I’ve been waiting for this day for weeks–the day that the rest of the country can finally experience Portlandia, the new comedy series on IFC of which we here at BUST are already die-hard fans. Start with Carrie Brownstein, she of everyone’s favorite grrrl band Sleater-Kinney (who knew she was funny?) and Fred Armisen (ex-Mr. Peggy Olson and current SNL cast member) and add a good dose of laughing-at-ourselves irony, and you get what just might be the funniest thing on TV since Flight of the Conchords went off the air. Of course, it won’t be funny to everyone; I think you have to be somewhat familiar with the particular ultra-lefty-liberal culture that the show is poking fun at (it runs rampant in Portland, of course, but since Brooklyn is the new Portland, we have plenty of these types on the East Coast as well. And actually, uh, we pretty much are these types. As are, I’m sure, both Armisen and Brownstein.). We got advance screeners here at the office and could not stop watching it, or using its catchphrases at every opportunity (The solution to any creative problem? “Put a bird on it!” Letting everyone know something needs to stop ? “Cacao!”).
This morning NPR had a great little story about the series, in which they traveled around Portland together with Carrie and Fred, meeting folks like the fair-trade coffee baristas with coffee-related tattoos (“Here I’ve got a ‘cup ‘n crossed spoons'” one says, of his coffee-themed skull and crossbones tat ). Honestly, this stuff writes itself. Have a listen and get excited for tonite’s show at 10:30pm. There are only 6 episodes this season. It hasn’t even started yet, and already I’m sad for it to be over!
Oh, and btw? We’ve got an interview with the pair in the new issue of BUST magazine, coming at you any minute now!
