Philadelphia Weekly

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Liberty Stampede Rodeo

Fri., May 9, 7pm-midnight. Free. Bike Stop, 206 S. Quince St. 215.627.1662; Sat., May 10-Sun., May 11, 11am-6pm. $20-$45. Devon Horse Show Fairgrounds, Lancaster Ave. and Dorset Rd., Devon. 888.321.3603. www.libertygra.org

Are participants at self-described "homo rodeos" mirror-image opposites of those at supposedly hetero rodeos--in that they're all secretly straight? Isn't homo rodeo a bit of a tautology anyway, like gay football? In the bizarro parallel universe, are bulls riding gay men in a gaydeo? What we do know is Philly's first-ever straightforwardly gay rodeo starts Friday night with dancing at the Bike Stop before rolling out to Devon, where more than 100 cowfolk will ride broncos bareback, bust bulls' balls, chute dogs (whatever that is), rope steers and do all the other good sweaty, fun, queer cowboy stuff that made America great. (Does anybody really believe there were only heterosexuals under the blankets when night fell on those long, lonely male-only cattle drives?) Plus, a couple gaydeo-specific events such as goat dressing (putting Calvin Klein cottons on a goat) and a "wild drag race" that combines cross-dressing and pissed-off cattle. The Stampede is organized by Philly's Liberty Gay Rodeo Association, part of a nationwide network of swaggering, Stetson-wearing same-sexers. John Wayne is Big Leggy. Yee-haw. (Steven Wells)

Girlfriend in a Coma

Girlfriend in a Coma

The first time my superfan heart almost died was during a 1992 appearance by Morrissey on Hangin' With MTV, when the crooner was asked if he missed playing with the Smiths. After the audience fluttered with gasps as if someone threw a cheeseburger wrapped in a fur coat at his Mozness, he replied that he preferred performing with his solo backing band over his old group. Ouch. While a Smiths reunion could never live up to my expectations, I admit I can't help but wish for it. At least there's Girlfriend in a Coma. Since forming in Baltimore in 2006, Moz doppelganger Christopher Quinn and bandmates have been flirting with lonely Smiths fans by playing sets packed with eerily faithful renditions of the classics. More "Hand in Glove" than tongue-in-cheek, Girlfriend in a Coma somehow manage the impossible, by wriggling around cover-band lameness thanks to stunning musicianship. Superfandom: It's serious. (Chris Cummins)

>>film

Pedro Costa

Rare opp alert: Portuguese super-minimalist sensation Pedro Costa is in town this week. Arriving only two years after the reputation-bedrock Colossal Youth hit Cannes, this near-complete retrospective affords cineastes the luxury of watching an uncompromising artiste hit his stride. (Though stylish debut The Blood already played.) After a string of stark miserablism with 1994's Down to Earth and 1997's Bones, Costa happened upon his notorious coup: After earning the trust of residents living in a Lisbon slum, he filmed them fly-on-the-wall style, then organized the footage into (somewhat) fictionalized stories. And so came In Vanda's Room in 2000 and Colossal Youth in 2006, both featuring three hours of long takes, a tendency that dragged Andy Warhol into social realism. Don't hit up BitTorrent--such things shouldn't be watched on a small screen. (Matt Prigge)