Contributed by Paul Seaburn, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru
If you’re planning to visit Portland, Oregon, the sketch comedy show “Portlandia” might make a hilarious travel guide.
Starring “Saturday Night Live” cast member Fred Armisen and musician Carrie Brownstein, the series on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) does a great job poking fun at the quirky city that brags about its feminist bookstores, vegan strip club and world’s largest naked bike ride. If you’ve seen “Portlandia,” here’s some series trivia to test your knowledge.
10. He knows his character
Most of the dialogue written for actor Kumail Nanjiani is written by writer Kumail Nanjiani.
9. Who’s the boss
Fred Armisten’s boss on “Portlandia” is also his boss on “Saturday Night Live” – executive producer Lorne Michaels.
8. That place looks familiar
The sketches set in the feminist bookstore are shot in the real non-profit bookstore In Other Words that inspired the book-peddling characters played by Fred and Carrie.
7. Mister Mayor?
Real Portland mayor Sam Adams played an assistant to Kyle MacLachlan’s, the show’s fictional mayor.
6. Play it again, Carrie
In a sketch spoofing Portland’s MusicfestNW music festival, one of the rock bands featured Corin Tucker, who played with Carrie Brownstein in their real band, Sleater-Kinney. Also appearing is another Portland favorite, The Decembrists.
5. The statue, not the show
The name “Portlandia” comes from a statue above the entrance of the Portland Building on Fifth Avenue in downtown Portland.
4. In the beginning
Carrie and Fred performed sketch comedy together as the duo ThunderAnt where they first developed many of the “Portlandia” cast of weird characters.
3. Play ball!
Kyle MacLachlan is from Washington state and suggested the sketch where his character, the mayor, is jealous that Portland doesn’t have a baseball team while Seattle, Washington, does.
2. The truth is out there
One of Fred’s characters calls Portland the place “where young people go to retire” and studies show that the city really does attract a lot of young people who end up unemployed.
1. Ad men
Carrie Brownstein once worked at Wieden + Kennedy, the Portland ad agency which created Nike’s “Just Do It” ads, and a “Portlandia” sketch was filmed there.
Fans of the tv series Portlandia are delighted to find Portlandia merchandise, and collect everything from t-shirts to glasswear and caps.