Worth the Drive: Crispin Glover, MC Chris and more
Crispin Glover probably doesn't want to be remembered as Marty McFly's dad in "Back to the Future" because he didn't come back for the sequels. He'd probably rather be remembered as the creepy rat-master in "Willard." And as he expands as an artist, he'd certainly be happiest to be known as a writer/director.
His first film, "What Is It?," will be playing at 7:30 p.m. today through Sunday at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave., NYC. Glover will be there for all shows to discuss the film, sign copies of his books and also show his "Big Slide Show," a one-hour presentation of Glover's interpretation of some Victorian-era books.
So if you're a fan of the introverted Crispin or his work, this is pretty much a can't-miss event.
"What Is It?" is rumored to be a wildly freaky movie as it stars a cast of mostly Down-syndrome actors and Glover himself in two roles: "Dueling Demi-God Auteur" and "The Young Man's Inner Psyche." The story is a surrealist black comedy about a young man battling various demons, some in his mind and some not.
Fans of Glover who miss this event can currently see him in "Epic Movie," and later this year you can catch his motion capture performance as Grendel in Robert Zemeckis' "Beowulf."
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Tickets are $25 at the door and $20 in advance. Call 212-924-7771 or visit ifccenter.com.
Germain Lussier
Fans of Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" know that the mature brand of animated TV has done more than just cause commotion in Boston over some "hoax devices." Followers of the late night programming block might also know of rapper MC Chris, who is performing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. in NYC.
MC Chris co-wrote for popular Adult Swim shows "Sealab 2021" and "The Brak Show." MC Chris, whose real name is Chris Ward IV, also did voiceover work as a misguided, whiny reactor operator named Hesh on "Sealab 2021."
But it was on the now infamous "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" where Chris became well-known as a rapper. He first appeared on the show as an 8-foot-tall spider wearing a diaper, who became a rapper so he could use subliminal messages to unleash demons from hell to run his global diet-pill pyramid scheme. If you thought that was weird, MC Chris appeared on two more episodes as different reincarnated rappers with different half-witted ploys before leaving Adult Swim to further pursue his music career.
Four albums later, MC Chris is striking a chord with the "nerdcore hip-hop" crowd with his rap sounds and geeky lyrics. Tracks like "Fetts Vette" are popular with "Star Wars" fans because the song pays homage to beloved bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Tickets are $10 at TicketWeb.
Joseph Climek
Tickets are $10 at TicketWeb.
Joseph Climek
London-born rap artist Slick Rick is playing at 9 tonight at the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St. in NYC Tickets are $18 at TicketWeb.
Blue-collar comedian Larry the Cable guy will perform at 8 tonight and tomorrow night at Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave. in NYC. Tickets are $49.75-$59.75 at Ticketmaster.
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks along with Tokyo Police Club are guest performers to the 2007 PLUG awards at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place in NYC, hosted by comedian David Cross. The PLUG awards annually honor independent musicians and record labels. Doors open for the event at 7 p.m., and tickets are $10 at Ticketmaster.
The all-girl Canadian metal group Kittie purrs at 7 p.m. Monday at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St. in NYC. 36 Crazy Fists and Walls of Jericho open. Advance tickets are $16 at Ticketmaster, $19 at the door.
Australian ska-jazz fusion band the Cat Empire reign at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. in NYC. Naomi Davis and the Gospel Queens open. Tickets are $20 at TicketWeb.
Jazz vocalist and seven-time Grammy award nominee Kurt Elling performs at 8 and 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St. in NYC. Tables can be reserved at 212-475-8592 or www.bluenote.net. Tickets are $35.
At 8 p.m. on Valentine's Day, Rod Stewart will have you infatuated with his second of three February shows at Madison Square Garden, West 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue in NYC. Tickets are $55-$129.50 at Ticketmaster.
Have a taste of the sixth album from indie rock group Apples in Stereo when they drop in at the Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. in NYC, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Casper & the Cookies and caUSE co-MOTION open. Tickets are $15 at TicketWeb.
Also on Thursday night, at 7:30 p.m., the Jerry Douglas Band picks upstate at The Egg in Empire Center, Albany, Acclaimed dobro player and composer Douglas has won 12 Grammy awards and spans many musical genres including bluegrass, rock, Celtic and jazz. Tickets are $28 at www.theegg.org.
Joseph Climek