FRI 6/17
There was once a commercial for "St. Louis-style" pizza aired by a non-Imo's pizza chain (exactly -- who wants pizza that isn't from Imo's?) wherein the actors poked fun at some of St. Louis' more amusing personality traits. One of the actors asked about "Highway Farty" and, of course, the immortal question "Where'd you go to high school?" arose before the commercial was over.
That commercial encapsulates the St. Louis phenomenon: An outsider attempts to sell us something by making fun of us, and more than a few of us played along. We're an easygoing, laid-back kinda town. Go ahead, make fun of us -- we don't mind.
Ah, but in the spirit of true revolutionaries like Trotsky, Guevara and Stooge (Iggy, not Curly), local brothers Jeff and Randy Vines have taken the very elements that outsiders use to mock us and turned them into inflammatory slogans designed to rally pride in our eccentricities and ourselves -- and they've placed them on T-shirts. Why T-shirts? Because the humble T-shirt is the modern equivalent to the broadside or pamphlet, and if you want to rally the people, it helps if the people got something nice to wear when marching in the streets.
The Vines brothers' company, STL-Style, creates those shirts you see at Vintage Vinyl and on the crowd at the Hi-Pointe. "East of Skinker" adorns the chest of a young man who reeks of Schlafly. "West End Girl" hugs the curves of the hot record-store clerk. And of course, the mighty "Highway Farty" blazes across the pecs of a young god who strides South Grand like a street-walkin' cheetah with a heart full of napalm.
But those are last year's designs. STL-Style debuts its new line of local-pride duds at 10 p.m. at Llywellyn's Pub (4747 McPherson Avenue; www.stl-style.com). Admission to the fashion show and party is $3, and you get a rock show by the homegrown Team Tomato to boot. Fashion, rock, pride in one's home -- that's a good night. -- Paul Friswold
Art Adventure into Soulard
SAT 6/18
Since 1838 the Soulard Farmer's Market has provided fresh, local foods and locally made items to all of St. Louis. Now you can get your local art there, too -- Wal-Mart ain't got nothing on this one-stop shopping! The second annual Soulard Artistic Adventure takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and during this free event, you'll find painters, sculptors, tap dancers, mimes and more at Soulard Park (South Eighth Street and Lafayette Avenue), as well as inside Soulard bars and restaurants. Head for the information booth at the park for more details. Also, artists wishing to showcase their wares or perform will be accepted until the day of the Adventure; call the Soulard Ambassadors' Club at 314-771-1905 for more information. -- Amy Helms
Fully 'Vetted
SUN 6/19
It would be too easy to make a mean-spirited joke about how you should bring your dad to the free Father's Day Corvette Display to appease any of his mid-life crisis tendencies. Instead, we're just going to tell you how cool someone like your dad would look behind the wheel of one of the many shiny Corvettes that will be in the parking lot between Streetside Records and the Tivoli Theatre in University City (314-727-8000 or www.visittheloop.com) from noon to 4 p.m. And if your father has already gone through, um, the change, he can bring his own 'Vette; it only costs $10 for Dad to show it off a little (that's about the price of a three-pack of socks -- hopefully you can swing that), and the money benefits the Judevine Center for Autism. -- Alison Sieloff
Another 48 Hours
What did you do last weekend? Mow the lawn? Watch the game? Make a movie? If you spotted guerilla teams running amok with cameras, chances are they were participants in the second annual St. Louis 48 Hour Film Project (www.48hourfilm.com). Thirty-six teams drew genre assignments from a hat and then had forty-eight hours to write, shoot and edit a short film (DIY to the max, Jack). On Friday, June 17, you can see this year's ten best films at 7:30 p.m. at the Pageant (6161 Delmar Boulevard; 314-726-6161 or www.thepageant.com), plus the musical stylings of Mofro, for only $10; those who want to see all the films should go to the Pageant on Wednesday, June 15, at 6:30 p.m. ($8). And sorry, Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte won't be attending either night's screenings. -- Jedidiah Ayres
