RENWL

Manifest Equality’s Yosi Sargent. Photo courtesy of Darius Twin

So why are we promoting the Manifest Equality art show when we’ve just recently severed all ties with Courage Campaign?

Two words: Yosi Sargent. Bottom line—- he’s hot as hell.

There. We said it.

We fully admit to one and all that we have an inexplicable weakness for scruffy looking straight Jewish men who have high geek appeal and a blessed touch of unapologetic nerdiness about them.  Drives us crazy.  Always has.  It started back in Chicago in the early ‘90s—Mark Swartz was his name.  Grad student at the University of Chicago. We met in a used bookstore on Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park on an over-cast Sunday afternoon in November. The experience ranks as one of the most torrid, tempestuous and addictive affairs we’ve ever had. He was a genius, emotionally unstable and a hot insatiable nerdy freak.

The memories. Le sigh…

So obviously when it comes to such things our politics are tossed completely out the window. Certainly there must be a few folks reading this who can relate to an inconsistency in one’s character here and there.

That said, we encourage our readers to go to the opening of Manifest Equality this week on Wednesday—-if only to see Yosi. We’d actually planned on promoting this art show for equality high and low—-until we started receiving these bizarre “Disneyfied” Courage Campaign endorsements about the event every 5 minutes.  We just don’t get it. How the hell do you strip the testicles, grit and umphff from something by just simply promoting it ?  Yea, well, leave it to Courage.  They’ll find a way—and they did.

We were confused when we started receiving the Courage emails about Manifest Equality because we thought that Courage was just another equality org supporting the event in name only like dozens of other local equality orgs including ourselves. However, we found out this afternoon that Courage Campaign will be getting 20% off the sale of each piece of artwork; this explains Rick Jacobs and Co’s eager beaverness in getting the word out on the event.

Whateves.  Can’t really hate on folks for trying to squeeze some coin out of a cause. Times are hard.

Anyway here’s the flyer. The opening should be a pretty cool event actually.  And more than likely a ton of photo ops,  too. So look your Sunday best kiddies. Your mug just might end up on the front page of the LA Times Calendar section.

MANIFESTEQUALITY

March 3rd – March 7th, 2010
Wed & Thurs – 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday – 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sat & Sun – 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

MANIFESTEQUALITY Schedule of Events include:

March 2, Tuesday    7pm – 10pm. Invitation Only: VIP and Media Preview  (Looking at the headliner for this event mercifully we weren’t invited)

Courage Campaign Presents: Legendary activist and organizer, Cleve Jones

Cleve conceived of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt which at 54 tons, has become the world’s largest piece of community folk art.  Jones is portrayed by actor Emile Hirsch in MILK, director Gus Van Sant’s 2008 film about the life of Harvey Milk.  More recently Cleve recognized the need for a national stage in the equality debate and together with activists from around the country he spear-headed the National Equality March this past November.  He is an adviser to and works closely with the Courage Campaign.

Musical Performance by Emily Wells – is a violinist whose style merges hip-hop and classical. She also uses many other instruments in her work, including glockenspiels, analog synthesizers, and even toy pianos and other toy instruments.

DJ Diabetic (aka Shepard Fairey)

March 3, Wednesday              10am – 6pm      Gallery Open to the Public

8pm – 1am        Opening Night Party:

Musical Guest:  Uh Huh Her, Fitz & the Tantrums, and more

DJ Sets by: Tim Biskup, Chris Holmes, and Booby Trap

March 4, Thursday                 10am – 6pm       Gallery open to the public

March 5, Friday                      11am – 10pm     Gallery open to the public

March 6, Saturday                  10am – 6pm       Gallery open to the public

11am – 5pm       Make Something School with Aaron Rose

8pm – 1am         Closing Night Party

Musical Guests: Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse, Sam Sparrow,

DJ Sets by: Crystal Method and Kelly Cole

March 7, Sunday 10am – 5pm       Gallery open to the public

Additonally throughout the week you catch DJ sets with:  Daisy O’Dell, Adam 12 and Justin Warfield from She Wants Revenge,  Boom Bip, Mia Moretti, Justin Allen, DJ AC, Dan Mancini, Rare Matthew, and more.

For more info go to www.manifestequality.com

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