Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein lampoon Portland (photo courtesy of IFC)
By Elizabeth Vogel, Staff Writer -- vogel11@up.edu
Whether this is your second semester or your second-to-last semester here at UP, you have probably noticed that Portland is, well, weird. Thanks to a new show called "Portlandia," you'll never again struggle to explain Portland to your friends back home.
"Portlandia" was created by and stars former Sleater-Kinney guitarist/vocalist and current Portland resident Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen from "Saturday Night Live." The show is a mesh of skits that parody the people of Portland – lovingly, of course.
"To me it is an absolute love letter to Portland," Brownstein said in a National Public Radio interview. "I've tried to live elsewhere and I can't; I always come back here."
In the first episode, which aired Jan. 21 on the Independent Film Channel (IFC), what should be a simple dinner date becomes a wild chicken chase. The Portland couple needed to see for themselves that the chicken they were being served was, in fact, free range local organic chicken, so they go to the farm where the chicken was raised.
Yes, the skit is over the top. But there is so much truth in it that it is hard to look away.
"There's part of you that is cringing, but at the same time you wouldn't live anywhere else," Brownstein said in the NPR interview.
Senior Cat Rechsteiner hails from San Fransisco, but says the show captures her experience of Portland.
"I want my parents to watch it just so they get an idea of where I'm living," she said.
Despite the obvious jabs at the City of Roses, Rechsteiner thinks the show is great.
"I guess the whole point is a parody, but it's funny because it's familiar," she said. "It's kind of like laughing at yourself."
Sophomore Katherine Thompson, who grew up in Vancouver, Wash., said the show is not completely off-base.
"I thought it was exaggerated, but some of the stereotypes actually fit," she said.
The first episode has a music video called "The Dream of the 90's is Alive in Portland." In the video, Armisen visits Brownstein in Los Angeles and tells her he found a place where the dream of the 90's which is something about tribal tattoos and saving the planet, is still alive..
"So from what I can surmise from what you're positing, it's like Portland is almost an alternative universe. It's like Gore won, the Bush administration never happened," Brownstein said in the video.
Thompson believes the Portland vibe has even pervaded our UP bubble.
"There's a lot of people that bike, and the food is organic and we compost," she said.
Like Brownstein, Rechsteiner has found a love for her adopted city of Portland despite, or because of, its unique vibe.
"It's kind of like a perfect haven," she said.
Portland is a self-conscious city, so a show that finally recognizes its endearing quirks has Portlanders saying, "It's about time." That is, until the show becomes too mainstream.
PORTLANDIA FACTS:
Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on IFC.
Created, written by and starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein.
Clips of the show are available online at hulu.com and ifc.com.
Cartoon by Samantha Heathcote (The Beacon 2011)
