The Story of the Bull

(THEATER) Long before his unholy alliance with The Stranger, Bret Fetzer made a name for himself with his psychosexual fairy tales and uncanny theatrical retellings of ancient Greek myths. For its Seattle debut, Macha Monkey Productions resurrects one of Fetzer's most winning plays, The Story of the Bull. Reimagining the bestialicious Minotaur myth, Bull casts three lucky actors in a small army of roles, bending genders, blending species, and (if it works as well as Annex's 1997 production) blowing minds. Plus, this time there's choreography by local dance/performance babe and longtime Fetzer collaborator Juliet Waller, so all signs point to a smart, fast, perverse evening of theater (the best kind there is). DAVID SCHMADER

Macha Monkey Productions at Velocity MainSpace, 915 E Pine St, Second Floor, 285-9442, Thurs-Sat at 8 pm, $12. Through Oct 13.

Fairy Tales

(FILM) How often do you call underground Super 8 cinema "precocious" or "charming"? Practically never, unless you're talking about Portland's Tiny Picture Club, a collective of Super 8 fanatics who sprouts ideas like little rose petals. For this show, the group uses stop-motion animation, marionettes, collage, and dramatic action to illustrate stories loosely based on different fairy tales--Jabberwocky, Rapunzel, Goldilocks, even "Red: Ridin' in the Hood." The films are cute and smart, and utterly without sticks up their asses; but then, with a live score provided by Mr. Hokum W. Jeebs and his Titanic Pipe Organ, it is pretty impossible to have a stick up your ass. JULIANNE SHEPHERD

Hokum Hall, 7904 35th Ave SW, 937-3613, 8 pm, $10.

Learn About the Middle East!

(LECTURE) If you're anything like me, you don't know shit about the Middle East. Lucky for all of us who can name every character on The Facts of Life but couldn't find Afghanistan on a map if our lives depended on it, the University of Washington is offering a free public lecture series to fill in all our embarrassing blanks. Starting with tonight's "Introduction to Islam" featuring speaker Jere L. Bacharach, the director of the Jackson School of International Studies at the UW, the seven-week series will feature an overview of Islam and Afghanistan, as well as Middle Eastern culture and "terrorism issues," all hosted by an array of international-issues smartypants. See you there. DAVID SCHMADER

Kane Hall, Room 130, 7 pm, free. For a complete schedule of the series, call the Jackson School of International Studies at 543-4372, or go to www.jsis.artsci.washington.edu.

Maps

(INQUIRY) Hugo House's Borgesian inquiry into maps starts with a reading from poet, novelist, screenwriter, and short-story writer Sherman Alexie. Sherman Alexie's celebrity often obscures the simple fact that he is famous because he is a good writer. As such (a good writer, that is), he makes an excellent specific opening into this broad subject. Maps has other worthy writers (Jan Wallace, Naomi Shihab Nye, Denis Wood, Darren Higgins), and so there are multiple entry points and approaches to this Fourth Annual Cultural Inquiry, which runs from Friday night through Sunday night. Indeed, there's nothing more dreamy, more pleasurable than spending a day drifting in and out of lectures, readings, and panel discussions about maps. CHARLES MUDEDE

Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 320-8767, Fri-Sun, $6/$8. Go to www.hugohouse.org for complete schedule.

Bob Dylan

(MUSIC) On the tragic day of September 11, two symbols of the American 1960s wafted through the day. One was a radical relic: An unrepentant Weathermen bomber in The New York Times arts lead plugged his book and said, from his tenured academic perch, that he would do it all again. The other was living legend Bob Dylan, who released his latest album, Love and Theft, which deftly encompasses the roots and guts of American music by internalizing the dark, anxious, and uncertain world outside. While self-righteousness and ugliness of all stripes run rampant, Dylan will ride through the Northwest with his best band since the Band and maybe even play 1963's "Masters of War." He'll definitely be highlighting one of his strongest and strangest albums in years. His is just the sort of authentically cranky, contrarian American voice that is to be cherished right now. NATE LIPPENS

KeyArena, Seattle Center, 8 pm, $35/$45; tickets available from Ticketmaster.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

(THEATER) Nothing makes people horny like horrific disaster. In the bars of New York City, people are propositioning each other like it's the end of the world--and for all we know, it is! Since everyone in Seattle whines about how hard it is to meet people (well, the heteros do), I'm declaring the closing weekend of Book-It's revival of Lady Chatterley's Lover an official meat market. In praising the 1998 production, former Stranger critic Scot Augustson wrote, "The first question that arises when one encounters banned literature is: Why was it banned? In this case it's very, very clear. It has lots and lots of screwing. It doesn't mince words, when it says 'fuck' it means 'fuck'. And it also offers a very subversive message: Sex humanizes and elevates us... the play contains some of the most honest and passionate erotica I've seen staged." We could all use a little humanizing right now. Get out there. BRET FETZER

Book-It at the New Performance Studio, Seattle Center House, 325-6500, Thurs-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, $19 general, $17.25 seniors/groups ($15 students on Thurs & Sun). Through Oct 7.

Marcel Dzama

(ART) I don't recommend comparing your own paltry successes to those of Marcel Dzama. Not only is he talented and incredibly cute, he has also, at the tiny age of 27, made inroads into both indie culture and the high-art world. Not only is he represented by major blue-chip galleries, he's also all over the web, on the cover of the Amy Fusselman novel The Pharmacist's Mate, and I'm sure I saw his work on an album cover although, bless me, I can't remember which one. Dzama works in a kind of cultural miniature--drawings that fall somewhere between doodle and manuscript illumination. In them, humans and creatures inhabit a world of surrealistic possibility: creepy, unexpected, but somehow quite dear. Amputees playing craps? Cowboys shooting bats? A deer in a prison uniform? Just another day in Dzama-land. With sculptures by Ed Wicklander. EMILY HALL

Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave S, 624-0770, opening reception Thurs Oct 4 at 6 pm. Through Oct 27.

Register to Vote

(CITIZENSHIP) If you're a legal resident of Washington State, a citizen of the United States, and will be 18 years old by the November 6 general election, you have no excuse not to participate in the great American tradition of voting. But take note: You must secure this right to vote--the American voting tradition is great, but it's easy to flake on getting your act together to participate in it. While you missed the deadline for registering to vote by mail (Saturday, October 6 was the cutoff), you still have time to fill out an application in person. You have exactly two weeks, in fact--the deadline is Monday, October 22. After last year's presidential election there shouldn't be any thought that your one vote doesn't matter, and after last month's terrorist attacks, there shouldn't be any thought that our political leaders are not important. AMY JENNIGES

King County Records & Elections Division in the King County Administration Building, 500 Fourth Ave, Room 553, 296-VOTE, Mon-Fri 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Mixmaster Mike

(MUSIC) Mixmaster Mike is "half man, half amazing," as Pete Rock once put it. He's a superhero, a mutant who is half in the human world and half in the world of robots. As a consequence, he can communicate with electronic consumer products in ways normal humans can't. Humans are limited: We see nothing but the severe squareness and blockish existence of home appliances; but Mixmaster Mike can awaken them with the wizardry of his hands, and suddenly the turntable is supple, the fader fluid. There is no doubt in my mind that Mixmaster Mike is the best turntablist in the U.S. of A. CHARLES MUDEDE

Showbox, 1426 First Ave, 628-3151, $20.

Meet Ichiro!

(READING) HOLY CRAP! Now's your chance to meet Ichiro! No, really! He's going to be appearing with David Shields at the University Bookstore! Shields is promoting his new book, Baseball Is Just Baseball: The Understated Ichiro, and he's somehow finagled the Mariners superstar into making an appearance. Bring your autograph book. Bring your camera. Buy a copy of David Shields' book and have Ichiro sign it. Or have them both sign it. Whatever, just make sure you get there early, for it's sure to be packed! (Note: Ichiro Suzuki will not be attending this event. This has all been a cruel--not to mention stupid--joke on my part. But you should still go to see David Shields, who will most definitely be appearing, and his book is really swell.) BRADLEY STEINBACHER

University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 5 pm, free. Also on Fri Oct 5, 5:30 pm, at Elliott Bay Book Company.

De La Deconstruction

(MUSIC/STUDY) Every Tuesday night at the Alibi Room, DJs Suspence, K.O., and Weber embark on a sonic journey through musical history--jazz and soul covers of Beatles songs, songs that developed the "instrument" of the Vocoder, etc. Tonight's lesson should not be missed: They will play each song on De La Soul's dense and marvelous album 3 Feet High and Rising, followed by every song that was used to construct it. It's a journey into the mind of Prince Paul (former member of Stetsasonic), who produced the innovative album. Equal parts history and anatomy, tonight's lesson will instruct and delight. BRIAN GOEDDE

Alibi Room, 85 Pike St, 623-3180, 9 pm, free.

Bent: Queer Rock Festival

(MUSIC) Tonight at the Crocodile, the inaugural installment of Bent, Seattle's new queer rock festival, kicks off with El Vez and the Plus Ones (which features members of Pansy Division). Seattle loves a tribute artist, and that said, Seattle surely loves El Vez. With his Lovely Elvettes and the Memphis Mariachis, El Vez conjures a Latino Elvis Presley, putting on a stage show replete with dance numbers and multiple costume changes. Performing his new show, Boxing With God, El Vez is definitely entertaining, and even if you want to hate him you will find it impossible to do so. The Bent festival will run throughout the weekend, with great shows happening at the Crocodile and Sit & Spin. If you don't go you're a homophobe. JEFF DeROCHE

Crocodile Cafe, 2200 Second Ave, 441-5611, $12/$14.

City Budget Public Hearing

(MONEY POLITICS) Okay everyone, here's the deal: Mayor Schell's 2002 budget has been released and the Vera Project, Seattle's first city-funded all-ages organization, has been cut. Despite record attendance at all-ages shows and overwhelming volunteer support, the city still chooses to make life hard for teens in this town. The last few weeks have shown how people will volunteer and contribute immensely when needed. Do it now for Vera. Go downtown to the public hearing today and get the city to put the Vera money back in the budget. Public officials are more persuadable than you think. PAT KEARNEY

City Council Chambers in the Municipal Building, 600 Fourth Ave, 11th Floor, 5:30 pm. Call the mayor's office for more information at 684-8358.