If you grew up in the Portland area, you remember Tom Peterson’s commercials. The always-hustling furniture and appliance salesman gave out free haircuts at his stores and plastered his face on promotional watches and alarm clocks (“Wake up!”). And of course, everyone remembers when he declared bankruptcy and returned as “Tom Peterson… and Gloria’s, Too!” […]
Alison Hallett
Alison Hallett served nobly as the Mercury's arts editor from 2008-2014. Her proud legacy lives on.
Posted inComedy
This Weekend at Helium: Norm!
Norm Macdonald is often weirdly underrated by smart people—maybe because of the slurry, drunk-uncle quality of his delivery, maybe because sports. He’s a brilliant standup, though, in that Louie CK, “I sure am thinking about my own inevitable death a lot at this comedy show” sort of way. (That is what we call an Alison […]
Posted inEvents
It’s Happening Tonight!
MUSIC—Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers is pretty much an honorary Portlander. The dude loves author Willy Vlautin, and he’s only a few months from a three-week residency at the Doug Fir this January. Now he’s back with his whole band, touring on their new album, English Oceans. And it ought to feel just like […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Portland Has More Video Rental Stores than Washington, DC
DCist recently ran an article about the closing of the last “proper” (read: non porn) video rental store in DC, an outpost of a regional chain called Potomac Video that started in 1981. By my count—not including the Fat Cobras of the world—Portland has at least seven six: the venerable Movie Madness (never close!), four […]
Posted inEvents
It’s Happening Tonight!
COMEDY—If you only remember Norm Macdonald from his time behind SNL’s Weekend Update desk, you’re missing out on one of the best stand-up comics around—combining a pitch-black cynicism with surreal, earnest goofiness, Macdonald’s both scary smart and one of the funniest guys on the planet. Don’t miss seeing him live. EHHelium Comedy Club, 1510 SE […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Strange Weirdos
Penny Allen’s Long-Overdue Retrospective
A Portland filmmaker gets a long-overdue retrospective.
Posted inMovies & TV
Flipping the Script
The Other Woman Thinks It Has Something to Say
The Other Woman: Men shouldn’t be allowed to direct movies.
Posted inTheater & Performance
Grrrl Style Now
Comedy, Music, Girl Power
Music and comedy by women takes the stage at the second annual Grrrl Front festival.
Posted inBooks
Alicia Silverstone Has Opinions About Baby Poop.
I know several people who went vegan after reading Alicia Silverstone’s cheerful vegan treatise/cookbook The Kind Diet, including the Merc‘s own Marjorie Skinner, albeit temporarily. I suspect (hope?) her new parenting book will be a tougher sell. Silverstone is at the Cedar Hills Powell’s tonight, reading from (deep breath) The Kind Mama: A Simple Guide […]
Posted inEvents
It’s Happening Tonight!
MUSIC—Electropop goes mainstream pop when the effervescent Ellie Goulding hits the stage. Her album Lights launched her worldwide, but her newest release Halcyon Days, with its lead single “Burn,” continues and improves upon Goulding’s wickedly smart pairing of high-strung emotion with bubbly, club-ready beats. WSHw/Conway; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 8 pm, $39.50, […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Portland’s Past: A Penny Allen Retrospective
Last night I went to Tad Talks, the storytelling series that writer Martha Grover hosts at Tad’s Chicken ‘n’ Dumplings in Troutdale. It was the last show of the season (they’ll pick up again in the fall) and it was a fun night, in part because most of the performers were from the region—a Tad’s […]
Posted inEvents
It’s Happening Tonight!
SPEED—You’ve dominated poky commuters in Portland’s bike lanes for too long—time to test your mettle on the track. Even if you’ve never considered a formal race, check out Portland International Raceway’s Monday night bicycle races. The events take place all summer, and are geared specifically toward neophytes curious what glory tastes like. Just show up […]