THINGS TO DO
Today
“The Living Years: Art after 1989” Exhibition Opening
Walker Art Center
1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
5–9:p.m.
Free
The diligent curatorial team at the Walker has once again clawed their way out of the archives with a new show in tow and a knife between their teeth. Breathless and triumphant, “The Living Years” has arrived — alive and well. Much like its generational cohorts, the show — adding and subtracting works during its run — will change and evolve over time, expanding its horizons, possibly doing the whole no strings attached thing with other exhibitions while ‘figuring some things out.’ Tensions will rise as the show’s run is parallel to the Walker’s current show, “This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s” — which is, of course, art made before Doc Brown had perfected the technology of the Flux Capacitor. Best of all, exhibition openings give that special opportunity to experience the art before it gets tainted by other people’s eyeballs — who knows where else they’ve been?
Friday
The Artist
Theater, Coffman Memorial Union
300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis
7 p.m.
Free
The meteoric rise of talking pictures — or “talkies,” as they are now more commonly known among today’s young people — was initially introduced as a way to cover the sound of people eating popcorn in the movie theater. “The Artist” is a modern homage to the fall of silent cinema and its players — done in the style of the time itself. Any person mistaken that spoken dialogue is necessary for enjoying a movie ought to see “Juno” on mute. Better yet, they should turn their TV off entirely. Friday offers the chance to see a tribute to the golden era on the silver screen if they missed it during its theatrical run. It also presents a golden opportunity to really hear that silence in 5.1 surround.
Saturday
Renaissance Festival
Renaissance Festival Site
GPS coordinates: 44.74, -93.59
9a.m. – 7p.m. (through Sept. 30)
$18.95
Shake up a couple shekels, dust off that codpiece and get ye olde arse to the faire! Like you ever needed an excuse to go to Shakopee. Whether ye be a princess, a wizard, a conspicuously well-endowed huntsman or a humpbacked peasant, good tymes — as they were — will follow. When you combine heavy drinking and fairy costumes, magic happens. Grab a handful of raisins and shove ’em onto your chompers — we’re going full Dark Ages. As always, the festival features jousting, street theater, music, dancing, artisan crafts and the generous cleavages of beer wenches weaving through crowds in their undersized bustiers. Unfortunately, students are not treated to ye olde discount.
CULTURE TO CONSUME
Listen to this: “Professor Blastoff” podcast with Kyle Dunnigan, David Huntsberger and Tig Notaro
After comedian Tig Notaro opened her set at a high-profile show to a cheering crowd while saying “Thank you, I have cancer. Thank you,” in her typical deadpan style, it took a couple beats before the audience realized she wasn’t joking. This mild-mannered public disclosure has thrust Notaro into the national spotlight — most recently illustrated by her profile and interview in the New York Times Magazine. Be street-smart and back-track to familiarize yourself with Notaro’s more niche work, like her “Professor Blastoff” podcast, which invites comedian pals and guest experts to sound off on inquiries scientific, social and personal.
Watch this: “The New Girl,” Season Two
America’s favorite manic pixie dream girl is BACK! And this time only Zooey Deschanel’s straight-cut bangs are sharp and bold enough to cut through the thick sexual tension between her (as Jess) and roommate Nick (Jake Johnson), amirite?? The season premiere won’t be aired until the 25th, but that gives those of us “zany 4 Zooey” enough time to brush up on all the wild antics of Jess and her crazy friends that went down in Season 1ne. Like, will Schmidt and CeCe stay together? Is Nick back in the apartment for good? There is literally only one way to find out. That or — for those of us too bogged down by reading Season One plot summaries on Wikipedia — reading Season Two plot summaries on Wikipedia.
Drink this: Iced coffee with a jigger o’ Kahlua
Bruegger’s Bagels is bumpin’ the non-alcoholic liquor flavored coffee at their shops, which — while totally self-defeating – has its heart in the right place. Their version might not get help you get a buzz on, but what’s to stop you from trying? Take a cue from the bagel empire and get your day-drinking started early with your own homespun concoction. Today, the “A” in a.m. stands for alcohol. Post up with a lawn chair — ice-cold beverage on hand — a pair of shades and some tunes and just sit back to watch the rat race from the sidelines of your life.
Read this: Something off of your “to-read” list
We all know the first week of school is nothing but icebreakers and going over the syllabus — if only all of college could be that way. That means for the weekend there’s almost no homework and almost 72 hours to kick back with the bros, or curl up in the fetal position with a plethora of tasty snacks by your side and a nice good read while you still have the time. Why not cross something off the list that’s been collecting dust in the corner of your mind for some time now? It’s about high time your 10 year-old self gets to read “The Phantom Tollbooth,” or at least download onto a Kindle Fire and listlessly skim while texting BFFs. YOLO.
