Last night’s Game of Thrones was a road movie. Robb set out for Riverrun, Breanne and Jaime stomped through the wilderness, Arya and Gendry met some forest guys, Jon and Sam walked through snow to somewhere, and Bran is having weird dreams while being wagon-ed about by Hodor. Road movies, though, aren’t about the destination […]
Joe Streckert
Joe Streckert is the author of Storied & Scandalous Portland, Oregon: A History of Gambling, Vice, Wits, and Wagers. He writes about books, history, and comics.
Posted inBooks
Bitter Greens
Weed Eating Gets Cosmic in Dandelion Hunter
Weed eating gets cosmic in Rebecca Lerner’s Dandelion Hunter.
Posted inTV
Game of Thrones Recap: Board Setup Edition
Before any board game, you have to set up the pieces. Maybe you’re arranging army tokens all over a Risk board or distributing resources all over a Settlers of Catan map, but inherent in that setup phase is suspense and conjecture. You’re trying to guess, from the setup, what the players are going to do […]
Posted inGeneral
Off the Grid
The History of Portland’s Street Grid, Or “What the HELL Is Up with Ladd’s Addition?”
The history behind Portland’s sometimes baffling street grid.
Posted inBooks
Know Your Home
All the Oregon History That’s Fit to Print
Wanna learn more about local history? Here’s where to start.
Posted inMovies & TV
Hey, Remember That OTHER Hobbit Movie?
Long ago, in the days when disco ruled the Earth and Dungeons and Dragons was in its first edition, there was a Hobbit movie. Before Harry Potter, before World of Warcraft, before Game of Thrones, before Shwarzenegger’s furry Conan Speedo, before even Hawk the Slayer, there was The Hobbit. A simpler Hobbit. A cartoon Hobbit. […]
Posted inBooks
Tonight at the Bagdad: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein
The people who make Portlandia the show made a book. It is called Portlandia: A Visitor’s Guide, and Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are promoting it tonight at the Bagdad. The book is not good, but I read it so you don’t have to. You’re welcome. Books like this tend to be cash-ins for the […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Tonight at the Hollywood: D.B. Cooper Movie Night
If you like history, airplanes, or daring acts of thievery, then there is a very large non-zero chance that you will enjoy yourself at the Hollywood Theater tomorrow night.Doug Kenck-Crispin of Kick-Ass Oregon History is putting on a D.B. Cooper Movie Night, celebrating the 41st anniversary of Portland’s most daring act of sky piracy. (Full […]
Posted inBooks
Science, Bitches
Why Your Hippie Friends Are Filled with Wrong
It’s not just conservatives who are guilty of anti-scientific thought.
Posted inTV
A Grown Man Yelling at Dust and Air: My Night With Zak From Ghost Adventures
I did not enjoy myself last night. You probably did. You were probably doing something amusing, like watching television or having sex. I was not. Much to my chagrin, noted sadist and Mercury arts editor Alison Hallet thought it would be funny if I went on a tour of the “Shanghai Tunnels” hosted by Zak […]
Posted inArts
Wordstock for Writers
Learn How to Stalk an Editor without Getting Arrested
Learn how to stalk an editor without getting arrested.
Posted inArts
Locals Only:
It’s a Portland-y Year at Wordstock
Navigating the Portland of Wordstock.