Garry Winogrand's 1964; Featurewell.com Reading; "Dynamic Ceramic"; Dead Moon/Reigning Sound; Writers With Drinks; The Secret Life of Hernando Cortez; Glass' Galileo Galilei; SinCine 2002: the NYC Erotic Film Festival

Featurewell.com is an online news syndicate we'd like even if all it did was represent competition for the dreadfully kneejerk and utterly predictable granola-munching offered by the rival AlterNet syndicate. So we're happy to see it celebrating its second birthday with a group reading of literary nonfiction Weds., Sept. 25, 7:30, at the Roger Smith Hotel. Pulitzer-winning biographer Justin Kaplan (Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain) headlines; other readers include Glenn O'Brien of Interview and GQ, novelist/journalist Anne Bernays, humorist Andy Borowitz, Retha Oliver and Debbie Nathan. 501 Lexington Ave. (47th St.); free, but make reservations by e-mail to featurewell@featurewell.com.

After the success of their first exhi- bition a couple of months back, Marvin Schwam and two of his stu- dio members at Union Square Ceramics Center, Tamar Gibely and the uni-named Golly, show new work in "Dynamic Ceramic," up through Oct. 15. The soon-to-be-famous(ish) Golly promotes his own brand of political message via handcrafted ceramics, while Gibely displays a more earthly approach to things with her animals. It's another example of why owner and curator Schwam's joint is gaining serious respect as a genuine, yet friendly, rival to the age-old Greenwich House Pottery on Jones St. You're sure to be taken with the vibe of the place. Find yourself signing up for a class or two and you're eligible for the real treat: rooftop parties every other Thursday. 7 E. 17th St., 8th fl. (betw. 5th Ave. & B'way), 633-2026.

Every time Dead Moon comes through town, we do everything humanly possible to make sure we're in attendance, beers in hand. They've been playing stripped-down rock 'n' roll since the late 80s, and still every time we hear one of their records it sounds as good as the first time we heard them. Destination X was "dedicated to all the bands who've remained true to their music no matter what your destination my be"?a statement that says a lot for a group collectively totaling 147 years, who've probably seen their fair share of supporting acts. Opening both shows is Memphis garage rock purveyor Greg Oblivion's latest band, the Reigning Sound. Here's your once-a-year shot at finding out why Dead Moon deserves your attention, Fri., Sept. 27, at Maxwell's (1039 Washington St. (11th St.), Hoboken, 201-653-1703), and again Sat., Sept. 28 at Mercury Lounge. 217 E. Houston St. (betw. Ludlow & Essex Sts.), 212-260-4700; 10:30, $12.

Okay, first of all, Writers With Drinks is the best name for a reading series in a long, long time. Second, its mission, to throw together a range of writer types who under other circumstances would never share a stage, is highly laudable. Too many readings are so boring because the readers all drone the same kind of work; at least this one promises to be unpredictable. Third, it's honchoed and hosted by San Francisco's Charles Anders, aka "The Lazy Crossdresser," who's a very funny character, and really is a kind of intentionally half-assed crossdresser (we'll take his word about the lazy part). On Sat., Sept. 28, 6 p.m., he'll share the podium at Remote?fourth, it's an odd location for a literary event?with comedian and sometime New York Press contributor Johanna Clearfield, speculative fiction writer Nick Mamatas, poet Jane LeCroy and trashy sex writer Tristan Taormino. Expect fireworks, some perhaps fountaining from Taormino's butt. 327 Bowery (betw. 2nd & 3rd Sts.), 228-0228; $3-$5.

Want to see just how fucked up the Warhol crowd really was circa 1968?especially when Andy wasn't around to play mystery tour director? Then you want to see The Secret Life of Hernando Cortez, John Chamberlain's ultra-lo-budget, ultra-sloppy, totally improvised and very funny mess of an hour-long film. It's so pointless and silly it's actually quite endearing?much less a dramatic film than a kind of documentary look at a bunch of druggy, drunken refugees from Max's Kansas City at play in the Yucatan. A very young (and very fucked-up) Taylor Mead stars as Cortez, who the historians tell us was a pretty goofy character himself, which is about as close as this thing gets to historical accuracy. Also with Ultra Violet dressed like a Spanish courtesan. A psycho curio from a lost era of New York City hipsterism, it's at Anthology Film Archives Sat., Sept. 28, at 7:30 & 9 p.m. 32 2nd Ave. (2nd St.), 505-5181.

By this point, everybody knows where they stand on Philip Glass' operas. The glacial imagery and repetitive riffs and beats either suck you in, transfixing you and mesmerizing you in a dreamy snake-and-mongoose pavane, or...they bore the hell out of you, and your head starts nodding and your bladder screaming after the first 15 minutes. We're on the fence ourselves. We've seen Glass operas that utterly fascinated and absorbed us, putting us in a trance we hated resurfacing from, and we've been to ones that put us out like a Mickey Finn, leaving us drooling and snoring in our theater seat. But we're always up to try again, so we'll be at Galileo Galilei, the New York premiere of which opens BAM's Next Wave Festival Tues., Oct. 1, at 7:30, at the funky-chic BAM Rose Cinemas. There are only four performances, Oct. 1 & 3-5, so make your move if you're interested. 30 Lafayette Ave. (betw. Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.), 718-636-4100; www.bam.org.

There was a time when jerking off at the movies was not only allowed, but encouraged?at least on 42nd St. Now SinCine 2002: the NYC Erotic Film Festival brings the love downtown to Remote (and downstairs to Remote's screening room) Tues., Oct 1, and every subsequent Tuesday in the month. Happy hour is 6-7 p.m., then the really happy hours begin with screenings 7-10 p.m., and partying afterward. For the opening night they're showing The Complete Deep Throat, a version of the famous film with pop-up video commentary?which sounds kind of annoying and anti-erotic to us, but who knows. Plus a couple shorts with titles like "Five Fucking Fables" and "Masturbation: Putting the FUN into Self-Loving." Which is where this item started. 327 Bowery (betw. 2nd & 3rd Sts.), 228-0228; $7.