Destination Fun

Elements of Adrenaline Film Series In spite of their adorable hound dog eyes and dopey personas, hippos are mean. Every year they kill more people in Africa than any other animal–more than elephants, more than lions, more than snakes. Using their powerful jaws, they crush boats and grab hold of bystanders, pulling them underwater into […]

Rocky Horror 25th Anniversary Right up with getting pantsed or learning how to smoke out of soda cans is going to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s a necessary rite of passage for any self-respecting teenager on the cusp of entering adulthood. The campy and absurd musical involves the corruption of Susan “Dammit Janet” […]

Rocky Horror 25th Anniversary Right up with getting pantsed or learning how to smoke out of soda cans is going to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s a necessary rite of passage for any self-respecting teenager on the cusp of entering adulthood. The campy and absurd musical involves the corruption of Susan “Dammit Janet” […]

Cult of the Liminal If there is one play you see this year, make it a Liminal one. Indeed, there might be only one to see. Liminal has averaged barely one full production per year since its arrival on the scene in 1997. It is thus safe to tout its new production, Three Plays, Five […]

Double-Barrelled Soul There’s something adorable about the mod crowd that makes me love them despite their demented schtick. I think it might be the cuteness of their clothes–tight fitted pants, fur hooded parkas, shift dresses, cycling shirts–or maybe it’s that unlike the grumpy indie dorks, the shitfaced gutter punks, and the overly sincere twee dweebs, […]

Riding High on the Hog They say that dogs and owners eventually begin to reflect each others’ personalities. But perhaps motorcycles are a better and more perfect reflection of the owner’s soul. When motorcycles were first manufactured in America–the classic Indians and, of course, Harleys–they mimicked the loose-in-the-saddle, cool demeanor of the American cowboy. More […]

Voodoo Doughnut Casts Spell On P-Town What’s that smell coming from Old Town? No, not that. It’s sugary and cream-filled decadent delights, courtesy of Voodoo Doughnut! Opening April 1, 2003, Voodoo Doughnut hopes to fill a hole in the world of Portland cuisine, serving up possessed pastries, hot coffee, and gyros to all those stumbling […]

Kid Koala Waxes Robotic Turntablists are celebrated for speaking with their hands, but Montreal decknician Kid Koala (Eric San) is the first to use those mitts to forge a graphic novel, with Nufonia Must Fall (ECW Press). He’s promoting the tome with a unique tour that will feature as much record scratching as it will […]

Portland Haute Couture? It’s true that when you walk down the streets of Portland, most people look like they’re dressed to go to the Laundromat–but that doesn’t mean there’s no fashion. We’re a town of poor, struggling artists, and it turns out many of us poor strugglers are fashion designers. Stella Farina, the founder and […]

A Do-It-Yourself Scapbook For the past year and a half, Iris Porter has been organizing DIYinPDX, a book and CD documenting do-it-yourself culture in Portland. “I wanted to compile [it] as a sort of documentation of the inspiring people and projects in this town. I’ve spent a lot of time in Portland over the past […]

erotica The Enlightened Susie Bright You can’t wave your favorite American flag without hitting a tacky, hyper-sexualized image. Mass mediated sexual imagery and tasteless porn permeate, but for my money, there’s nothing like well-written erotica. The depth and diversity present in quality erotica remind us that it’s natural to be sexual, and just fine to […]

Free Pirate Radio Nearly a year ago, there was a benefit for the Portland Radio Authority (PRA), a pirate radio venture aiming to provide a forum for what isn’t ordinarily heard. The anonymous co-founders finally launched it in May, but after only one week on the air, they accidentally busted their transmitter and had to […]