PD Primer - PennDesign - University of Pennsylvania

having fun
oUtinG
are frequently used by artists invited to mount
installations exploiting the site’s chilling ambiance.
Halloween and Bastille Day events are
annually hosted behind the prison’s fortress-like
walls. Sadly, Meyersonites who attend these affairs
are rarely seen in the studio again...until—
gasp!—the next day.
rock out at the FIRST UNITARIAN
ChURCh
2125 Chestnut Street/ www.r5productions.com
Fittingly, it was Furness, America’s original
outlaw architect, who designed the First Unitarian
Church: the church destined to double as
one of Philly’s most kick-ass music venues. As I
was raised in a sect that considers dancing a sin,
I encourage you to visit a church that doesn’t
mind if you raise your fist to fly the sign of the
devil downstairs after hours. Basement shows at
the FUC (WTF?) are loud, sweaty and deeply
spiritually satisfying affairs. They are also cheap,
smoke-free and largely devoid of drunken loutishness
as no alcohol is served. R5 Productions
is the small Philly-based promoter currently
organizing the shows that range from hip-hop
to three chord punk (basically anyone ready
to rock the basement of one hip congregation)
and nationally known independent artists are
regularly booked. Note that smaller shows are
often neatly tucked into a stained-glass side
chapel with very pleasing results. strut your
175 PDPRIMER 2011
oUtinG
stuff with the MUMMERS PARADE Center City/
www.mummers.com I love New Year’s Eve but hate
my typical New Year’s Day. I usually awake groggily to
the realization that half the day’s already gone and the
second half ain’t promising much. Stores are closed.
Friends look haggard. It’s really, really cold outside.
How can one look forward to a new year amid such
depressing circumstances? In Philly, it’s Mummers to
the rescue! Mummers are men—manly men—who
bravely dress up in flamboyant costumes to play
stringed instruments while performing elaborate synchronized
dances on Center City streets in zero-degree
weather. They do this to chase away our New Year’s
Day demons. They are often drunk. Mummers have
been officially parading since 1901 and come in many
varieties like “comics” and “fancies.” You can learn a
lot about the Mummers at their museum on the corner
of 2nd and Washington, but all you really need to
learn is the “Mummers strut.” You’ll pick it up on the
fly at the parade and even the inebriated can usually
pull it off without toppling over. The spectacle lasts all
day and concludes with a dazzling scene on 2nd Street
south of Washington—Mummers’ clubhouse row. By
the end of the parade, the party rivals Mardi Gras. In
the midst of this Philly free-for-all you’ll realize that
the festivities of New Year’s Eve have been stretched
across the whole of the day. You might then wonder
how you’ll recover when the 2nd rolls around, but,
like the Mummers, you’ll probably be dancing too
much to care!
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