Portlandia’s Top 10 Musical Moments of Season Two
In its two seasons on the air, Portlandia has managed to become one of the most relevant 30-minute sketch comedy shows on television thanks to its multifaceted stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. The duo has crept their way into hearts by reinventing scenarios that hit close to home, but from the sidewalks of Oregon's utopic City of Roses, and often with nods to rock & roll.
Armisen, a current Saturday Night Live cast member, drummed in the 1990s with Trenchmouth, and Brownstein, an unforeseen match made in heaven to Armisen's comedic delivery, slayed with her guitar in Sleater-Kinney before the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2006, and currently plays with indie outfit Wild Flag. The post-punk audiophiles have exercised their musical upbringings into several sketches, and locked in several guest spots from big name talent, namely Eddie Vedder, Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones, St. Vincent, Joanna Newsom and Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold in Season Two alone. The previous season saw cameos from members of The Decemberists, Shins frontman James Mercer, Aimee Mann and Sarah MacLachlan, the latter two who lampooned the struggling music business playing musicians-turned-cleaning lady and gardener, respectively.
In the following slides, Rolling Stone explains the 10 top music-inspired moments from Season Two of Portlandia.
By Charley Rogulewski
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1. Oh L’Canoe Dancing
To partake in canoe dancing, officially referred to as FreeStyle Canoeing in non-Portlandic terms, you’ll need one canoe, a paddle and a strong breast-stroke. According to the sport’s website: "Many FreeStylers paddle to music making an expressible, interpretive art form." Inspired by a YouTube video from the 2007 Mid-West FreeStyle Canoe Symposium, Armisen took the geriatric-friendly sport to the banks of Northeast Portland’s Blue Lake livening it up with Erasure’s 1986 single "Oh L’Amour." Applause is not optional.
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2. Catnapped Sells Out Portland’s Cinema 21
"We could do something where I pretend you’re my sister," struggling The Nap keyboardist Gil (Armisen) brainstorms with his bandmate Merril (Brownstein) in this hilarious sketch from Episode Six. "Please, we all know who did that," Merill grunts, silently referencing the old White Stripes hoax. The post-post-New-Wave duo The Nap ultimately reinvents itself as the trio Catnap with the gimmicky addition of a Siamese cat named Kevin. Powered by the single "Whisker Patrol" the band blows up virally, even getting props from PETA via Twitter. Enter Armisen’s SNL castmate Kristen Wiig, who guest stars as psycho fan Gathy ("That’s Gathy. With a ‘G’.") and kidnaps her idols, cat included, at gunpoint in an attempt to keep them from leaving Portland on tour.
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3. Bad Tat F***ing Napolean
There’s no denying Pearl Jam's hardcore fanbase and its affinity for ink. A particular favorite among the Jamily is the Kokopelli-esque "Alive" logo. Portlandia channeled the uber-fan with "Bad Tattoo," a segment where Brownstein can’t get over the monstrous Eddie Vedder tattoo engraved on her fling’s bicep. "I did like Pearl Jam in high school. Is that when you got this?" she inquires about the tat, which turns out to be a deal breaker after it takes on a life of its own. To spare the scene from Ten Club backlash, Vedder makes a cameo and shows his love for "Napoleon" singer Ani DiFranco.
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4. LP Indecision 2012
Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock guest stars as a vinyl donor gifting the elite Shooting Star Preschool with his used LPs. Overprotective parents Brendan (Armisen) and Michelle (Brownstein) question the school's prestige based on the headmaster's taste in music, singling out Mike and + Mechanics'1980s pop gem The Living Years as "a gateway to other mediocre pop music." Things get more heated when they find out German Krautrock bands like Neu! are being overlooked in the school's syllabus. "These are the people teaching our kids!" an irate Brownstein charges at a school meeting. "Our kids are sponges and when they leave here what they listen to now will affect them the rest of their lives!" Brock enters dropping off his stash of $1 box LPs – the Back to the Future soundtrack and Talk Talk albums – to the dismay of angry parents. Somewhere in Brooklyn, this scenario is probably really happening.
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5. Big Harp, Small Hatchback
After angelically strumming away in a golden meadow with frolicking boho hippies that include a blanket-wrapped Robin Pecknold, harpist Joanna Newsom is faced with the dilemma of finding a ride home for herself and her massive instrument. Joaquin (Armisen) agrees to give her a lift, but lacks some serious packing finesse and mangles the harp in a weary attempt to stow it in the mini-hatchback of his eco-friendly sedan. A usually poised Newsom looses her cool and threatens to sue the couple because they have "destroyed a beautiful instrument." "What kind of vibe is that?" Armisen retailiates, referencing the beautiful musical awakening that transpired earlier. Newsom is most likely not letting them have one on her later.
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6. That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore … It’s Actually Hilarious
Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has worked on two albums with Portland's resident indie rock gods Modest Mouse, so it's safe to say the Brit has seen his fair share of rainy days in Portland. No rain in this sketch, but Marr does pay his respects to the city’s other celebrated trademark – the bike – with his Season Two cameo. Armisen and Brownstein play two bike valet attendants who setup shop in front of the Portland Art Museum. "That’s not my bike," Marr scolds, growing gradually more frustrated after a ticket mixup. "Mine’s a red men’s bike" Brownstein retorts by asking "What’s that accent? Are you from California?" In the end, the Brit has to please, please, please with the valet to let him get what he wants himself.
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7. Come See My Mom Spin Records
Record store clerk by day, DJ by night – moonlighters like this litter day jobs and bars in hipster metropolises across America, and the litter they produce takes the drivers seat in this Portlandia sketch. Armisen and Brownstein are bombarded by "DJ Night" fliers as they run errands around Portland, even being accosted by a bank clerk that also goes by the name DJ Direct Deposit spinning rockabilly, hillbilly and psychobilly. With everyone in Portland turning into a DJ, the sketch turns into a zombie thriller as the two dodge the threatening, wannabe turntableists and iPod shufflers. Even the oft-heard tagline: "If you get there early, drinks are free" can’t convince Armisen and Brownstein to commit.
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8. St. Vincent Struts the Catwalk
After breaking up "Trek in the Park," a peaceful Star Trek-themed outdoor performance, Portland’s cops are facing a PR crisis. The mayor puts Brownstein and Armisen to work redesigning the PPD’s uniforms. Luckily St. Vincent’s Annie Clark is around to put her doe-eyed good looks to good use, modeling the final look in the Portland Cop Uniform Redesign runway show. The strapless, tutu-inspired uniforms complete with stilettos and handcuffs "will get you arrested and are arresting," Brownstein explains to Portland's Chief of Police.
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9. Dream of the 1890’s in Portland
In this original music montage, Jason (Armisen) recounts to his L.A. pal Melony (Brownstein) the timeless wonders he saw on his visit to Portland. Unlike the flannel and longhair of 1990s music-centric rival city Seattle, Portland is trapped in the 1890s. Walk its streets and you're knee deep in muttonchops, handlebar mustaches, suspenders and people wearing glasses like contact lenses had never been invented. Small local businesses line the streets, the skinny is strong and it's microbrew or die in Portland.
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10. Parental-Control Kickstarter
Poking fun at the Facebook pleas and emails that have people opening up their wallets in the name of their friends' artistic dreams and aspirations, pop singer Jayde (Brownstein) of "jayde speaks Sevyn" embarks on a viral Kickstarter campaign for her new music video. Daft music video director Gahvin Quin (Armisen) needs $25Gs to make his "so cinematic and so beautiful" vision come to life. For $1 you get a half-priced download of half of the song, $100 bucks will buy you a set visit when no one is on set. The sketch poignantly pokes fun at the parent-funded emerging band epidemic sweeping the nation, with Jayde’s dad eventually ponying up for the entire bill.