This Week In The Voice: The National’s Agenda

They say there’s a fine line between comedy and tragedy. But what about the lines between despair and hilarity? Brooklyn’s band of the moment, The National, knows where they lie, and they also know how to blur them, argues Michael D. Ayers, writing this week’s Voice cover story: The National’s Agenda.

Other sweet sounds this week in Music come from country rap sensation Colt Ford, while at the other end of the southern-fried spectrum are Memphis’ two sets of beloved hometown hip hop heroes Eightball & MJG, and Three 6 Mafia.

On the more savory side of things in this week’s Food, Robert Sietsema heads out to Bay Ridge to check out a dying breed of Brooklyn eating – the Sicilian focacceria – at Casa Calamari. Meanwhile, Sarah DiGregorio checks out Manhattan’s Vietnamese hyper-restaurateur Michael Bao’s new restaurants, Mikey’s Burger and D.O.B. 101, as well as an early look at some of the dishes in South Slope’s newest eatery, Thistle Hill Tavern.

Don’t expect to get there too quickly via the city, notes Voice columnist Tom Robbins, as he reviews that various ways the MTA’s massive transit cuts are kicking New Yorkers to the curb, and leaving them there. Don’t expect to always be protected and served perfectly every time, either, as Graham Rayman would have us know better: the second installment of The NYPD Tapes is now up. Finally, Michael Musto rediscovers the old Limelight space and resolves a gay panic at Barricuda. All in a day’s work.

Speaking of people’s work as Arts, this week, Voice theater critic Michael Feingold checks out the new musical The Kid, which is actually based on Savage Love columnist Dan Savage’s memoir. And of course, it’s pretty good. Alexis Soloski pencils herself in for film director Jonathan Demme’s downtown play, Beth Henley’s Family Week, as well as James Braly’s Asylum. Both are about intensely insane families, and both are apparently as much fun as spending time with your own. Finally, Stacey Anderson interviews the voice behind MTV’s 90s cult sensation cartoon Daria, Tracy Grandstaff.

Finally, in movies, legendary Voice film critic J. Hoberman tries to do justice to the New York’s latest small, sweet indie – a parenting-role-reversal film called Daddy Longlegs – while Karina Longworth tries to find whatever justice there is (or was intended) in Ridley Scott’s newest Russell Crowe-lead blockbuster, Robin Hood.

All that, plus more Music, Art, Theater, Film, Books, Dance, Restaurants, Michael Musto, Free Will Astrology, and Dan Savage. And then some.