"The 6-part IFC Original short-based comedy series PORTLANDIA, created, written by and starring Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (vocalist/guitarist, WILD FLAG, Sleater-Kinney), premieres on IFC Friday, January 21, 2011 at 10:30 PM ET/PT. Each episode's character-based shorts draw viewers into "Portlandia," the creators' dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon.
"I love Portlandia. It really represents so much of what I love culturally, musically and in so many other ways," said Fred Armisen. "This started as just a fun summer activity for Carrie and me. We'd be hanging out in Portland and shooting whatever made us laugh, and that evolved into Portlandia."
PORTLANDIA's inhabitants include but are not limited to: the owners of a feminist book store; a militant bike messenger; an artsy couple who attach cut-outs of birds to everything ("put a bird on it!"); an organic farmer who turns out to be a cult leader; an adult hide and seek league; and a punk rock couple negotiating a "safe word" to help govern their love life. The first episode depicts Armisen and Brownstein meeting with the Mayor of Portland (Kyle MacLachlan) who solicits the duo to write a new theme song for the city. This segment features a cameo from the real mayor of Portland (Sam Adams) playing the assistant to MacLachlan's "mayor." Much of the series' original music is written and performed by Armisen and Brownstein.
An assortment of guest stars inhabit PORTLANDIA, including Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Sex & The City), Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Selma Blair (Legally Blonde, Hellboy), Heather Graham (The Hangover), Edie McClurg (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), Kumail Nanjiani (Michael & Michael Have Issues), Jason Sudeikis (SNL, The Cleveland Show), and Gus Van Sant (Milk). Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann also guest stars, alongside James Mercer (The Shins), and local Portland musicians Jenny Conlee and Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney)."
This show is amazing, and so is the city. I finally just took the time to scroll through many channels I never watch to figure out which one was IFC (164 on Comcast Digital) and set my DVR. So far I've only seen one episode, but it was hilarious and I look forward to chuckling at Fred and Carrie's wacky take on Portland, OR and its inhabitants on future eps.
Portland is one of my favorite cities in the US..we were close to moving there a few years ago. But, some of the strange Portlandish things they highlight on the show are what make me scared to move there, mainly: the abundance of damn hippies. We have several close non-hippy friends who have lived or currently live in Portland and on many visits have experienced everything from hip wine bars in the Pearl district to home made brew fests (where hippies abound.) Plus..wine tasting in the Willamette Valley, riding bikes on the beach, visiting waterfalls, the fruit loop, Hood river, Mt. Hood, the Rhodedendron Garden and flowering trees in the spring, the Japanese Garden in the fall, the Rose Garden in summertime, drinks at a former elementary school that's now a bohemian bar/lounge, fantastic Peruvian dinner at Del Inti one of my former co-workers from SF owns, lunch at Pok Pok that I read about in Food + Wine (and loved), hip bars during the dot com boom, cheap dive bars when all our friends there were unemployed, hanging out in NW, SW, SE, NE, ping pong and beers at a hilltop bar where you bring your own food to BBQ, bacon salt bloodies and one of the best burgers I've ever had at Belly Timber, sending the Mayor a beer at Blue Moon and meeting her years ago, amazing coffee at one of many independent coffee shops, great bookstores, food trucks, walking along the river and so much more. The restaurants, neighborhoods, wine, beer, coffee, chocolate, public transportation, parks, gardens, walk/bikeability and natural beauty are all top notch and still make me want to move there, as it truly is a spectacular city. The strange people obsessed with buying everything at vintage stores, tats, red lipstick/short black bobs, only listening to music on old record players, extreme biking, being stinky/hairy, burning patchoui incense, dumpster diving, refusing to use soap/shampoo, etc.? Not so much. But, I do love to visit and really like this show. Here are a few favorite Portland photos I've taken on our last couple of visits..
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