YOU GUYS. Death Becomes Us is finally here and in full swing! ALL OF OUR TRUE CRIME DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE! Damien Echols! Paul Holes! Amanda Knox! (PS, she just wants to make hats, okay?) And so many more panels and screenings that we’re mega-hype on! Scope the full schedule here, but also, you can just stay put and read this latest edition of BWB, ’cause I am about to tell you everything you need to know in the widely-beloved, mildly-demented style of Megan Burns! (That is me! I will also tell you other things to do in the event you’re not a true crime fan! We still love you, though maybe a little less than before!)
Our GIF theme this weekend is Zodiac, because we’re doing a special screening of it TONIGHT at Nitehawk Williamsburg! (PS, remember this photo of Jake Gyllenhaal and K. Dunst? I think about it daily.) Before we get into all the murdery action, though, here’s some rad #CONTENT you might’ve missed on BYT this week while you were getting SO PUMPED TO TALK ABOUT TRUE CRIME!
- Here are all the shows you should be SUPER AMPED ABOUT coming up this spring in NYC! (Including but not limited to Lizzo, duh!)
- Jose Gonzalez has two NYC shows w/ the String Theory (a 22-piece orchestra) starting TONIGHT, so I hopped on the phone to talk to him about multilingualism, biochemistry and other v. relevant info!
- Why the heck do people still find SXSW worth it? (OR DO THEY?!) We spoke to Jack Inslee about it.
- We were not ultra-thrilled about Mapplethorpe or Triple Frontier, womp womp.
- So, basically, don’t go to the movies (unless it’s Nitehawk, in which case always go to the movies) and listen to these podcasts instead!
Thursday, March 21
- We’re obviously kickin’ things off with Death Becomes Us! First up, ceremonial magician Damien Echols (spent over 18 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit) will be in conversation with his pal, the one and only Dave Hill, over at Gramercy Theatre this evening! Tickets to that show will run you $20-$36.50 a pop.
- And for the later Gramercy show, we’ve got How To Solve A Murder: Chasing Darkness w/ Billy Jensen (and very special guest Paul Holes !!!) happening! Tickets are $21.50 each.
- More into cinematic vibes? Our buddies over at Nitehawk Williamsburg are helping us to present a special ONE NITE ONLY screening of David Fincher’s ZODIAC starring Jake Gyllenhaal! Robert Downey Jr.! Mark Ruffalo! Chloe Sevigny! Tickets are $18, and THE BEST PART is that the first 19 people to arrive will receive a free BYT tote! (I HAVE SEEN THE TOTES AND THEY RULE P. HARD!)
- In terms of LOLs, you can head on over to Union Hall for a $10 evening w/ Naomi Ekperigin and Pat Regan! (The first seating sold out, so make sure you grab tickets ASAP to the later one!)
- Meanwhile, it’s Brooklyn, Stand Up! at the Bell House w/ Kerry Coddett and guests Nore Davis, Rob Haze and more! Tickets are $15.
- If it’s tunes you’re after, then get to the Apollo Theater for what is sure to be a v. magical performance by Jose Gonzalez and the String Theory! Tickets are $44+.
- You can also hit up Carnegie Hall for a Van Morrison tribute ft. performances by Patti Smith, Lee Fields, Shawn Colvin and more! Tickets to that will run you $48+.
- Plus Wye Oak will be at Merkin Hall w/ the Brooklyn Youth Chorus for $25+!
- In the market for something $20 or less? Head to Mercury Lounge for an $18 Oberhofer show…
- …plus Dilly Dally will be settin’ up shop at Music Hall of Williamsburg for $20!
- OR just go d-d-d-d-dance your face off for free (w/ RSVP) at House of Yes for the latest edition of Dirty Thursday, where it’s BLOG HAUS NITE! They’ll be spinnin’ everybody from Uffie to Justice to Chromeo! (THE GOOD OL’ DAYS AMIRITE?!)
Friday, March 22
- ANOTHER GLORIOUS DAY OF DEATH BECOMES US! While HLN Night with Golden State Killer Investigator Paul Holes is SOLD OUT, you can still catch Paul at the aforementioned Billy Jensen show (provided you are reading this on Thursday, and not later) AND/OR at a special DBU edition of Tinder Live w/ Lane Moore on Saturday!
- Plus HLN Night continues at Gramercy Theatre by way of Forensic Files Uncorked w/ Wine & Crime Gals! Tickets to that one are $21.50 each!
- In terms of comedy, Natasha Leggero and Moshe Kasher will be at the Bell House! Their first seating is totally sold out, but you can still grab $35 tickets to the second one if you act fast!
- You can also hang out with Dan Licata and Joe Pera for Dan + Joe + DVD Show (+ Special Features) at Union Hall for $10-$12! Grab tickets to the early and/or late seatings.
- Tunes-wise, my top pick for tonight is Torres and Annie Hart at LPR! Tickets will run you $16-$20 a pop.
- Plus it’s night TWO of Jose Gonzalez and the String Theory at the Apollo Theater! Once again, tickets are $44+.
- More in the mood to see KISS? Well, you’re gonna have to get yourself out to Long Island and cough up $54+, but who knows! If Detroit Rock City taught us anything, then the answer is a hard “maybe”!
- If cutting a nostalgic rug is your MO, then RSVP to an EmoTronic dance night over at the Knitting Factory instead! (Free before midnight!)
- Or if art vibes are more your jam, head to the opening night of The Lot Radio’s Lot Photo exhibition starting at 6pm!
Saturday, March 23
- Get your face up and at ’em by this afternoon, which is when the ULTIMATE DBU panel, Wrongfully Accused – Mindhunter’s John Douglas with Amanda Knox and Damien Echols ft. moderator Joe Berlinger, is happening at Town Hall! Tickets are $47 each!
- You should also CLEARLY catch Martinis & Murder (Oxygen Media’s weekly true crime podcast hosted by John Thrasher and Daryn Carp) LIVE at Gramercy Theatre! Tickets are just $12, the price of which includes a complimentary cocktail AND martini glass for you to take home! #COMMEMORATIVE! #VALUE!
- And after that, be sure to grab a $21.50 ticket to a VERY special DBU edition of Tinder Live w/ Lane Moore! Tonight homegirl will be joined by Paul Holes, Kat Timpf and a VERY VERY VERY SPECIAL GUEST who I know who it is but I can’t tell you just yet but OH MY GOD BUY TICKETS TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.
- Meanwhile, you can catch TWO solid comedy shows at Union Hall tonight! The first is a new round of Picture This! ft. Lizz Winstead, Kate Willett, Jes Tom, Lorelei Ramirez and more, and the second is White Chocolate’s 3rd Anniversary w/ Christi Chiello and Petey DeAbreu! Both gigs are $8-$10 each.
- In terms of Purim vibes, Littlefield is hosting an interactive musical (ft. loads of drinking and costumes) called A Very Beatles Purim! Tickets are $15-$20 a pop.
- Or if you wanna skip the musicals and just hit up a show instead, Brooklyn Steel will host a $40 Jawbreaker gig tonight!
- In the market for something a little less $$$? Shilpa Ray, Holly Overton and Think Tank will be doing a $5 show at Secret Project Robot starting at 4pm!
- Just wanna d-d-d-d-dance? Sleigh Bells will be doing a DJ set over at Brooklyn Bowl for $15!
- Plus it’s DAFT DISKO at the Knitting Factory tonight in case you’re in the mood for some French house vibes! Free before midnight w/ RSVP!
- AND Broadly is hosting a v. red Aries party at Villain ft. all of the astrology vibes! (I feel like a bad queer because I do not know about astrology vibes! In place of my rising sign I usually just tell people I don’t think Steven Avery did it!) Tickets are $20+.
Sunday, March 24
- HOW IS IT ALREADY THE LAST DAY OF DEATH BECOMES US?! This afternoon we’ve got Monster Live – From Atlanta to The Zodiac at Gramercy Theatre ft. exclusive live recording of an episode of Monster complete with a sneak preview of the season finale! This will be followed by a Q&A with host Matt Frederick, Michael Butterfield, Meredith Stedman, Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright. HELL YEAH! Tickets are $36.50 each.
- After THAT, you can catch a v. rad $16.50 panel, Murder She Wrote: The Ladies of True Crime (also at Gramercy), ft. some of our favorite true crime authors Carolyn Murnick (author of The Hot One), Piper Weiss (author of You All Grow Up And Leave Me), and Leah Carroll (author of Down City) as they discuss their roles as women in the male-dominated genre of true crime as well as the ways in which women are perceived in true crime. This will be moderated by Sarah Weinman (author of The Real Lolita).
- You should also make space in your schedule to swing by House of Yes for BK Queer Flea’s The Pin Ball, which is a pop-up market showcasing some of the best queer-made pins (and other rad stuff) out there! No cover // SUPPORT QUEER ARTISTS, Y’ALL!
- Speaking of shopping, it’s day two of MoMA PS1 and Other Music’s third annual Come Together: Music Festival and Label Market! Admission is $10 for the day.
- Plus it’s this month’s Vegan Market at Market Hotel ft. all of the delicious non-animal foods! (They exist!)
- Then skate it all off at Dreamland Roller Disco’s benefit for the Sean Casey Animal Rescue! 100% of proceeds from the roller disco party will go toward SCAR, and tickets are $20+ each.
- More into LOLs? There are TWO seatings of #ADULTING w/ Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos over at Union Hall! Both the 5pm show and 7:30pm show will run you $10.
- Shifting over into tunes territory, Jawbreaker have another $40 show at Brooklyn Steel tonight!
- Or swing by Brooklyn Bowl to catch a $10+ show from High Waisted, The Furies, Talay and Treads!