Jonathan Richman @ Double Door

Jonathan Richman, the singer-songwriter behind such classics as "I'm A Little Dinosaur," "Ice Cream Man," and "Dancing in the Lesbian Bar" (not to mention the fabulous songs in There's Something About Mary) will be at the Double Door tonight. Show begins at 10:00, and tickets are $12.50 in advance ($14.00 at the door). Double Door: 1572 N. Milwaukee. (773) 489-3160.

First Fridays @ MCA

At First Fridays at the Museum of Contemporary Art, visitors can unwind after work and enjoy an intriguing mix of culture, ranging from live music and performance art to experimental films and hands-on art stations. Not to mention see and be seen by all kinds of young, hip, arty singles looking for love.

First Fridays tickets, which include Museum admission, live entertainment, and complimentary Wolfgang Puck hors d’oeuvres, are $14. Doors are open 6–10 pm. A cash bar is available until 9:30 pm. Guests must be 21 or older to enter.

Mud Queens of Chicago

Check out the Mud Queens of Chicago w/ The Billy Carter Band, The Groodies, Jesus and the Devil, and Youth Decay this Friday at 10 pm. Cover is $5. The concert is happening in a warehouse space at 3114 W. Carroll (Near Sacramento and Lake).

Proceeds go to the Young Women’s Empowerment Project.

6-String Social @ Old Town School

The Old Town School of Folk Music presents another session of 6-String Socials, which are Friday evening get-togethers at the original school building (909 W. Armitage). Each evening's social has a theme, and you'll get a handful of songs in that theme to play and practice with other musicians. The 6-String Social is open to all levels of playing and all instruments, and you can sign up for just one evening or the full list of 7 evenings. For more information, see the Old Town School Website or call the school at (773) 728-6000.

Rhino Theater Fest: A Dangerous Ornithology

A piece by James Owens, part of the Rhinoceros Theater Festival. "The lives of seeming strangers become interwoven during the pressure of war in a one party state. Amidst the rising violence surrounding him, a prison camp worker is gripped by an irresistible urge to defy the laws. After a chance encounter on a train with an accountant who seems to share his thoughts, the prison worker discovers he is caught in a circle of murder, sex, and ritual. The cycle must be broken before all is lost. The problem is that, when neither history nor your own senses can be trusted, reality becomes the enemy." 9pm, Curious Theatre Branch, 7001 N Glenwood. $12 or pay what you can. Call 773-274-6660 for reservations.

Le Tigre @ The Vic

Alternative rock grrls Le Tigre will rock The Vic Theater tonight. Gossip and Measles, Mumps, Rubella open. Tickets are $20, are general admission, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Vic is located at 3145 N. Sheffield, just south of Belmont Ave. Tickets can be purchased thru Ticketmaster, or with cash at the box office.

Rhino Theater Fest: Cant

The Curious Theatre Branch's 16th annual Rhinoceros Theater Fest features Jenny Magnus's solo piece. "CANT is not not being able to. CANT is an edge, a brink that one can teeter on. Jenny Magnus returns to her familiar niche of solo performance with CANT, a new meditation on inclines and their slants when it comes to comfort, responsibility, and the terror of love. In her first new work in 2 years, Magnus uses her whining manner of speaking and vulgar slang to explore the relationship she creates with her doppelganger, a bag of rice the exact weight of her only child. When one’s concerns turn to having children, aging parents, and the inexorable passage of time, one must be careful of sudden movements which result in turning over or tilting up. Or so Magnus finds in her unique language, implying the pretended assumption of goodness. CANT is not not being able to. CANT is doing, in spite of whether one is able." 7pm. $12 or pay what you can. At the Curious Theatre Branch, 7001 N Glenwood. Call 773.274.6660 for reservations.

SOFA 2004

The International Exposition of Sculpture Objects and Functional Art, or SOFA, rolls into Navy Pier today through Sunday. Come see what's happening in the art world today. The show runs Friday and Saturday, 11am to 8pm, Sunday noon to 6pm -- tickets are $12 a day or $20 for a weekend pass.

Chicago THONG Bush/No Bush Fundraiser

Topless Humans Organized for Natural Genetics (THONG) Presents: BUSH/NO BUSH, a post-election fundraiser to support THONG's efforts to keep our food supply free from GMOs. The event features bands, body painting, naked twister, organic foods, and election healing.

There is a suggested donation of $5 with costume, $10 without, admission is FREE if you're naked (score!). The ball gets rolling at 9 pm at Transamoeba Studio (1325 S Wabash #101). Check out ChicagoTHONG.org for more info.

Subsystence Radio

Playing a mixture of classic techno and house alongside more contemporary material, Subsystence Radio is focused on promoting obscure and underrepresented electronic music. Join us every Friday on WNUR 89.3 FM from midnight until 2 am for a selection of music that moves us. You can also tune in online at WNUR.org. Featuring rotating DJ sets from Charles Adler, Karl Meier, and Ken Meier of local web magazine Subsystence, each week sees a different local guest joining in the fray. Preceded by Matt MacQueen and Dave Siska's excellent Clinically Inclined program.

Goodbye Lenin! @ Doc Films

Doc Films presents Wolfgang Becker's popular 2003 release, Goodbye Lenin! about a young man who attempts to recreate East Germany for his mother who recently awoke from a coma. He worries that reality of capitalism in Germany would be too much of a shock to his mother's fragile health. The movie is a great comedy, but its real magic is in its nuanced treatment of change, both personal and governmental.

Passes are $4 for showings at 6:30, 9, and 11:30 pm.

"Striptease" Book Reading

DePaul Professor Rachel Shteir unveils the history of burlesque in her work Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show. Shteir takes a deep look at how burlesque and vaudeville let good girls go "bad." Catch her reading at Women & Children First, located at 5233 N. Clark Street, Chicago, tonight at 7:30 p.m. Go naked, we dare you.