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"Legs" McNeil was only 18 when he decided (along with fellow enthusiast John Holmstrom) that 1975 was the perfect year to bring out a magazine devoted to the burgeoning punk music scene. The result, of course, was Punk – a journal with humor, gusto and faith in a genre that was bursting then with unprecedented spirit and talent. McNeil so immersed himself in this turbulent world that he found he had enough material to write a book. That resulted in Please Kill Me, an uncensored oral history penned with Gillian McCain that gave both the living and the dead an opportunity to set the record straight. "Legs" will be walking down to Book Beat on 9/30 to read selections from the work from 3 to 4 p.m. He'll also answer questions, sign copies and (if there's time) read from an ongoing work in progress. The Beat goes on at 26010 Greenfield in Oak Park.

And The Music May Haunt You for Years To Come
Ariel Dorfman was also immersed in a world, but under circumstances more intimate than those described elsewhere in this column. A South American playwright and essayist, he witnessed the events that led to Salvador Allende's fall in Chile in 1973 and the subsequent repression that saw thousands jailed, tortured and in many cases simply erased from the landscape. Dorfman has translated these memories into numerous stories and plays, the most notable example of the latter being Death and The Maiden. Paulina and Gerardo are a married couple living in a nation that is finally coming to terms with the effects of a repressive dictatorship – a dictatorship that imprisoned Paulina and subjected her to a nightmarish series of interrogations conducted by a doctor who would play Schubert's Death and the Maiden during the sessions. A motoring mishap finds Gerardo bringing home an unexpected guest – a doctor named Robert Miranda whom Paulina recognizes (or thinks she recognizes) as her former inquisitor. What then ensues is a dark odyssey into the recent past and a number of equally traumatic revelations about trust and betrayal. The Matrix Theatre Company will be staging Dorfman's drama under the direction of Kate Peckham thru 10/14. 2730 Bagley or call 313.967.0599.

Popping the Corktown
Daytripper is an ongoing series of daytime concerts meant to draw well-deserved attention to emerging Detroit musicians – and also direct the public's oft-wandering eye towards Corktown Studios, an establishment that has earned considerable praise in a relatively short period of time. Many of you responded favorably to Daytripper I and asked to be kept posted about future music fests in that vicinity. Consider yourself duly posted about Daytripper II, which will take place on 9/29. It's going to be a two combo affair with Arlow Xan sharing the stage with Rogue Satellites. The former has been aptly described as a comprehensive acoustic folk-rock ensemble with an impressive array of classic instruments used by the players. The Rogue Satellites, a synth-rock duo that has performed at numerous art gatherings, is the de facto house band for Corktown Studios, so we suspect they'll have a reputation to uphold the day of the concert. 3 to 6 p.m. at 2707 14th Street.

You Say You Want Something Big?
They're still dancing the anniversary waltz (as in 80 consecutive years) down at the Detroit Artists Market and the ongoing exhibit is a spectrum of history, experience and talent. In fact, The Big Show is not only a first-rate showcase of fabulous art, it may be your best introduction to what this organization has accomplished since its early days during the bleakest hour of the Great Depression. Founded as an available and affordable gallery space when the few that were around had little interest in promoting unknown talent, the DAM has a roster of featured painters and sculptors that reads like a glorious history of the Motor City – which it is and continues to be. Among those adding additional lustre to that history now are Robert Sestok, Amanda Thatch, Eileen Aboulafia, Tom Pryzewski, Vanessa Merrill, Brian Barr, Peter Crow, Senghor Reid and many others. The exhibit stays Big and open thru 10/20 and there will be a special gallery tour and discussion on 10/6. 4719 Woodward in Detroit.

A Trifle Early for An Inauguration, but This One Didn't Disappoint Either Party
The DIY Street Fair afforded quite a number of surprises from start to finish, but it also granted us a chance to check out the Inaugural Group Exhibition at the Ferndale Public Library. A collaborative effort with works on display in the library's atrium and community room, the submitted pieces (including a work made from recycled harmonicas) were all inspired by dreams, music, stories and journeys. If you ask us, several of these people took some very interesting road trips during the past year. Among the dauntless travelers on this occasion are Jon Anthony, Michelle Crimi, Kathy Kosins, Ben DeFever, Molly Murphy Landis, Jon Pickell and the resourceful A. Owen Layne. Ferndale's beautiful and thoroughly up to date bibliotheque is at 222 E. Nine Mile Road. | RDW