John Wesley Harding

(LIVE MUSIC) You know, I'm almost willing to reconsider my plans for elimination of the Technicolor Eyesore if it continues to host quality programming like this. Tonight, for the low, low cost of $5, you have the opportunity of experiencing TWO AND A HALF HOURS' WORTH of performance and Q&A with the immensely talented and charming John Wesley Harding, who will no doubt be performing songs from his excellent new album, The Confessions of St. Ace. It's part of the ongoing EMP Speaker/Interview series--a brilliant scheme hatched by EMP to allow fans insight into and interaction with their favorite performers. BARBARA MITCHELL

Experience Music Project, 325 Fifth Ave N, 367-5483, 7:30 pm, $5.

Northwest Exposure

(FILM) A lot of local film organizations have put together what they claim are representative packages of short films from the Northwest. Unfortunately, by cobbling together poorly realized, slick, uninspired programs that represent nothing if not how bad local filmmaking can get, they have all but ruined the game for anyone hoping to actually put together a great, inspiring, patriotic program of great Northwest work. So three big motherfucking cheers to Joel Bachar for this excellent program of local work, by far the best representation of local talent this year. The narrative work is uniformly strong--Serge Gregory's much-lauded Christmas joins forces with the simple and elegant Silent Silent Night, with Joseph Guindi's energetic Love Stalks for afters--and the experimental work is excellent. Especially good are Intersections, a strange visual deconstruction of urban landscapes into blue abstractions, and Shadowgraph, an elegant, computer-generated examination of a gunshot. The short and lovely Vision Point gives the program a perfect ending. Start to finish, it is a selection that actually speaks to our abundant local talents, rather than our often overweening local ambitions. Go support (and enjoy) it. JAMIE HOOK

Speakeasy, 2304 Second Ave, 971-5100, 7:30 pm, $4.

The Mystical Arts of Tibet

(RELIGIOUS DANCE) Not only will this presentation from the Tibetan monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery feature 12-foot-long horns and multiphonic singing (a.k.a. the "awesome voice") in which each monk holds three notes simultaneously, it will also feature several spiritual dances that have tantalizing names like Dance of the Black Hat Masters (an exorcism!), Dance of the Sacred Snow Lion, and my favorite title of all, Dance of the Skeleton Lords. There's also a mandala sand painting open to the public Wed-Fri Sept 27-29, noon to 5 pm. BRET FETZER

Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland. Fri Sept 29, 7:30 pm; Sat Sept 30, 7 pm; $15-$19.

David Leavitt

(READING) David Leavitt's seventh novel, Martin Bauman; or, A Sure Thing, is a silvery, insidery, strong moth of a novel, its main character inexorably drawn to the light of celebrity, giving the reader the frisson of literary voyeurism. In fact, Bauman is rumored to be thinly autobiographical, and hearing Leavitt read from it himself, tonight, should afford the reader a double frisson. Brilliant, with prose as wieldy as an insect's fine antennae, Leavitt is a writer's writer who affords pure joy. TRACI VOGEL

University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

Billy Bragg

(LIVE MUSIC) I once slept next to Billy Bragg. It was during a camp-out for London's homeless, and we amused ourselves all night by recounting wanking stories (ancient British custom--ask your uncle) and laughing at the Melody Maker photographer who was crashed out in a cardboard box, covered in fake blood from a GWAR concert. Bragg impressed me by being witty, informed, personable, and absolutely brilliant company: all traits the Essex boy brings to his live performance. The fact that he's politically aware and aware of his musical heritage (as proved by recent collaborations with Wilco) is something of a bonus. I realize the crowd will probably suck, but I'd recommend this nonetheless. EVERETT TRUE

Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave, 443-1744, 8 pm, $26.50.

Lea DeLaria

(CABARET) Talk about a metamorphosis: After nearly 10 years as the raunchiest butch dyke comedian on the planet, Lea DeLaria stunned fans and critics alike with her 1997 New York musical debut as Hildy in the Public Theater production of On the Town. Seattle audiences got a taste of the new DeLaria last year, when she blew the lid off the role of Big Mama Morton in the national touring production of Chicago. Here's your chance to catch chanteuse Lea in her full glory. Delightful, Delicious, DeLaria is a one-night-only cabaret featuring DeLaria's smashing takes on old and new jazz, revamped standards, and showtunes. (Rumor has it she's into scat.) DAVID SCHMADER

Meany Theater, UW campus, 323-2992. Tonight only, 8 pm; $19-$24.

Gimme Shelter

(FILM) Only Cocksucker Blues, the salacious, banned film about the Rolling Stones on tour, can hold a candle to this excellent, disturbing documentary about the Stones' debacle of a free concert at the Altamont Speedway in 1969, which resulted in numerous fights and at least one murder. In fact, Gimme Shelter is a defining document, brilliantly, artfully--not to mention manipulatively--constructed; bursting with great music; and shot through with a palpable excitement, both in its admiration and disgust for its subjects and their attendant disaster. Rarely have such talented filmmakers been on hand at so definitive a moment in time. JAMIE HOOK

Egyptian, 805 E Pine St, 323-4978. See p. 87 for showtimes.

Hey Kids! Register to Vote!

(CIVIC DUTY) An underwhelming 32 percent of 18-24-year-olds voted in 1996. By comparison, a knockout 50 percent of 18-24-year-olds voted in 1972--the year long-haired, teenaged Black Sabbath fans first won the right. It's no wonder then that 1973's 93rd Congress was the coolest in U.S. history; not only did they forbid that scoundrel Richard Nixon from doing any more bombing in Indochina, they forced his ass to resign. They also whipped up landmark legislation about campaign finance reform, consumer protection, and antitrust laws. Go figure: The breakdown of Dems to Republicans during that influential session was 57 to 43 in the Senate and 240 to 190 in the House. This is all there is to say: Register to vote. JOSH FEIT

You can call 256-0724 to request a King County voter registration form, or download one online at depts.washington.edu/registra/forms/vrform.pdf.

The Lost World

(FILM) Everyone is so darn impressed with tinny slicker-n-shit CGI effects in the new, poop-stinky dinosaur films, it burns me up. So I am recommending this 1925 adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's great novel, The Lost World. At the time the film was made, its effects were on the cutting edge. The New York Times raved that "through wonderful photographic skill and infinite patience with the camera work, this photoplay makes a memorable picture... some of the scenes are as awesome as anything that has been shown." Of course, it all looks like so much putty and paint now, but the film is still a great, fun time capsule. Go see it in a stunning, rare 35mm print at the glorious Paramount with the lively accompaniment of Dennis James at the Wurlitzer, and think about how these slick dinosaur movies of our time will look to the audience of 2075. JAMIE HOOK

Paramount Theatre, Ninth & Pine, 467-5510, 7 pm, $10.

Graphic Designin the Mechanical Age

(ART) To borrow freely and incorrectly from Tom Wolfe: Graphic design moves the levers that move the world. Doubt me? Open a magazine, or go see Graphic Design in the Mechanical Age, an exhibition covering the years around and between the World Wars, a time when design as we know it now was born and really began to influence the way important information was seen. Those designers, some of them equally famous for their art, had their paws in everything--propaganda, art, commerce--and the styles that developed in that period still have currency today. Everything--the posters, the books, the ephemera--seems so elegant, and so powerful; the posters for the Rural Electrification Project are understated gems, the most beautiful sort of manipulation. EMILY HALL

Henry Art Gallery, UW Campus, 15th Ave NE and NE 41st St, 543-2280. Tues-Sun 11 am-5 pm (8 pm on Thurs). Through Feb 18.

Titans

(UNREALITY TV) Oh. My. God. I cannot wait. Tonight brings the premiere of the new hour-long drama (okay, nighttime soap) from Aaron Spelling, the KING OF PRIMETIME SMUT. With Titans, Spelling--who has graced our pathetic lives with The Love Boat, Dynasty, Beverly Hills 90210, and Melrose Place--continues to fascinate us with a world where everyone sips champagne, and beautiful women with perfect skin are constantly in distress. In the pilot episode, we meet Richard Williams (Perry King), a filthy-rich Beverly Hills industrialist who brings Heather (Yasmine Bleeth), his much younger new bride home to his mansion, where he lives ACROSS THE STREET from his ex-wife Gwen (yes, that is Victoria Principal from Dallas!). Then Richard and Gwen's handsome son Chandler (Casper Van Dien) returns home, only to find that Heather, his new stepmother, is actually the woman he's been sleeping with, and possibly the mother of his unborn child.... Shit. I'm already hooked. MIN LIAO

NBC, 8 pm.

Amy X Neuburg & Men

(CABARET) Amy X Neuburg and her troupe of Men call what they do "Theatrical Electronic Avant-Cabaret"--a little bit Kurt Weill, a little bit Laurie Anderson, a little bit Frank Zappa. Half their musical instruments are visual props as well, with bright lights and odd shapes. Amy X also performs in experimental operas by the likes of Robert Ashley and Guillermo Gomez-Peña; just about every critic seems to compare her voice to that of Kate Bush. It all sounds very '80s, and what's wrong with that? Weren't we all more innocent and lighthearted in the '80s? Give Amy and her Men the chance to woo you with their prog-rock rhythms and theatrical tricks. BRET FETZER

Pink Door Restaurant, 1919 Post Alley, no reservations taken. Wed-Thurs at 8 pm, Fri-Sat at 9 pm; no cover. Through Oct 28.