A Real Gay Bar in Williamsburg; LiveWork Coalition Fundraiser; NY Lesbian & Gay Experimental Film/Video Fest; Stan Ridgway at Joe's Pub; Beyond the Valley of the Dolls; Marionettes and Music Boxes in Greenpoint; Smog at the Knit; Asylum Street Spankers; M

Some think hipster squatters should be tossed out on their rears, others think homesteading artists who venture into forbidding neighborhoods and treacherous living conditions only to improve them?and the lot of the owners and landlords?should be recognized and respected. Those in the latter camp can show their support at the LiveWork Coalition's 1st-Annual Fundraiser on Weds., Nov. 20. NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and assemblymembers from other pertinent committees will be on hand to discuss rent-protection legislation; plus, there'll be an impressive raffle (artwork, weekend trips, dinners, much more) and music. Dinner ($250-$500) at 7, hors d'oeuvres ($50-$100) and raffle at 8, at the LES' Essex Restaurant. 120 Essex St. (betw. Rivington & Delancey Sts.); visit brooklynlivework.org for complete info, RSVP to 625-1334.

For some, the GOP's dominance of government is a strong reminder of why we need innovative artists and writers out there exploring the boundaries of whatever their preferred medium is and pushing people to think differently. Under the rubric of "Counter Culture," the 16th-annual New York Lesbian and Gay Experimental Film/Video Festival offers up lots of options this week, as progressives everywhere ponder the trip back to the 1980s we're about to take. On Thurs., Nov. 21, at 7 p.m., check out Fight Back, Fight AIDS: 15 Years of ACT UP on Video, which details the triumphs and losses of the dynamic activist group. Another very timely presentation, "Queer Diasporas: the Arab and Muslim Lesbian & Gay Experience," is showing 4 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 23. At Anthology Film Archives. 32 2nd Ave. (2nd St.), 571-4242; $9.

We're sure that someone everywhere he plays demands that Stan Ridgway do "Mexican Radio" for the 10 millionth time. And he, being one of the genuinely nice guys in the music business, no doubt complies every time. Maybe as the encore. But he's got reams and reams of other cool songs from a zillion projects since Wall of Voodoo, including the bunch on his latest, Holiday in Dirt. Easygoing and very Southern California on the surface, but with a paranoid edge, a large tinge of melancholy and a sarcastic wit, Ridgway's songs evoke lonesome cowpokes and wannabe starlets, sci-fi movies and Raymond Chandler novels, urban riots and long drives in the desert. Every Ridgway song is a short story, or maybe a short film. He brings his quartet to Joe's Pub Fri.-Sat., Nov. 22-23. Restrain yourself from requesting that song, okay? Someone else will. 425 Lafayette St. (betw. E. 4th St. & Astor Pl.), 539-8778; 9:30, $20.

A new 35 mm Panavision print of Russ Meyer's over-the-top Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) begins its run Fri., Nov. 22, at Film Forum. Written with the help of Roger Ebert, this garbonza-fest has it all?women posing as men, a woman who falls asleep with a gun in her mouth, lesbian scenes, go-go boots, Hollywood sleaze and drugs. And the new print should make those heaving, bouncing, writhing-to-be-free hooters practically 3-D. It screens daily through Dec. 5. 209 W. Houston St. (betw. 6th Ave. & Varick St.), 727-8110.

Whether you're a fan of surrealist sculpture, the stop-motion work of the Quay brothers or just have an inner goth to satisfy, we recommend stopping by Dabora Gallery in Greenpoint for the exhibit "'Til Death Do Us Part: Marionettes and Music Boxes," featuring the works of husband and wife Erik Sanko and Jessica Grindstaff. Grindstaff's music boxes evoke the sculpture of Andre Breton and Joseph Cornell?intricate box-work incorporating preserved butterflies, found objects, handwritten notes and taxidermy as well as the functional metal devices of music boxes, their wind-up cranks sometimes concealed in a jar lid or beneath a stuffed bird. Santo's wood and papier-mache marionettes seem supporting players in an especially demented 19th-century Punch & Judy show or medieval morality play; devils, skeletons, grim Victorian gentlemen and our favorite, an alligator in a waistcoat. The dim, opium-den ambience of the gallery helps set the mood, equal parts haunting and morbidly playful. Sat. & Sun., 12-5 p.m., through Dec. 14. 1080 Manhattan Ave. (betw. Eagle & Dupont Aves.), Greenpoint, 718-609-9629; www. daboragallery.com.

When it comes to live gigs of "mellow," or, as we like to call it, snore-core music, we stick to what we know, because bands like Belle and Sebastian or Red House Painters can be real snoozers onstage. But Bill Callahan's lo-fi effort Smog is an exception. Sometimes gloomy, sometimes cheery and often a bit off-kilter, Smog is always pleasant in performance, even if the material isn't?kinda like Will Oldham in that way. Callahan returns to New York to perform at the Knitting Factory Sat.-Sun., Nov. 23-24. Quirky Brother JT3 opens the first night, with Pacific Ocean, with members of Versus, on Sunday. 74 Leonard St. (betw. Church St. & B'way), 219-3055.

Without question, the Austin-based Asylum Street Spankers are one of the liveliest, tightest, funniest, drunkest and most life-affirming live bands working today, regardless of category. And in the case of the Spankers?who play guitar, banjo, uke, harmonica, bass, clarinet, washboard and singing saw?it's best to forget about categories altogether, as the steadily growing acoustic ensemble tears through country, bluegrass, hillbilly stomp, pop standards and punk rock all willy-nilly and often simultaneously, creating an experience only they can deliver. They're touring behind their latest album, My Favorite Record (Bloodshot), one of their finest to date, coming pretty damn close to capturing that live vibe on disc. They're at Joe's Pub at 7 p.m. Sun., Nov. 24. Lord knows how they'll even fit on the tiny stage. 425 Lafayette St. (betw. 4th St. & Astor Pl.), 539-8770; $15, $18.

Note: This is not a chance to get cheap wonderful food. Instead, Miracle Grill's "Name Your Own Price" nights for dinner are opportunities to support Action Against Hunger , which fights hunger internationally. On Mon.-Weds., Nov. 25-27, diners at both Miracle locations will receive menus without prices. Make an offer; 91 cents of every dollar goes to the organization (you can also name your own happy-hour drink prices, half of which'll go to AAH). Miracle Bar & Grill, 415 Bleecker St. (betw. Bank & W. 11th Sts.), 924-1900; Miracle Grill, 112 1st Ave. (betw. 6th & 7th Sts.), 254-2353.