WIECKING
Redhook Brewery, 35th and Phinney in Fremont, 297-1153, Fri-Sat March 3-4, doors at 6:30 pm, performances start at 8 pm, $5.
Bee TV
(FILM) Back in 1991, when somebody made a feature-length film on video instead of film, they were taking advantage of the creative opportunities of this electronic medium, not trying to break into Hollywood. Such is the case with David Blair's WAX, or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees, a feature-length video about a computer programmer who's also a part-time beekeeper, whose bees are actually the souls of the future dead and communicate via "bee television." This was also the first movie broadcast on the Internet. It plays as part of the "Cinema in Transition" series at the Little Theatre (which also includes a panel discussion that looks good, 5 pm on Sun March 5). ANDY SPLETZER
The Little Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 675-2055, Thurs-Sat at 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pm, $7.
Spam Carving
(EVENT) In New Orleans, it's hordes of drunken frat boys trying to get laid. In Seattle, it's the time-honored tradition of Spam carving. There's no wrong way to celebrate Mardi Gras, right? So bring your hammers, chisels, and butter knives down to Pioneer Square and make those Spammy tabula rasas into works of art. Also, don't miss the Spam museum on Sunday at Dutch Ned's. MARK PINKOS
Fenix Underground, 315 Second Ave S, 343-0716, noon, free.
Whaassuuup!
(INTERNET) I first saw it during the Superbowl: the best ad of the broadcast, 30 seconds consisting almost entirely of a series of black men phoning each other and screaming "Whassup!" I watched in shock, laughing but also trying to figure out if this was the best use of hiphop lingo by an ad agency I'd ever seen (it was), or if it was just incredibly racist (it wasn't, given that many people, including many black people, do in fact greet each other by saying "Whassup," though most lack the tongue-wagging, vowel-drawing-out panache of the black men in this ad). The ad quickly drew a parody version, which is even funnier, using the same soundtrack but with clips from old Superfriends cartoons replacing the football fans of the original. You must watch them both. ERIC FREDERICKSEN
http://www.budweiser.com/whassup/ and http://www.iguanarecords.com/wassup.html
Peter Murphy
(MUSIC) After a couple of less than fully brilliant follow-ups to Deep, one of the cornerstone records of the 1990s, Peter Murphy hunkered down to make Recall, an EP recorded in Seattle and produced by Murphy, Sacha Konietzko, Bill Rieflin, and Tim Skold. Retrofitting a couple of his finest old songs ("Indigo Eyes" and "Roll Call") with aggressive electronic latticework, Murphy sounded born again on the record-utterly revitalized. Though it's been two years, Recall still bodes well. It should be interesting to see how the electronic element informs his live show, and how Murphy chooses to address his role as exponent of the American Northwest. SEAN NELSON
Showbox, 1426 First Ave, 628-3151, 8 pm, $22.50.
Printer's Devil Play Bonanza
(THEATER) Printer's Devil Theatre, perhaps the city's most ambitious fringe company, continues to extend its reach with its fifth annual workshop staging of original scripts. Presenting 12 new plays in as many weeks, the audacious Bonanza kicks off this week, and promises to be a lively forum for several emerging writers. This year's program has added a two-phase rehearsal process (with textual critiques and feedback from company members, pre-opening) and a newly implemented community discussion series. The works are unique and varied, and the directors-including Devil Co-Artistic Director Kip Fagan-are more than capable of handling them. Take a chance on a Monday or Tuesday night. STEVE WIECKING
Consolidated Works, 410 Terry Ave N, 860-7163, Mon-Tues evenings at 7:30 pm, through May 23, pay-as-you-leave donation after each performance.
Chick Corea
(LIVE MUSIC) Chick Corea's music seeps into you. One minute you're absorbed in what you're doing, inattentive to his song; the next, you're looking at your stereo, mouth slightly open, your concentration hitched and trailing behind his lyrical piano. His sound happens to you while you're doing something else. Hear it at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, where he's touring with his new band, Origin (an all-acoustic ensemble), and promoting his latest album, Change. DAVID KAUFFMAN
Jazz Alley, Sixth and Lenora, 441-9729, Tues-Sun March 7-12, at 8 and 10 pm (Fri-Sat 8:30 and 10:30 pm; Sun 6 and 8:30 pm), $22.50-$26.50.
Go-Karts
(FUN) Seattle's former lack of serious go-kart racing has finally been rectified by the recent opening of two suburban go-kart palaces, both featuring twisting courses, high-speed, Belgium-built karts that reach 30 mph, and elaborate lap-timing mechanisms that allow you to measure to within a hundredth of a second just how much you whupped-or were whupped by-your friends. ERIC FREDERICKSEN
Crazy Redhead Racing, 2207 Bel-Red Road (off 520), Redmond, 425-746-6485. Hours: Mon-Thurs 11 am-9 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-11 pm, Sun 12 pm-6 pm. Reservations accepted. $15 a session for about eight minutes of racing.
Traxx, 4329 Chennault Beach Road (off 99), Mukilteo, 425-493-8729. Hours: Sun-Thurs 11 am-11 pm, Fri-Sat 10 am-1 am. Reservations accepted for parties of eight or more. $15 per person for an eight-minute race.
