THE BACK ROW - October 2008

Local links

Random notes

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 27, 2008 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

Famed comic author Neil Gaiman talks about the upcoming adaptation of “Coraline,” the stop-motion animation film made right here in Portland.

www.premiere.com/features/4795/neil-gaiman-exclusive-coraline-and-more.html

SPIN ON SMITH
A writer from Spin magazine reflects on local musical legend Elliott Smith, who died five years ago last Tuesday.

www.spin.com/blog/why-i-cant-listen-elliott-smiths-music

USA TODAY LOVES STARF**KER
The local pop-tronica act (pictured above) gained some new fans over the weekend with their steller set at New York’s CMJ Music Marathon. Among them, USA Today’s “Pop Candy” blogger who raved that:

“With a name like that, I can’t imagine Starf***er is really in it for the publicity. I also didn’t know too much about these Portland rockers before I saw them perform, so I was pleasantly surprised by their songs, which can begin with experimental and electronic beats but often blossom into melodic pop ditties that put a smile on your face and make you wanna sing. If you’re a Flaming Lips fan, check ’em out, though many influences collide, from ’60s pop to Daft Punk.”

They’re playing at the Someday Lounge on November 21. Tickets and more info are on our Events Calendar

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I am Shiva the Destroyer

Of home demolition, male strippers, broken toilets, and “hooker baths”

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 27, 2008 at 12:01PM 0 Comments

The ladyfriend has a new bathroom picked out for the house that will surely make showering and shaving a truly otherworldly experience. It will also likely land us on the bread line.

So, to save a few extra dollars we told the contractor we’d tear down the bathroom ourselves. Great idea in theory…questionable play calling in practice. If the floor I recently built in the basement (with its slopes, creaks, pointy nails, and lack of artistry) was any evidence of my handiwork, this was going to be a disaster.

So this weekend—with help from her dad, Bob—we spent the better part of two days tearing the holy hell out of our water closet. We took it, as the professionals says, “down to the studs.” (Sidenote: wouldn’t that be a great name for an all-male striptease troupe? And now, appearing tonight at the Triple Nickel…“Down to the Studs!”)

Truth be told it was kind of awesome. It’s quite amazing the amount of destruction one can do with a single crowbar. In fact, the wood and plaster of the walls came down rather easily. But once we reached the ceiling, where the original builders had installed “blown in” insulation in the attic, things got nasty. As we ripped down boards, gray stuffing rained down on us…in our goggles and masks we looked like snowmen from a post-apocalyptic nuclear winter. The bathtub was a bit of a female-dog, too. Too heavy to move and still connected to the pipes, we had to take it out chunk by chunk with a few hundred swings of the sledge hammer. And then there was the toilet…it’s bad enough that this noxious hole has to be dealt with in the first place, but when we were removing the floor tiles with crow bars and hammers, we accidentally bent the lip of the (how do you say?) “evacuation tube?” It meant we had to take out the “throne,” re-set it with some awful donut of wax, and spend a couple hours nose to nose with a truly unspeakable stench.

But by 3 p.m. yesterday (after about four trips to Portland’s magical public dump) we were done. Smelly, dirty, bloody, and sore….but we were done.

So this week (until we take up a more permanent residence in Beaverton for the duration of the three-week remodel) will be a series of “hooker showers” in the kitchen sink and frigid visits to a solitary hole in the ground that used to be our toilet.

I feel sorry for my officemate, John Chandler.

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I’m only speaking for myself…

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 23, 2008 at 01:46PM 0 Comments

…but as Andrew Sullivan pointed out on his indispensable blog, THIS is the reason Obama is winning.

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Dark Horse does it again

Another film adaptation for Milwaukee funny book powerhouse

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 23, 2008 at 10:38AM 1 Comments

The amazing folks at local comic book stronghold Dark Horse (who gave us the lavishly devious comic-to-movie spin off of Hellboy) have done it again. It was announced this week that another of their titles, Freaks of the Heartland, has been optioned for film. Illustrated by Greg Ruth, Steve Niles’ six-part 2004 series about the horrible secret of a rural Middle American town involves Trevor Owen’s attempts to protect his “monster” of a 6-year-old younger brother and Gristlewood Valley’s other “freaks” from their parents’ worst instincts.

Indie crossover director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) has already jumped on board to direct.

Between the partnerships with indie directors, and the recent announcement of a comic archive at PSU, Dark Horse is making friends all over town. Read more in our Books & Talks section.

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Tis the season for…braaaiiinnnsss

Fourth annual Zombie Walk ready to gnaw on your skull

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 23, 2008 at 10:35AM 1 Comments

I love zombies. I love Portland. And as luck would have it, in a true case of gory chocolate and campy peanut butter colliding, zombies are taking over our fair city on Sunday.

It’s called the Zombie Walk. For the fourth-straight year, local undead are encouraged to meet at Pioneer Courthouse Square at 4 p.m. Sharp. From there, the gooey masses will march (or limp or shuffle or drag their useless limbs…whatever zombies do) along a predetermined path through Portland. Last year 700 walking corpses made the trip and this time out Zombie Walk organizers are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for…what exactly? Brain consumption? Mass rigomortis? Fake blood consumption? Find out more at: www.pdxpipeline.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/portland-zombie-halloween/

It’s worth pointing out that one of the requests of the organizers is that participants DON’T arrive to the Square early. Why, you ask? Because of this: Imagine you’re a busybody shopper with your pre-holiday blinders on. You’ve got a 16-syllable coffee in one hand, your cellphone in the other and reams of shopping bags ringed on one forearm. You’re totally up your own backside when, out of the corner of your eye you spot hundreds of flesh eating zombies emerging from the cityscape. Wave after wave of undead groaning and limping and eyeballing you from empty sockets. And for just one tiny split second…you believe the end is nigh and that hell has coughed up its unwanted to conquer us living types.

And then you drop your coffee in shock and the fake zombies erupt in laughter and you feel like an ass. Isn’t that totally worth it?

Luckily, if the worst happens, I’ve read the “Zombie Survival Guide” a few times. In the words of Arnie, “Come with me if you want to live.”

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In praise of blood-thirsty rabbits

Honk if you’re Hrududu…

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 20, 2008 at 02:21PM 0 Comments

Movies like “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” may have had a more immediate impact on my geek-adled brain, but no film gave me such a visceral sucker punch as the animated adaptation of Richard Adams’ novel “Watership Down.”

Since I was 6 or 7 when I first saw it, naturally I hadn’t yet read the book (which, if you haven’t yet, you really should). All I saw was the cover of the Beta Max box in 1982 which had bunnies on it. And bunnies are cute, playful, harmless little critters, right?

Not in Adams’ world, where the amount of blood spilled onscreen drowned out any notions of cotton-tailed gaiety.

You can imagine my shock when I nearly peed myself (apparently we have a fixation with water works this week) in fear after watching the movie. Re-watching it now it’s a brilliant translation of the vicious, socio-political themes which coursed through the book. And the animation is just lovely and, yes, brutal at times. Although the less said about Art Garfunkel’s castrated “Bright Eyes” song the better.

But back then, I don’t think I slept for a week. And that cross pollination of dread and wonder has stuck with me and probably fueled a lot of the things I’m into today: twisted movies, morose yet beguiling music, left-of-center animation, and art that is far from beautiful…but no less mesmerizing.

The movie turned 30 on Sunday, so this my belated shout out: Thanks you weirdo rabbits, for making me the freak I am today. Fittingly enough I found a clip that (correctly in my eyes) reconsiders “Watership Down” the movie from the viewpoint of an 8-year-old me.

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Brighten the Corners (and maybe your day)

Advance warning of impending goodness

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 20, 2008 at 11:28AM 0 Comments

So despite the sucky, soaked beginning to the day, it’s going to be okay. Mainly because in my inbox this morning was an advance copy of the upcoming remaster of Pavement’s “Brighten the Corners.” So now I’m awash in a glut of rarities, live-takes, and never-before-released goodness from one of my favorite bands ever. My jeans aren’t any more dry, but whatever…

The remaster, fittingly titled “Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed” is out Nov. 18. In the meantime, please join me in a little off-kilter pop.

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Last Call for Classical

Monday sucks…go listen to music

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 20, 2008 at 11:26AM 0 Comments

Two events for fans of classical music come to a close tonight, so it might be worth checking to see if any tickets remain.

Celebrating 35 years of performances, the Oregon Repertory Singers embark on another season by highlighting choice selections from America’s great composers. Songs from Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” and a showcase of contemporary composer Eric Whitacre’s music are included in this ode to our finest songsmith’s. It’s tonight at 7:30 at the First United Methodist Church. There’s more info on the events calendar.

Also playing for the final time is the “Grieg Piano Concerto” at the Oregon Symphony. Opening and closing with thunderous timpani rolls, Edward Grieg’s most dramatic work evokes elegant precision even as it segues from passages of delicate grace into furious fanfare. It should also be quite a workout for the pianist, Valentina Lisitsa, a Ukrainian virtuoso and veteran gun for hire who’s played with a host of international symphonies. The show is tonight at 8. There’s more info on the events calendar.

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Dispatches from Iraq

Could Kenny Rogers be the key to ending the “war on terrorism?”

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 20, 2008 at 11:24AM 0 Comments

My best friend and former co-hort at Details magazine is a guy by the name of Ian. We aren’t gay, but it’s an easy mistake to make, given the way we used to hang out constantly and, in favor of going to bars to talk to girls, would often curl up in his loft and listen to super cheesy vinyl and drink beer. I’m talking sweet, gooey Velveeta here: Lionel Ritchie, Christopher Cross, Seals & Croft, Chuck Mangioni, Richard Marx. The list (shamefully) goes on.

We listened to good stuff, too. But something about the honey-dipped lameness of soft rock always delivered both unapologetically tasty hooks and comedy gold. That, and we knew every word.

Anywho, so Ian is in Iraq right now doing a story on the burgeoning U.S. tourist industry (seriously!). And while it’s always great to hear from him, I thought it worth pointing out that he spent who knows how much money to call me from Iraq…not for an update on the insurgence, or a run-in with the troops, or even a late-night rendezvous on a camel. No, he called (twice!) from an Iraqi piano bar where some brilliant Middle Eastern man was showing that, no matter our cultural differences, the love for mellow FM gold is worldwide. That is to say, he was doing a medley of Kenny Rogers songs…“Lady” and “Islands in the Stream” among them.

“There are no words I can use to make this situation any better,” Ian said, whispering over the tinkling of ivory in the background, holding his cell phone in the air, and trying not to laugh.

All I could do was agree…and think that, just maybe, an ivory bearded man with a propensity for plastic surgery might be the key to peace in the Middle East.

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Lesson Learned

Rubber pants, here I come

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 20, 2008 at 11:22AM 0 Comments

Like many of you, I bike to work. Unlike many of you, I’m a moron. I’m admittedly new to this whole bike-as-main-form-of-transport thing, but I figured that once the rains came, I could pretty much proceed as I had been. In a t-shirt, a windbreaker, tennis shoes, and jeans. “Wear some waterproof pants,” my ladyfriend said. “Lame,” I responded. So now, at 10:30 on a Monday morning I’m sitting here in my office and everything below my waist is soaked. It looks, in short, like I peed myself. And no amount of coffee is warming my frozen extremities.

The lesson, as always? I’m an idiot.

Rubber pants, here I come.

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Mac geeks attack

Baby, let me interface with your hard drive…

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 16, 2008 at 04:21PM 0 Comments

As you might have guessed, I just learned how to post videos so now I’m going buck-wild. Anywho, just saw this trailer for a documentary called MacHEADS. I’m a sucker for these types of films that capture geeks (whether they be Trekkies or Star Wars fanboys) unapologetically reveling in their awkwardness. Witness the bad tattoos, the near-sexual heights of techno-ecstasy, and grown men with earrings. Awesome. Almost (ALMOST!) makes me want to throw my Mac in the microwave.

Here it is: MacHEADS.

MacHEADS Trailer – Watch more free videos

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I (heart) PDX?

Anybody notice the cameras yesterday?

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 16, 2008 at 03:38PM 0 Comments

Yesterday, just down the street from our perch on Broadway, some high-falutin Hollywood production was using various buildings as stand-ins for downtown Manhattan. Not sure what was going down (sorry…like i said, i’m lazy), but they were certainly thorough.There were fake NYC cabs, fake police cars, a fake hot dog stand, and even fake subway steam. All that was missing was the fake bum dung.

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Man(dolin) Down!

Local musician has instruments stolen

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 16, 2008 at 03:36PM 0 Comments

My friend and cohort John Chandler (he plays in a Guided by Voices cover band which makes him 10-times cooler than everybody else I know) alerted me to the following:

“Caleb Klauder of the local band Foghorn Stringband had his 1939 Martin 0-17 all-mahogany guitar stolen from a car in NE Portland on Friday Oct 10th. Also his John Sullivan F-5 Mandolin (#79) was stolen too. “These are my Work Horses, My Life,’” Klauder says. “I play every day for a living and need these back.”

So there you have it: an ABP for a mandolin and guitar. If you know anything about it, please do let us know.

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Shake Baby, Shake Baby 1-2-3

Clothing optional rock

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 16, 2008 at 03:34PM 0 Comments

The Shaky Hands are playing the Doug Fir tonight in support of their excellent new album, “Lunglight.” You should go. But be prepared to be posessed by an unquenchable desire to rip your clothes off, jump on stage, and shake your undercarriage like one of those giant swing contraptions you see at the State Fair. We’re not bailing you out, so do your nude-rocking thing at your own risk.

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Sigur Ros Tonight

Elf rockers unite!

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 06, 2008 at 02:15PM 1 Comments

So Iceland’s best (but certainly not only awesome) band is in town tonight doing their epic Hopelandic multi-media blowout at the Schnitz. I’ll be there and I have no doubt that it’ll be awesome. In the meantime (and i know i’m probably breaking some sort of “sending readers elsewhere” rule, but oh well), check out this review of their latest album. It’s written by some dork from Portland.

www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/06/me-su-i-eyrum-vi-spilum-endalaust.html

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Best. Wedding. Ever.

A belated “congratulations” to Taylor and Travis

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 06, 2008 at 12:22PM 2 Comments

I’ll keep this short since most folks out there probably won’t care, but a few weekends ago I attended one of the best (and most unique) weddings I’ve ever seen.

A little backstory first. Not counting my own misguided foray into wedded bless, I’ve only attended two other weddings. During one (in North Carolina) a little dirty dancing between the garter-catcher and flower-catcher led to a full-on drunken melee between garter boy and the flower-girl’s boyfriend. Nothing like seeing the bride in tears as her wedding turns into a riot.

My only other wedding experience was an Italian throw-down on Long Island, in which the bride and groom emerged from a rising pedestal underneath the floor in a haze of dry ice smoke. There were ultra-moussed guys hired to keep the dance floor hopping. And the entire wedding party was introduced by a booming emcee who sounded like he should be announcing some World Wrestling match. Yes, there were lasers and bad techno music. Luckily, there was also an open bar.

Anywho, the wedding I attended two weekends ago was nothing like that. After exchanging improvised vows, Taylor and Travis (college friends of my ladyfriend) were married in a small park in Sellwood on a lovely day by a man in a dinosaur suit. Having said “I do,” Travis and Taylor and all the wedding guests (about 100 or so of us) hopped on our bikes and trekked in mass along the shores of the Willamette. Flasks were passed around. Horns were honked. And at least five bike guests had portable stereos blasting, giving us a proper soundtrack for the ride. The looks on the faces of the spandex’d 10-speeders coming the opposite direction were priceless.

Our final destination was the Green Dragon where everyone was treated to great food, free drinks, and some live music. The less said about that cigar I insisted on smoking the better.

It only took 34 years, but it was nice to finally see a wedding done right: carefree, personal, hilarious, and full-up with love.

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Oden speaks

PM gets a little “alone time” with Portland’s big man

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 06, 2008 at 11:59AM 0 Comments

So I got the chance to sit down with Greg Oden a couple weeks ago and the majority of the conversation will appear in the December issue’s Backtalk. Having once covered athletes for a living, I tried to avoid all the jock-speak (you know, all the 100-percent giving and no-I-in-team stuff?). Luckily with Oden, that wasn’t difficult. We yakked about karaoke, comic books, movies, and yes, basketball. I even asked him about the time I saw him at a Justin Timberlake show in Columbus, Ohio (for the record, I was there for work. swear.) and he got booted for not having a ticket. Anyway, you can get the whole thing in the December issue but since the big guy is making his preseason debut on Tuesday I figured you might as well get a sneak peek.

ME: So after a year of living in Portland, what’s been your most awkward fan interaction?

ODEN: I was driving to a game one night last season, and there’s a carload of people behind me honking. I’ve got tinted windows, so I don’t know how they know it’s me. And they’re laying on their horn. I was like, “Is there something wrong with my wheels?” So I roll down my window to see what the problem is and they’re all, like, staring at me and giving me the thumbs-up sign. And I’m on I-5! On the turns! I thought I was about to die.

ME: What did you do?

ODEN: I just kept driving. Those people were crazy.

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Powerful stuff

The best speech you’ll hear all election season

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 02, 2008 at 01:45PM 0 Comments

Not to beat you over the head with politics, but well, ‘tis the season, right? Anyway, here’s an amazing speech by the AFL-CIO’s Richard Trumka. Yes, it’s pro-Obama so if that’s not your bag, steer clear. But much more than a simple stump speech, it’s 7 minutes of pure, unrestrained passion…more than either candidate has given us in the past few months. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t get a little dusty in my office towards the end there. Enjoy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QIGJTHdH50

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Vote Tweedy ’08

Promise to cast a ballot, get a free Wilco tune. Change you can listen to before you believe in.

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 01, 2008 at 02:04PM 0 Comments

As much as my girlfriend points and laughs (uncomfortably, probably) when I say it, the fact remains: I’d probably go gay for Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy. It’s a total unhealthy mancrush, but this post isn’t about singing the praises of the squat, bearded little god, but to pass along how you can get a free rare tune from Wilco. They played a typically great show a couple weeks back in Bend, and one of the highlights was a set-closing cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” with some harmonic help from Seattle’s Fleet Foxes.

Turns out Wilco is offering that tune up for free download at their website. All they ask in return is that you make a pledge to vote in the next election. Sounds simple enough, right? So get to clickin’ at www.wilcoworld.net/vote/

If you listen very closely, you can hear me squealing like a little girl.

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If We Can’t Get Along, Let’s Get It On

Governor God vs. Senator Foot In Mouth

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 01, 2008 at 01:54PM 0 Comments

On Thursday night the Laurelhurst Theatre is premiering what promises to be the slap-your-knee-and-blow-a-little-snot-bubble most hilarious televised event of the year: Sarah Palin’s debate debut in St. Louis. Yes, it’s a watch party for the Vice Presidential showdown between Palin and Joe Biden. And while after the uncomfortable hilarity provided by her Katie Couric interview it’s easy (like, Paris Hilton easy) to make fun of Miss Alaska, I’m equally uneasy about how Biden is going to perform. Will he call her “broad?” “Sweetcakes?” “Sugarlips?” Between Palin’s deft ability to dodge questions and hit her talking points like she was hitting her marks in a Broadway production of “Guys & Dolls & Bulldogs,” and the distinct possibility that Biden’s head may explode in a fit of wide-eyed frustration, this is exactly the kind of event that’s perfect for group viewing.

Doors open at 5. Show starts at 6. More Info

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Ashley G and Drew

Finally, high-brow art for bearded people

Posted by: Bart Blasengame on Oct 01, 2008 at 01:31PM 0 Comments

Illustration: Ashley G and Drew

Usually I’m obsessing over music, but for the past couple weeks (ever since a nifty little flier made its way to my desk) I’ve been spending a lot of time at the website of local artists Ashley G and Drew. Here’s the link to their little corner of the Internets: www.ashleyganddrew.com

To each his own, obviously, but I really dig the beautiful and playful work the couple is doing. Although on the surface they’re mostly just simple, yet colorful illustrations on weathered-looking paper, there’s something lovingly ramshackle and intimate about each of the images. And plus, most of the male figures have beards, which, considering the current state of my face, is something I wholeheartedly endorse.

My personal favorite is “A Look Only You Would Understand” since the two subjects remind me of how myself and my ladyfriend look when we make our weekly trip to George’s on Interstate. I frequent Last Thursday on Alberta every month in the hopes that I’ll find a nice slice of local art worthy of my walls at home. Luckily, this time Ashley G and Drew found me.

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