It’s my flippin’ birthday, you nerds! According to the periodic table, I am now germanium years old! (In Korea, I would be considered arsenic years old! Wowee, danger!) Anyway, you can forward all my gifts to my PO box, yeah? (GREAT, LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!)
As much as I would love to make this all about ME ME ME (which I feel I have, so far, succeeded in doing), there ARE some other things to consider the next couple of days besides my own personal gain. SO, begrudgingly, I will bestow those upon you below! Think dance parties! (Even more than usual!) Tinder Live! Loads of Bowie vibes! (Our GIF theme, clearly!) And much more!
BUT FIRST…
Here’s all the rad stuff you might’ve missed on BYT this week if you were too busy pondering the predicament of man, forced to live in a barren Godless eternity like a tiny flame flickering in an immense void with nothing but waste, horror and degradation forming a useless bleak straightjacket in a black absurd cosmos! (Translation: reading/watching the news!)
- Feeling helpless re: the Australian bushfire crisis? Here are some places you can donate to make a difference.
- It’s Veganuary! Do you need to throw out your leather shoes? Should you be pumping your guts full of iron supplements? SO MANY QUESTIONS TO WHICH THE ANSWER IS “PROBABLY NOT”! Here are some tips for sticking things out.
- Also, January is in full swing now, but it’s still a blank month! Use it to be whoever you want! (And also, probably start using moisturizer if you don’t already!)
- Can you learn to cook with TikTok? An investigation.
- And one cannot deny the parallels between Wayside School and Twin Peaks! HERE ARE THE RECEIPTS.
Thursday January 9
- For starters, CLEARLY get to House of Yes for Night of 1000 Bowies! IT’S FREE!
- If that ain’t your jam, swing by the Brooklyn Museum to catch astrologer Chani Nicholas w/ artist and filmmaker Tourmaline in conversation about the intersection of astrology and storytelling! It’s members only, but this is a great time to consider snagging a membership since the Brooklyn Museum rules p. hard! (Also tax deductible, just sayin’!)
- Meanwhile, there’s a new round of NPR’s Ask Me Another at the Bell House tonight, and the guests of honor are Justin Long and Marina Franklin! Tickets are $15 a pop.
- In terms of comedy, we’ve got a rad free show in the way of Female Comedians (with Tits) at Tip Top in Bed-Stuy! Janet Hyde and Mary Cella will host Natasha Vaynblat, Julia Johns, Wilfred Padua and MORE!
- Plus Caveat will play host to 1. Comedians with Ghost Stories ft. Shalewa Sharpe, Mohanad Elshieky and more ($10-$12), and 2. America’s Next Top Cult ($12-$15), which is like American Idol meets Wild Wild Country!
- More into live tunes? Head to Saint Vitus for a $10 show from Deli Girls, Nah, Dreamcrusher and more!
- You can also catch Lee Fields & The Expressions at Brooklyn Bowl for $25!
- More into lazing about? Make a beeline for Nitehawk Prospect Park, where it’s a new round of Spoons, Toons and Booze tonight! Tickets are $18.
- Sober curious in the new year? Head to 92Y for a conversation w/ Talia Baiocchi and Bianca Bosker about the non-alcoholic beverage trend! Tickets are $32.
Friday January 10
- Kick things off at Littlefield, where there’s a brand new round of Tinder Live w/ Lane Moore happening! Guest panel tonight includes Laura Benanti, Daniel Kibblesmith and Jennifer Wright, and tickets are $15-$18 each.
- And THEN stick around for Loving The Alien: A David Bowie Tribute Dance Party! Tickets are $5-$8.
- Speaking of dance parties, we’ve got a new round of A Night At The Baths happening at C’mon Everybody! All of the disco goodness for just $5.
- And to keep it EXTRA queer, get to C’mon Everybody right after work for the latest edition of Select All: Queer Mixer! As usual, free!
- In terms of ye olde traditional #LIVETUNES, Winter Jazzfest Marathon kicks off today and runs all weekend! Tickets are going REAL FAST, so be sure to grab ’em; they start at $60 and go up from there depending on whether you buy single admission or multi-day passes.
- Plus it’s Oh My Rockness’ annual Hardest Working Bands showcase at Baby’s All Right! Catch Cindy Cane, New Myths, Top Nachos and more for $10!
- Or skip on the tunes altogether, and instead let’s bring it back full circle to comedy at Industry City! Emily Duke will host Mia Jackson, Eman El-Husseini and more, and it’s FREE! (Unless you want a semi-free drink included in your ticket, in which case pay $5!)
- More into movie vibes? Get to Caveat for a Back To the Future edition of Drinking Game NYC! Tickets are $15-$20 each.
Saturday January 11
- For comedy vibes, you can post up at Union Hall! The first gig is Boardwalk Stand-Up Comedy ft. Tommy McNamara, Joe Pera, Mary Beth Barone and more ($7-$10), and the second is That Shit Ray! w/ Rachel Joravsky and Rachel Pegram ($8-$10)!
- It’s also the FINAL Oh, Such A HUGE Show, Oh! at the Bell House! It’s a benefit for The Innocence Project, and lineup includes Dulce Sloan, Dan Licata, Larry Owens and more! Tickets are $20 each.
- Just wanna d-d-d-d-dance to Arabic beats? Head to tonight’s NEFERTITTIES at Littlefield! Loads of good tunes, drag shows and more, all in a safe space, all for $10-$15!
- You can also keep it queer at C’mon Everybody, where JUDY (a monthly amateur drag party and fundraiser for SAGE) is happening starting at 8pm! Suggested donation of $5 which goes to SAGE, as do all tips.
- Plus hang tight for a new round of A Party Called Rosie Perez after that! $5, 11pm to 4am.
- Elsewhere, meanwhile, will host a DJ set from Juan MacLean! Tickets start at $20.
- And over at Nowadays, we’ve got an evening w/ UMFANG and OK Williams! As always, free w/ RSVP before 11pm, $10-$15 after that.
- More into Mood Ring vibes? Head on over there for the one year anniversary of Club Night Club! Free before midnight, $10 after.
- And while we’re still on the subject of dance vibes, you can head to House of Yes for Full Moon w/ Öona Dahl! Entry is free before 11pm w/ RSVP, or grab priority entry for $40 before 1:30am, $25 after that.
- (I also guess I have to mention that there’s a Disney DJ night happening at Gramercy Theatre tonight, but like…I’m sorry, I just don’t understand adults who are still super into Disney in like, a non-Disney Channel c. ’96-’03 way. SUE ME! Tickets are $15+.)
Sunday January 12
- My top Sunday pick is Happy Birthday Dolly! A Live Tribute to Dolly Parton at C’mon Everybody! Tickets are just $5.
- But you should for sure START your day w/ a $15 brunch screening of Matilda at Nitehawk Prospect Park!
- (There’s also an 11am showing of Matilda at Metrograph // WOWEE, MATILDA MADNESS!)
- Meanwhile, if you’re feelin’ crafty, grab a $36 ticket to Brooklyn Brainery’s Vision Board Embroidery course today! MANIFEST THOSE GOALS, Y’ALL!
- If it’s LOLs you’re after, most definitely get to Union Hall for Molly Brenner’s I’m Coming! Tickets are $10-$12 a pop.
- At the Bell House, meanwhile, we’ve got Big Debates, Lil Issues ft. Karen Chee, Ariel Dumas, Larry Owens, Marcia Belsky and more! Tickets are $12.
- Or if you’re more into LGBTQ+ vibes, you can hit up Caveat for Queer Memoir! Tickets are $10-$12 each.
- PLUS (and this is what I plan to do) you can catch a special screening of Portrait of a Lady on Fire at Moving Image tonight! (It p. much disappeared from everyplace else, so DON’T MISS IT!)
- In tunes land, meanwhile, I’d super recommend hitting up Baby’s All Right for Christeene, CRICKETS and Bonnie Baxter! Tickets are $15-$18 each.