Last week, after going to Cop School, I mentioned anybody wishing to win the Mercury over with a bottle of scotch wouldn’t exactly be unwelcome. Hail the arrival, then, of folksinger and film-maker, Luke Tan—who has been writing for Street Roots for the past few issues, and making a film, about a flophouse on NW Hoyt between 22nd and 23rd Aves.LUKE TAN: Hop Scotch

Tan, who moved to Portland last July after selling his farm in Lexington, Georgia, (the mortgage on which was $209/month—he raised poultry and grew vegetables) has put together a multimedia project called Ghosts in the Flophouse, based on 6 months living as a caretaker in the almost empty 65-room residence in NW. On arrival in Portland, he wrote a Craigslist ad saying he was seeking a “mutually beneficial relationship with an empty building,” and ended up there.

The flophouse is now being turned into condos, but Tan’s project captures the eeriness of the place. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but then, neither is anything. Scott Moore describes it as “eery folky.” Tan’ll be playing at The Waypost next Tuesday, April 17th, around 8.30pm. The last chapter of his writing about the house will be in Street Roots on April 20. The full movie will also be screening at The Apotheke on the same day.

Thanks for the Scotch, Luke. And good luck to you…