As far as D.C. institutions go, Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses, the Make-Up, Weird War, "Sassiest Boy in America," that guy with the big black hair standing next to you at a show) arguably isn't even the top Ian. But he's still one of the city's great treasures, adding a good dose of je ne sais quoi to underground D.C. for the past two decades. His musical legacy is well established, and last summer Svenonius added "published author" to his credentials with the release of "The Psychic Soviet," a collection of essays he's penned throughout the years. The pocket-sized book -- given Svenonius's communism infatuation, the parallel to Mao's "Little Red Book" is no mistake -- contains well-thought out arguments on a variety of subjects from vampires to the origins of punk rock. It's often funny, but never in a self-consciously ironic way. Svenonius will give a multimedia presentation (read: slideshow) of "The Psychic Soviet" at 7 p.m. tonight at Crooked Beat Records.

--David Malitz (May 2007)