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In his recent autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob Lowe recounts the advice Martin Sheen imparted for working with director Francis Ford Coppola: Don’t let him make you do anything you’re uncomfortable with. Coppola’s sojourn into the jungle for Apocalypse Now is an infamous example of Hollywood hubris that led its entire crew—especially Sheen—into, uh, the heart of darkness. But if Coppola’s unorthodox methods shattered the fragile egos of most of its cast, they probably didn’t seriously rattle Dennis Hopper, an actor whose notoriously ferocious appetites and reputation for fast living kept him unemployed for a good part of the 1970s. Apocalypse Now runs as a part of “Dennis Hopper: A Screen Remembrance,” the AFI Silver’s unimaginatively named series that looks back on a truly unique body of work. In one of his most memorable performances, Hopper plays an unnamed photojournalist who, like the film itself, strikes a perfect balance between brilliance and madness. (Matt Siblo) At 8:45 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre. $11.
MUSIC
Two of D.C.’s best sources of garage punk, label Windian Records and booker Sasha Lord, have assembled a pretty solid lineup tonight: Paperhead and Bake Sale come from cities with very robust garage scenes—-Nashville and Memphis—-but both bands work in a druggier, more blissful vein than their peers. With locals Moon Freckles at 10 p.m. at Comet Ping Pong. $5.
Mountain Man first penetrated blogs via its recordings for once-local label Underwater Peoples—-known for putting out beachy, clangy acts like Real Estate and Family Portrait—-but its minimal, close-harmony folk was a weird fit. The trio’s songs can be gentle, even wave-like, but they’re also deeply stirring and spectral. At 8:30 p.m. at IOTA. $12.
Thanks to my roommate, the David Wax Museum has played in my living room twice, because for a while they were almost entirely playing house shows. They like to stand on things, like piano benches. They sometimes use a donkey’s jaw for percussion. Fun! At 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
ART
This should be good: “The Art of Vandalism: A Close Up Look at Graffiti in DC,” the season kick-off for the MuralsDC program. The panel includes local graffiti scholar Cory Stowers, Nancee Lyons from the Department of Public Works, the Pink Line Project’s Philippa Hughes, artist Tim Conlon, and documentarian Saaret Yoseph. Presumably one question on deck is, “Is graffiti art?” More interesting to me: Does graffiti’s institutionalization make it meaningless? At 6 p.m. at Busboys & Poets on 14th Street NW. Free.
SELF-LOATHING
Goo Goo Dolls at Wolf Trap. Enjoy!