Whassup: September's Rear End Edition

via brooklynheightsblog.com

By the time the next Whassup rolls around, we will all be hip deep in cloth scraps as we furiously construct the most original Halloween costume ever, ever made ever. Or, perhaps, instead, just eating Snickers after Snickers and buying a wolfman mask or something. Either way, September has nearly ended, which means the annual tradition of waking Billie Joe Armstrong up can soon proceed. But you, fair Park Slopers, must still wring what life you can out of this Septemberiest of months. Welcome to Whassup: September's Rear End Edition: 

* Thursday, Sept. 26-Sunday, Sept. 29: Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, Union Hall and Bell House: Eugene Mirman, emperor of the Park Slope comedy scene, will again bestow his gifts of comic festivalyness upon us all. Un-sold-out shows (so far) include "Invite Them Up!" with Todd Barry and Michael Ian Black at Bell House on Friday and the hilariously named "Comics Marc Maron Will Probably Resent in the Next Couple of Years" at Union Hall, also on Friday. I say it's hilarious because I think that must include every comedian not named Marc Maron (and probably him, too). Prices and show times vary.

* Friday, Sept. 27: Two-Book Minimum, Community Bookstore: Bookstores can be stolid affairs: all that serious literature, the still-resonant voices of long-dead genius moldering within the pages, the awareness that Amazon and iPads are driving you out of business. So, this new comedy series, set for the last Friday of every month at Community Bookstore, seems like a welcome jolt of jollity. Comedians will tell jokes, naturally, but will also be "required to mention a few books that shaped those stories and jokes," according to the show's press. "Required?" Yikes, a little school-marmy, but I suppose that makes sense for a bookstore. Dan Wilbur (creator of Better Book Titles and a Community employee) and Ross Hyzer (New Yorker contributor) host. This month's comedians are Mike Drucker, Elliott Kalan and Alison Leiby. (Note: it's just a clever show name: you do not have to buy two books.) 9:30pm, FREE.

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Motherfuckin' Gourd Season Edition

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

This weekend brings the Autumnal equinox, which means the official end of summer. You can mark this occasion in one of two ways: a) wait for death, b) carve the living fuck out of some gourds. We, here at FiPS heartily recommend the latter: Live loud, as vegetation dies. Welcome to Whassup: Motherfuckin' Gourd Season Edition:

* Friday, Sept. 20: Whiskey Reunion, Bryant Park (Manhattan): Yep, that's right, a rare Manhattan event graces (defiles) the pages of FiPS Whassup. But, for a good reason: beloved Slope-area country band, Alex Battles & the Whiskey Rebellion, has been on hiatus (or broken up? hard to say). But they're getting the band back together, as the Bryant Park Square Dance arrives to look extremely out of place in Manhattan. Come snag an urban cowboy. You won't need a partner or any knowledge of moves, as those details will be handled for you. 5:30pm-9pm.

* Saturday, Sept. 21: Gowanus Volunteers, Degraw and Nevins: The Gowanus Canal Conservancy, a group nobly committed to de-shitifying our beloved Superfund site, will host volunteers as they help build new rain gardens. And those "they" could be "you" if you care to offer up your sweat and tears (very few tears, I promise) to the goddesses of ecology. Sign up to volunteer by writing to volunteer@gowanuscanalconservancy.org. 11am-3pm, FREE.

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Whassup: Out of Danger Edition

via daniel kurtzman at politicalhumor.about.com

Well, phew, everyone -- the Danger has passed. With Carlos "Anthony" Danger "Weiner" failing to crack 5% in Tuesday's primary vote, all I can say is: good job, all of you, in voting for the non-penis-texters (that we know of). With Brooklyn's favorite son likely in the political rearview for good now, at least we can say he went out with class. Anyway, your civic duty fulfilled, it's time for the weeklong post-election, Weiner-withdrawal afterparty. Welcome to Whassup: Out of Danger Edition: 

* Thursday, Sept. 12: Songwriters Circle, Jalopy (Red Hook): Jalopy debuts its new songwriters circle, with a bunch of local favorites like Feral Foster, Kerri Lowe and more each performing two songs, round-robin style. Come fall hopelessly in love with, like, 15 people. 9pm, FREE.

* Saturday, Sept. 14: Donate Books, Park Slope Library: Given that you live in Park Slope, chances are you have a bunch of books you always intended to read so you'd sound more impressive at brunch. But, let's face it, HBO keeps making shows, so those dead trees are just space-hogs in your tiny apartment. Do something good with them by donating to the Friends of Park Slope Library for their book sale, which takes place Sept. 28 from 11am to 4pm (with a pre-sale Sept 27 from 5pm to 7pm). You can donate today or again on Sept. 21. Out of respect for your books' feelings, try to at least have your Kindle out of view when packing them up. Donations accepted 10am-5pm.

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Whassup: Gridiron Edition

 via http://yourimageoncanvas.co.uk/

You guys are super excited for the start of football season, aren't you? Oh, sorry, forgot this was Park Slope. Let me rephrase: You guys are super excited for the start of pumpkin latte/organic soup/harvest beer season, aren't you? Such a great time of year. You can root for your favorite pumpkin spice craft beer every Sunday, toss the old decorative gourd around, and pull on your trusty fall-palette sweater. Yes, August may be in the rearview now, but there remain things to be drunk and shows to be clapped at. Welcome to Whassup: Gridiron Edition:  

* Saturday, Sept. 7: Shaky Pollack's Opening, Jalopy (Red Hook): Shaky Dave is the entertainingly manic harmonicartist who is often the best part of the show for Slope-area musical institutions Alex Battles & The Whiskey Rebellion and the M Shanghai String Band. But the Shaky One also works in paint -- or "the pigment harp," if you will. A set of his Pollack-esque pieces will adorn the walls of string emporium Jalopy Theatre, opening today. Come, ahem, shake the artist's hand. 5pm-8pm, FREE.

* Saturday, Sept. 7: Exquisite Celebration, powerHouse Arena: Slice Literary is hosting a reading from one of my favorite writing games: exquisite corpse. If you don't know, exquisite corpse happens when one writer starts a story, then folds over the paper, leaving only the final sentence he or she wrote revealed. The next writer must then continue the story, and then the process repeats for the next writer in line. Weird, silly, perhaps even serendipitously moving things can happen. It's sort of like high-class Mad Libs or telephone. Sort of. Readers include Scott Cheshire, author of "High as the Horses' Bridles," Fiona Maazel, author of "Woke Up Lonely," and more. All of that, plus free beer from Sixpoint. 6:30pm, FREE.

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Whassup: 72 Hours of Labor Edition

Your second place Cyclones play Labor Day weekend (via uproxx.com)

Labor Day, I'm told, is the unofficial end of summer, which seems like a really shitty unofficial thing to do given that the season actually lasts until Sept. 21. Why not make the unofficial end of summer Halloween? If it's unofficial, we can make it whatever the hell we want. That's how unofficial works. So let's just pretend summer lasts forever, or at least until the first snowfall (which, if y'all remember a couple years ago, can indeed happen on Halloween). In the meantime, you have a Labor Day weekend to enjoy. Welcome to Whassup: 72 Hours of Labor Edition:

* Thursday, Aug. 29-Saturday, Aug. 31: Re-Birthday Party, Sunny's: Clawing its way back from Sandy-related destruction, without the benefit of disaster-relief funding, Sunny's finally re-opens. Crowdfunding brought it back, and it returns with a three-day party: Opening ceremony with speeches and live music Thursday at 7:30pm. The Xylophone People play Friday and the regular Sunny's Bluegrass Jam returns Saturday. 

* Thursday, Aug. 29-Sunday, Sept. 1: On Fonts, Cloud City (Williamsburg): Fresh off an artist's residency in Mexico, talented young actress and playwright Amy Buchanan's new work "On Fonts" premieres in Billyburg. Don't be like your mom. Go to Williamsburg for the youngster's art, and actually like it there (for a while). 8pm, $12.

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