SAT 4/16
Lowbrow art is a lot like Michael Jackson. Which is to say, the genre is often creepy, sometimes surreal, but almost always entertaining. Also, you don't want it around your kids. However, unlike Michael Jackson, lowbrow art has found a way to be weird and cool at the same time. By embracing the detritus of American culture -- underground comics, tattoos, '60s lounge culture, TV, and porn -- the illustrators behind lowbrow art have been giving the finger to the established art world for years and skillfully crafting trash that is often unnervingly beautiful. Predictably, the art world has responded with open arms, and now lowbrow art is poised to invade the mainstream. To make sense of all this, Matt Dukes Jordan, author of Weirdo Deluxe, an anthology of lowbrow art, will be at Tate's Comics (4566 N. University Dr., Lauderhill) from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Jordan's bizarre little book offers a great introduction to the artists and illustrators who practice this distinctly American art form. Also on hand to sign copies of the book and to surprise fans by being a lot more normal than expected will be illustrator Skot Olson, whose Herman Melville-meets-Hieronymus Bosch paintings are featured in Weirdo Deluxe. Call Tate's Comics at 954-748-0181, or check out www.tatescomics.com. -- Jeff Megahan
Taste-test Scotch!
Just don't give any angels your car keys!
WED 4/20
Which would you rather savor -- a 12-year-old? A 21-year-old? Or a 28-year-old? Enough lame Michael Jackson jokes, people -- we're talking about scotch here! On Wednesday, come on over and swirl a snifter with professional alcoholic -- uh, we mean, "noted Scotch whisky expert" -- Simon Brooking. He's a "Master Ambassador" for the Dalmore, a company that makes single-malt scotch. Fun facts from the Scotch Whisky Association: "The world's leading national drink can only be called Scotch if it has been distilled and matured in Scotland. Only after a minimum of three years maturation can the new made spirit be legally defined as Scotch Whisky. A proportion of the whisky in each cask evaporates annually and is lost to the heavens. This is known as the 'angels' share. '" Meet Brooking -- and check out his hands-on demo of the distillation process -- at Star Liquors (8993 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach). The event is free. Call 561-790-5959. -- Deirdra Funcheon
It Came from South Florida!
Rehashed Hollywood plot lines these are not
TUE 4/19
The tag line for the short film Refill -- made by local director Terry Shine -- is, "What happens when an iced-tea refill girl becomes a woman and people won't stop asking her, 'Don't you want to do something else with your life?'" Promo materials for Pissed ask, "Why would a young, drunk businessman urinate on a grave?" And Zoom Suit warns, "When an extraterrestrial suit ends up on Earth, it could mean a huge advancement for the U.S. military... if it doesn't fall into the wrong hands." At 7 p.m., take a long, strange armchair trip at CityPlace's Muvico Parisian Theater (545 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach) during Voices of Local Film, a showing of shorts that's part of the Palm Beach International Film Festival. Admission costs $8. Visit www.pbfilmsociety.org. -- Deirdra Funcheon
The X-philes
THU 4/14
Are your friends and loved ones getting tired of your constant claims about aliens probing your anus? Who hasn't been there? Put down your Magic cards and gather with like-minded folk at the Metaphysical Chat Club. They'll discuss everything from UFOs to Sasquatch at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in the back room of Denny's Restaurant (5580 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park). Admission is $1. Call 954-344-8555. -- Paul A. Leone
