The Most Important Portland Culture News of the Week, From Best to Worst

Plug and Play

It's hard to go without the comforts of home while traveling—and for one guy passing through Portland International Airport last week, the temptation to play video games on a big screen was too great. At around 4:35 am on Jan. 16, airport workers confronted someone playing a video game on one of the monitors used to display information, including a map of restrooms, shops and dining. When airport staffers located the gamer, Port of Portland spokesperson Kama Simonds says they "politely asked him to stop, and he politely asked if he could finish his game, and they politely said no."

Wham PAM Thank You, Ma’am

The Portland Art Museum has announced the biggest individual donation in its history—$10 million from philanthropist Arlene Schnitzer. (It's also being touted as the single largest contribution ever to any Portland arts organization.) The money will be put toward the museum's Rothko Pavilion, a $50 million project to connect PAM's two buildings and display a rotating exhibit of paintings by abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, who attended Lincoln High School. Groundbreaking was scheduled for 2018, but the project remains in the planning and fundraising stages.

License 2 Shrill

Shrill is back. Season 2 premieres Friday, Jan. 24. The widely acclaimed Portland-set and -shot Hulu series stars Aidy Bryant and is based on the memoir by Seattle writer Lindy West. The recently released trailer is full of witty one-liners and Portland quirks—from conveyor belt sushi to a naked cyclist—plus what appears to be a subplot for Annie's housemate Fran, one of the first season's best supporting characters.

The original Vortex Festival at Milo McIver State Park in 1970.

Sucked In Again

Pink Martini, the Dandy Warhols, Blind Pilot and filmmaker Gus Van Sant, somehow, are among the artists schedule to perform at Vortex2020, a sequel to the state-sponsored music festival that took place at Milo McIver State Park near Estacada in 1970. The original event was the first of its kind—a collaboration between then-Oregon Governor Tom McCall and counterculture activists meant to draw protestors away from the annual gathering of the American Legion in Portland, where President Richard Nixon was scheduled to give an address. Now, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the festival this summer, a second Vortex is being held in the same location—though this time, the government is not involved. No tickets will be sold for the festival—entrance can only be gained "through meaningful volunteer work on a designated Vortex2020 project," according to press materials. Specifics on how exactly that will work is still forthcoming. What we do know are the dates: Aug. 22-23, 2020.

House of Mouse

Isaac Brock has finally had enough of the turds in Southeast Portland. A month after shutting down his bar, Poison's Rainbow, the Los Angeles Times reported the Modest Mouse frontman has also put his longtime house in the Buckman neighborhood up for sale. The Times describes the 110-year-old, 3,860-square-foot home as having "serious Craftsman vibes," though it left out the time he told Polish TV he's twice had to chase strangers off the property with an ax. The asking price? $1.3 million. Does this mean Brock is leaving Portland? His representatives did not respond to requests for comment, but a source tells WW he is staying in town—he'll just live in his other house, whose location is less of an open secret.

The Skanner newspaper founders Bernie and Bobbie Dore Foster (The Skanner)

Turn the Page

The Skanner, one of the oldest newspapers serving Portland's African American community, announced it will retire its print edition after 45 years and become an online-only publication. The newspaper, founded in 1975, wrote that the change is due to a decline in revenue in the newspaper sector, which has forced many publications to modify operations. "The media landscape has changed over the last four decades and so must The Skanner," reporter Helen Silvis wrote in a blog post. "The Skanner will not close, but we will adapt."

This Freakin’ Guy

It's Guy Fieri-hunting season in Portland! The frost-tipped, flame-roasted host of Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives was seen at a Blazers game last week, kicking off the recurring tradition of local food media tracking his movements to see which restaurants might soon be annexed to Flavortown. Various social media posts had him spotted at Chin's Kitchen, Güero, Otto's Sausage Kitchen in Woodstock, and seafood spot Season and Regions. WW also confirmed a tip that he shot a segment at Israeli vegan favorite Aviv.