Lou Reed, Patti Smith, the Supremes: rare footage at SF Library

(Lou Reed and John Cale -- "Waiting for the Man" 1972)

If local rock historian Richie Unterberger didn't host his free monthly movie nights at the Page St. library, we'd still have YouTube. But combing through hours upon hours of crap to find five minutes of rock 'n' roll bliss is a big task, and you're better off letting this music obsessive do the dirty work for you. At his regular rare footage screenings, Unterberger shows cool interviews and live performances by his selected subjects (this month it's Patti Smith, Nico, Lou Reed, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Dusty Springfield, George Harrison, Aretha Frankin, the Supremes, and Dionne Warwick, among others) and hosts a fun Q&A session with the audience at the end, allowing for much trivia to be gleaned in the course of the evening. Check out Rare Rock Film Clips at the Park Branch of the San Francisco Public Library (1833 Page St.) on Wednesday, December 12 from 7pm-9pm. It's one of the few cool events where you can increase your knowledge of music history while laughing at the moments of outdated slang, attitude, and attire. -- Jennifer Maerz