Weekend Scenester Guide: Kanrocksas, Naked People, Hospital Ships' Jamboree, and More / Chip and Richard Discuss the State of Raunchy Multiplex Comedy

Well, we suppose THE event of the weekend is Kanrocksas. Will it be as awesome as its name? Will 100,000 (their projected figure) actually attend? How many will die from heat and/or drugs? Will Wayne Coyne ride his hamster ball? (we think we know the answer to that one). We'll closely monitor the situation...from the air-conditioned comfort of home, since we weren't granted a press pass and aren't willing to shell out the cash when we can more easily remain in Larryville and watch naked people onstage for six bucks at EMU's Splitting Hares, it's 13th annual "10 minute play" festival, which starts at 8:00 tonight "underground" (in the basement) at the Lawrence Arts Center. Please join us. You won't find this event listed anywhere (bewilderingly) except on the Facebook event page , but we're certain it's really happening.

But what else is on tap for the weekend? Having perhaps given up on saving Larryville's SRS offices through more traditional channels of activism, local progressives will be praying for SRS on the church steps at Plymouth on Saturday morning (while Governor Brownback travels to Texas to pray--perhaps for the destruction of all art?--in a massive prayer rally).

At the Burger Stand on Saturday, Hospital Ships (have you heard of this band yet?), will be playing a special "jamboree." Word on the street is that it's going to be hip as fuck, with lots of covers and special guests.















Fans of corndogs and carnies (Chip) will attend tonight's ever-popular demolition derby at the Douglas County Fair (along with a gaggle of scenesters who think it's hip to go 'slumming' with the 'real people' who waddle in from outside the city limits for this event).

At the LC, we're doing our best to make Monzie Leo a household name. The L.com/LJ-World press calls Monzie Leo and Big Sky purveyors of "high speed folk music." This is not true. They play funereal dirges on washboard, guitar, and fiddle, and they will frighten you senseless (in a good way). Monzie is at the Jackpot tonight with Whiskey Dik, Ashes to Immortality, and (of course) Tyler Gregory, who plays 9 out of 10 local folky/bluegrass bills.

After kickball on Sunday, our Twitter-buddy @beer_attack (Rob) will entertain the scenesters with a DJ set. It's also his birthday. Do you know what makes a great birthday gift? PBR.

And what's new at the multiplex? If you're like Chip, you're a huge fan of "body-swap" comedies, and you're especially excited about the first-ever raunchy R-rated body swap comedy, The Change-Up, starring Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds.

Chip: "I fear the trailer has spoiled all the best shit jokes. Because there's two really good shit jokes in the trailer."

Fear not, Chip. Reviews suggest the movie primarily consists of shit jokes:

"...director David Dobkin works his crude mojo and covers this face-off with a wall-to-wall mélange of dick, shit and piss jokes. He also uses female nudity for crass comic effect. Anyone who has ever wanted to see Leslie Mann completely butt-bald, here's your chance — except she'll be sitting on the toilet shortly afterward, dropping some loud bombs in there" (Pitch).

Chip: "This review had me at 'dick jokes,' but I'm glad to hear there's female nudity as well, since recent raunchfests have relied far too much of late on full-frontal dudes."

Richard: "As much as I support on-screen raunch, this sounds pretty terrible, and I will see Rise of the Planet of the Apes instead ('Apes WILL rise!'). However, I insist that the recent Friends With Benefits raunchfest is surprisingly solid, and not just for the Kunis nudity. There's also some meta stuff going on in there."

Chip: "The best part of Friends With Benefits is that long scene about Timberlake trying to take a leak with a boner. That scene is so relateable. It really is hard to take a leak with a boner."

And we leave you with this adorable picture of Yogi Bear jamming with KC funk collective Hearts of Darkness last night at the Lawrence Public Library's Last Bash of Summer (click to enlarge). Why couldn't the Ice Age show at the Jackpot have been more like this? (sadly we've been told that Yogi was sacrificed by metal-masters Hammerlord at the Hearts' second show of the evening, a late-night set at the Record Bar in KC).