Over the course of its eight season run, the IFC comedy Portlandia has played host to many rock legends and indie stalwarts. Jack White showed up for an episode. So has Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock. Glenn Danzig hit the beach, and recently, Black Flag’s Henry Rollins and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic even logged an appearance as members of Fred Armisen’s old punk band. The latest rocker to show up in the PNW is none other than Kurt Vile, who portrayed Carrie Brownstein’s live-in roadie.
It all stems from Fred Armisen’s desire to give Brownstein’s home an extreme home makeover with a music-centric spin. There’s a giant mural featuring Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, her fridge was re-designed to resemble a Marshall full-stack, guitars adorn all the walls, and you even need an all-access pass to enter. Midway through Armisen’s walkthrough, Vile enters to open Brownstein’s beer and hand her a setlist, warning that she goes on in 15 minutes. When she asks if Vile is being paid, he answers, “Yeah, a lot.” “And you’re paying him,” Armisen enthuses.
The coup de grace, as it turns out is the bathroom, which has been totally redesigned to resemble the worst venue bathroom from the diviest, dive bar you’ve ever been to. It’s a pretty hilarious skit, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Check it out for yourself above.
