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Two 20-something guys who recap every Gilmore Girls episode for their Gilmore Guys podcast are on their way to Portland.
Girls went off the air in 2007, but the show's Internet cache recently reached new heights thanks to Netflix picking it up for a limited series revival, and to Kevin Porter and Demi Adejuyigbe, who will record a live podcast about the episode "Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out!" from season 6 at the Aladdin on Saturday.
Between living in California and attending college in Austin, the guys have a lot to bring to the table when it comes to a geographical rivalry with Portland. But neither has visited the Rose City before, so WW talked with them about what they can expect during their visit, and how Portland might sway their affections.
WW: Was there strong demand from your listeners for a live show in Portland?
Kevin Porter: I feel like there was. We look at the iTunes numbers and at what people are responding to on social media. We kept hearing Portland over and over again. We always hear Portland and Seattle. We wanted to get the major regions of the country before the show is over, and we only have two more seasons to go! We gotta get these cities in when we can.
Let's play some word association—what comes to your mind when you think of Portland?
Porter: "Granola" is the first word I think of. Isn't it interesting how much Portland has been branded by an IFC show? And who knows how accurate it is. But Demi and I both went to school at the University of Texas at Austin, and their whole thing was "Keep Austin Weird." Who was weird first?
Demi Adejuyigbe: Yeah, Portlandia ruined any hope I had of seeing Portland as anything other than a fictional TV setting. Outside of the show. Uh…bikes. Coffee. Modest Mouse. The Thermals. Maine. A sailor of some sort?
Lots of TV shows are set here. Would you rather listen to a podcast recapping episodes of Grimm or of Rainn Wilson's failed detective drama, Backstrom?
Porter: Backstrom Buddies needs to happen. It's like House but he's a detective, and he's a real jerk. I think there's just so much to be mined from a discussion of a male antihero, of the jerk who's good at his job. That hasn't been done enough.
Adejuyigbe: Trick question. I'm subscribing to a podcast called Leveragettes, where two women discuss only the fifth season of Leverage, having never seen the first four, which aren't set in Portland.
Are you attached in any way to Portland, Maine? They were around first, but we have better beer.
Porter: Between the two? I'm going Portland, Oregon. Is there a sketch comedy show set in Maine? I don't think so. I take many allegiances with [cities for their] comedy scene, like Austin. Kids in the Hall is the only reason I would ever consider Canada.
We heard a rumor that Michael Winters (the actor who played Taylor in Gilmore Girls) lives around here. Are you guys gonna see him or do anything else while you're in town?
Adejuyigbe: It would be wonderful to…time permitting.
Porter: I've gotten recommendations for Blue Star and a music store—I can't remember the name, but a friend of mine, Andi Carder [of Los Angeles band the Show Ponies], goes on tour there a lot.
Adejuyigbe: In Dallas, I went to an escape room with a few of the show's listeners, and I'm starting to think that's something I want to do in every city. Former show guest Megan Amram traveled to a bunch of escape rooms nationwide, and she bit me with the puzzle bug. Aside from getting in my fix of that, I want to see all the city has to offer. Every bike store. All of the breweries. Again, I don't know much about Portland.
But can you pick the better doughnut shop: Voodoo or Blue Star? If anyone asks while you're here, the answer is Blue Star.
Adejuyigbe: Based on website design alone, Blue Star wins. Based on what the woman holding a gun to my head says, Blue Star also wins.
GO: Gilmore Guys Live: A Stars Hollow Town Meeting is at the Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 234-9694. 8 pm Saturday, Jan. 30. $18. All ages.
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