By Tom Warner (Baltimore Or Less)
What is It?
Crispin Hellion Glover returns to The Charles Theater tonight to present his Big Slide Show (“a dramatic narration of eight different profusely illustrated books he has made over the years”), followed by a screening of What Is It? (Part 1 of his “IT” trilogy), plus an after-screening Q & A and book signing.
Glover’s previous slideshow and screening at the Charles was back in November of 2009, when he screened Part 2 of his “IT” trilogy, It is fine. EVERYTHING IS FINE! In case you missed it, you can catch up (and prepare yourself for tonight!) by reading my Accelerated Decrepitude blog post about that historic night of November 20, 2009: “Crispin Hellion Glover @ Charles Theater.”
Here’s how it went down last time…
Crispin Hellion Glover @ Charles Theater (Accelerated Decrepitude, Nov. 20, 2009)
Crispin shows what it is and how it is done
This was a busy week for a reclusive suburban shut-in like me, but when opportunity knocks, ya gotta answer the call – especially when it’s two pioneering artists like Devo and Crispin Hellion Glover that are knockin.’ On Sunday night I spent (factoring in the requisite Ticketron “service” charges) roughly $55 to see Devo play their first album Q: Are We Not Men, A: We are Devo! and two encore songs over the course of roughly one hour. (And since we’re talking D.C., factor in another $20 for parking.) Three days later I paid $20 plus a mere $2 parking to see Crispin Hellion Glover present over four hours of entertainment and crowd interaction, including “Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show” (a one-hour reading from all eight of his altered/authored books), his latest film It is fine. EVERYTHING IS FINE!(this 2007 film, co-directed with David Brothers, is the second part of Glover’s “It” trilogy that began with 2005′s What Is It? – which he screened the trailer for afterwards), an exhaustive post-screening audience Q&, and an even more exhaustive post-Q&A book-signing with fans. My girlfriend Amy and I were starving, but we feasted on entertainment value; as Amy said later, with her signature omnivoristic perspective: “I loved Devo but this was the better value meal!”
The gathered masses apparently agreed. The event was sold-out and as I nodded to and greeted a sea of familiar faces in the Charles lobby, I commented to Amy: “I think every Baltimore hipster, artist, and scenemaker is here tonight. If a terrorist or right-wing Christian wacko [since The Charles Theater was screening Lars Von Trier's Antichrist there] blew up the Charles Theater tonight, they’d wipe out Baltimore cultural arts community in one fell swoop.”
Anyone who was anyone turned out for Crispin Glover at The Charles Theater.
Continue reading “Crispin Hellion Glover @ Charles Theater” at Accelerated Decrepitude.
Tags: big slide show, Charles Theater, Crispin Hellion Glover, it is fine, IT trilogy, what is it
