JULY
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Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis strikes a blow against the ossification of rock with his new book, Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics. DeRogatis tapped 34 writers to tackle canonical rock albums that they think suck donkey dick (DeRo’s pick: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band). Tonight he and coeditor Carmel Carrillo (who’s also his wife) will read from and discuss the book, along with local contributors Dave Chamberlain, Allison Augstyn, Chris Martiniano, Bobby Reed, Chrissie Dickinson, Anders Smith Lindall, and the Reader’s Bob Mehr–whose bete noire is U2’s The Joshua Tree. It’s at 8 PM at Quimby’s, 1854 W. North in Chicago; call 773-342-0910.
Saturday 17
Since Madonna went all kabbalah on us, there’s been a surge of interest in Jewish mystical literature and symbolism. Now a new annotated English translation of the Zohar, the classic text of kabbalah, may make the practice a bit less cryptic for dabblers and scholars alike. Scholar Daniel C. Matt, an international authority on Jewish mysticism, consulted ten manuscript versions and two printed editions of the original Aramaic text to produce his groundbreaking 12-volume work, the first two books of which were published last fall by Stanford University Press. He’ll discuss his work in today’s talk, The Zohar: Masterpiece of Kabbalah–A New Annotated Translation. It’s at 2 at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 618 S. Michigan in Chicago. Admission is $12, and reservations are requested; call 312-322-1743 or e-mail rsvp@spertus.edu.
Wednesday 21
