Seven years ago, when Saturday Night Live star Fred Armisen and Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein began producing Internet comedy sketches under the moniker ThunderAnt, it was more the product of two energetic workaholics than a serious attempt to storm cable TV.
But chemistry began to develop between Armisen, perhaps best known for his SNL impersonation of Barack Obama, and Brownstein, an icon of the riot grrrl movement with no significant acting experience. And as ThunderAnt's popularity grew, more material focused on Brownstein's hometown of Portland.
And thus was born Portlandia.
Now in its second season, the hit IFC series has developed a devoted following. Memorable segments include two diners obsessing over the provenance of their organic chicken, a table full of hipsterlectuals trying to one-up each other with reading material, a hilarious send-up of dog-park etiquette, and — Armisen's favorite — a recurring pair of ultra-feminist bookstore owners.
Though the show may be focused on that great bastion of progressive minds and political correctness in the misty Northwest, much of the humor — about starving musicians, bearded hipsters and the locavore movement — is just as applicable to Nashville, or any other city experiencing a similar influx of artists, musicians and bohemians.
In the wake of the show's success, Armisen and Brownstein have mounted a live road show, Portlandia: The Tour, which comes to Marathon Music Works Friday night. Armisen spoke with the Scene about his favorite Portlandia characters, hipster backlash and working with one of his rock 'n' roll idols.
When did you first meet Carrie?
I think it was 2003. I knew Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney, and I invited her to come to SNL and she brought the rest of the band, and that's where I met Carrie.
Were you a big fan of Sleater-Kinney?
I was obsessed.
Were you star-struck at all?
Yeah. I wouldn't admit that to her in person, but I was absolutely star-struck. I listened to Sleater-Kinney pretty intensely. Not just like, "I like this band, I'm gonna put on a couple songs." I listened to the albums all the way through. I remember, I had this CD player in my car — remember CD players? [Laughs.]
That sounds like fodder for a Portlandia skit. "Remember CD players?"
I know! It's so crazy. It's crazy getting rental cars now. More and more, they don't have CD players.
How did the idea for ThunderAnt come up?
Just out of wanting something to do. I'd go visit her in Portland, and we're both kind of nervous workaholics. We just kind of work on projects, and we didn't want to "jam," because that's such a go-to, you know? "OK, let's just jam." The world doesn't need another comedian in a band. "Hey, he's in a band with Carrie!" There's nothing in that.
I think there was some kind of political thing going on in New York, maybe some kind of Democratic rally, and they said, "Would you make a video?" And I asked Carrie, "Would you help me make a video?" I don't know if that video ever got shown, but it got us into the mode of, "Let's make videos."
Some of the Portlandia characters originated on ThunderAnt, right?
Yeah, definitely.
Is anyone in Portland offended by the show? What's the reception like there?
Everyone's been really supportive in a very big way. It's been really nice.
About 25 years ago, I had friends who moved out to Portland, and they'd come visit. They were almost like Moonies. They were like, "Come to Portland. There are friendly people there!" I felt like they were trying to indoctrinate me into a cult.
It does kind of draw you in that way. Come! Come!
Is the live show pretty much Portlandia-centric?
Yeah, it's Portlandia-centric, but it's not like the TV show. It's us just talking, and showing videos and playing music.
Do you perform any music during the show?
Yeah. We have a drummer and a keyboard player. I play bass and Carrie plays guitar, and we do songs from the show.
By the way, "The Dream of the 1890s Is Alive in Portland" cracked me up.
Wow, thanks!
That is so true for Nashville too. I think there are a lot of parallels between Portland and Nashville. The beards, the suspenders, the hipster butchers ...
Oh yeah, it's funny. I've been to Nashville a bunch of times. I love that city.
You were here a couple of years ago if I remember.
I did a comedy thing there. I don't do many live shows, but that was one of my favorite shows ever. I really enjoyed it. My friend [record producer and filmmaker] Steve Taylor lives there. He's really cool, and he helped me set it up, and it was great.
Do you localize the shows from city to city?
Oh, absolutely. We try to change it up, so that each city feels like a different experience, even for us too, so that it's not just a tour. Even though we want to make it feel like we're visiting the city, we also want it to feel like the city is visiting us.
Are there plans for a third season of Portlandia?
We're talking about it. We'll see. At the moment we're just focusing on doing the tour and getting Season 2 out there. And then we'll think for a minute and go on to the next step.
Have you thought about doing the treatment to another city?
I don't know. We get asked that a lot, which makes us think maybe that's a good idea. I don't know. There might be something to it.
I'm curious, were you ever a Monty Python fan?
Yes! Who wasn't?
On the surface Portlandia is nothing like Monty Python, but I'll watch sometimes and see weird correlations. Like the organic chicken sketch where it keeps getting weirder and weirder and you wind up on a farm in a cult. Monty Python sketches would often play out to their most extreme, absurd conclusion. And the sketch where there are two cars at the four-way stop sign, and they say, "You go." "No, you go" on and on, reminded my of the Monty Python argument sketch.
Oh, wow! First of all, I'll take that as a compliment.
It's meant as a compliment.
I would say that the way they did sketches had a huge effect on the way I even think of comedy. I almost feel like it's in my DNA. It's almost like, if you're writing music, "Were The Beatles an influence?" Yes!
Do you have a favorite Portlandia character?
It changes from day to day. Usually it's the feminist bookstore ladies. But recently, there's this guy, when I go into the knot store with Jeff Goldblum. There's not much to that character, but I like that wig and that mustache and I'm like, "God, I want to do more stuff with that guy."
Are the star cameos a result of people asking you to be in the show?
Sometimes they are. It's definitely a luxury that people would want to be in it. It's been really fun.
I've noticed a few folks on Facebook who seem to resent that Portlandia's gotten popular, and want to say how they don't like it. Sort of a hipster backlash. It could almost be a Portlandia sketch.
I haven't noticed it, but I think it's to be expected. And it's funny — I can't get upset about that, because I can remember back when I liked bands and if they got really famous, and I would think, "Awww, that was my little band."
Which is exactly like that skit you just did where the woman kidnaps the band because she doesn't want them to get famous.
Yeah, it's like you want ownership over them a little bit. So I can totally see it.
Do you still play music much?
I do. I just played a show last night. Just doing covers and stuff. I don't do it professionally, like, "Hey, I'm a musician." I accept that I'm a comedian. But I will always love playing the drums. I love the drums. I always have. I always will.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
