
Do you need context for this? You don't.



Another week, another Mercury music section to wad up in fury as you read the profoundly irritating news that Portlandia is publishing its own travel guide to Portland.
Two friends growing up on Vashon Island start a band. That band becomes the Pharmacy, and the Pharmacy is here to disprove any rumors about rock and roll's supposed demise.
LISTEN:
The Pharmacy - "Dig Your Grave"
Our metal writer proclaims that Arizona's Vektor is the most legit metal band in the US. He obviously hasn't heard my metal band, LEGÏTIMATÖR—we do a mean metal cover of "2 Legit 2 Quit."
LISTEN:
Plus, we also have a special Valentine's Day playlist of the creepiest love songs of all time, with the Crystals, Roxy Music, Kenny Rogers, and more. These are the songs that you don't want to put on that Valentine's mixtape for your sweetie.
And a whole candy box full of Up and Comings.
Apparently, some hair styling schools don't appreciate it when filthy, dirt-foot hippies come marching into their classrooms to protest:
You’re the same dorks that didn’t get laid in high school or invited to parties and now, angry at the world, you feel victimized. Starving for vindication that you’ve done something meaningful with your lives and an insatiable hunger for attention, you —out spoken weaklings- found empowerment marching into a school of 99% women where you finally got to flex your muscles!
Hey! Ho! We don't want to go—to get our hair cut, or any other form of personal hygiene! (Okay, I'm going to work on that chant a little longer. In the meantime, drop off your own complaint or confession in the I, Anonymous Blog, and... cut your hair, hippie!!)

Hey, remember the classic I, Anonymous entitled "Curb Your Snake"? Well, the owner of the snake has finally responded! YAYYYYYY!!!
My "devilish reptile friend"? His name is johnny, and he is my little baby. You scared the crap out of him when you ran out of the bathroom with your hands up in the air screaming. And since you had your arms in the air, where was your baby? Cause I didn't see or smell it, and according to your repulsive description, we all should have. All I saw was a deranged young woman fleeing from the bathroom as if all hell were chasing her.
YESSSSSSSS. I love the I, Anonymous blog so much! It's like the court of public opinion for assholes!! DO YOUR PART, and drop off your opinion today!

New rule, guys! We can no longer refer to Portland as "PDX."
Enough with the PDX already! PDX is the airport, not the city! Somehow calling Portland PDX got started about 10 years ago and now everything is PD fucking X. Referring to Portland as PDX is the equivalent of calling San Francisco "Frisco"! It is not cool, or hip or cutting edge, it is stupid, lame and annoying.
Sooo... you're saying we can call it "PD fucking X"? I like that better anyway. HEY! There's a lot of new I, Anonymooses waiting for you over at the I, Anonymous Blog. Got a new rule that everyone must adhere to or else? Post it here, and it will automatically become law!

Apparently there's been some sort of fatwa declared on the ladies of the Portland Mercury, because we've received two submissions in a row that's talkin' shit about our girls. Example #1 seems to be directed at "an unassertive, rude turd of a girl" that's a terrible roommate and works for an "alternative paper" (we'll assume it's ours):
One of your former roommates has brought to my attention yet again how lame you are. You sent her a passive-aggressive email regarding her slaving away in the kitchen for four hours since you don’t clean up shit apparently. You’re disgusting. You also use too much toilet paper, and then lie about it and never offer to buy any.
Any guesses about who that may be? I HAVE SOME THEORIES. But on to example #2, which isn't so cagey about who they're talking about when it comes to annoying people who take annoying pictures with their iPhones:
3. Sepia toned iphone photos. THIS IS SELF EXPLANATORY.4. Oh so hilarious signs. Like Bill Murray. Come on now. Post no bills is funny. That's just fucking stupid. Looking at you COURTNEY FERGUSON
I wonder who they're talking about? Anyway, if you have a rant or confession regarding the ladies at the Mercury (or anyone else for that matter), drop it off in the I, Anonymous Blog: Which uses entirely too much toilet paper.

Hecklevsion was a total blast when we did it a few weeks ago, so guess what? WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN.
Oh yes.
Hecklevision: Commando. Saturday February 25, 2012. 7:30 pm. The Hollywood Theater (4122 NE Sandy). Admission $7. It's going to be fucking magical.
IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: By popular my demand, the Hollywood, for this one night only, has agreed to sell milano cookies—or, as they will be referred to that evening, "Alyssa Milano Milanos."
Some people know how to write a great opening line for I, Anonymous... some don't. THIS PERSON DOES.
To the woman who decided to put her pet snake on the Barnes and Noble bathroom counter whilst washing her hands; what the hell is wrong with you?!
The rest is good too! Then there's this one:
Sorry about that, I had no idea my clown outfit would upset you so much.
Yessssss. All in all, a pretty good weekend for the I, Anonymous Blog. Check out the rest, and drop off your own confession or rant. (Sorry, snakes not welcome.)

OMG... an apology! An actual I, Anonymous apology! They're as rare as a unicorn with a Bart Simpson tattoo!! Check out this submission called: "I'm Sorry I Hit Your Car and Drove Away."
I was going about 90 miles an hour somewhere in residential SE and blew through a couple stop signs, slammed on my brakes, spun into your parked car — which probably stopped me from flipping over. Amazingly, I was able to drive away. Sorry about that.
Well, that's very nice, and I appreciate... wait. There's more?
Also, sorry for being too drunk to have sex with you for, oh, several years.
Okay, ummm... I guess I forgive you, and... THERE'S MORE??
I apologize for throwing up in your yard, or stuffing beer cans and wine bottles in your bushes.
AND THERE'S EVEN MORE??? Fuck you, and fuck your apology, dude! That was my favorite bush!! Sheesh. If you've got a lot to be sorry for, why not apologize for everything all at once, right here in the I Anonymous Blog: "Where all will be forgiven, my child."

Who's getting excited to do some sweaty dancing at next Saturday's That's My Jam at the Bossanova? This girl, with the two thumbs and the spazzy dance moves. We're having a shaking good time next weekend, with DJ Beyonda and Ill Camino, and a dance crew contest. And maybe you need some inspiring dance moves to put a fire under your butt to enter that contest, so it seems like as good a time as any to continue my ongoing Blogtown series Dance Videos That I Think Are Awesome AKA Courtney's Happy Place (I need a catchier name for that series). Here:
That's My Jam!
Saturday, February 4
Bossanova Ballroom (722 E Burnside), 9 pm, $5 ($20 to enter the dance crew competition), tix
As you may have heard, our beloved Tony Perez is passing off his crown as the Mercury's Food Critic due to increased responsibilities at his much better paying job at Tin House. But before we place his crown on the noggin of the newest member of the Mercury team, I'd like to give a big HUZZAH! and a "tip o' the hat" to Tony who has been a simply fantastic food critic and a pure joy to work with. (Something tells me, however, this isn't the last you'll hear from Tony!)
Okay, now on to our announcement! Well over 100 people applied this time around for the Mercury food critic position, and we received a buttload of amazing resumes. That being said, we've settled on who we think is a great pick for us...
Say hello to your new Mercury Food Critic… Chris Onstad!
As many of you already know, Chris is the highly acclaimed author of the webcomic Achewood (which also ran in the Mercury for awhile), and is a consummate lover and preparer of all things delicious. He was also the topic of a feature written by former food editor Patrick Coleman (about the proper preparation of yak and buffalo testicles), and his writing has been published in such lofty journals as Saveur, The New Yorker, GQ, Vice and more. Happily he also happens to have an encyclopedic, obsessive knowledge and regard for the local food scene. But don't fret, Achewood fans! After a short hiatus, Chris is back to writing Achewood, so we're especially pleased he's taking time to join us as our newest food critic!
Though he won't actually get started writing Merc reviews for another couple-or-three weeks, I was too excited not to share. So stay tuned! Welcome Chris Onstad, and bon apetit!
I don't know exactly what's been going down for the last 24 hours—though I suspect it's the "Space Hurricane"—but you guys have been submitting a LOT of I, Anonymooses. But who's complaining, right? Oh, yeah... YOU ARE.
Let's improve the love lab so the intelligent and capable can reproduce in an orderly fashion please. Goddammit, no one wants to see pictures that aren't cute. Why don't you place only cute ones? In bikini, playing with your dog, getting a tattoo.
This guy sounds foreign to me. Not that that's a bad thing. Anyway, as you can see, you can learn a lot from the I, Anonymous Blog (such as not to go into certain sandwich shops if you're Jewish). Do you have a suggestion for the world at large? Submit it here! (Quick, before the space hurricane's over!)

This week's coveted Mercury Comment of the Week goes to everybody's favorite Cylon, for a comment on Denis' post about yesterday's police shooting:

You know, given the context it seems a bit tacky, but precedent dictates:

And I'm gonna take this opportunity to remind everyone that our Terms of Use are right over here.
Get your act together and enter the Mercury's "That's My Jam!" dance crew contest! You could win $200 and a can of Hormel Chili! (Yum.) Oh! And you might get a little of that "adulation" stuff, too. Check out the deets!

Get yer cheap advance tickets here and now! FUN.
Now, I have no idea if the following story is true... but I loved reading every word of it. Here's how it starts:
I drank so much at Joes Cellar one night in 2007 that I drove my car up the MAX ramp on the Steel Bridge, blocking all eastbound trains.
Find out what happened when he tried to back his car off the MAX ramp, and what the police allegedly did when they got there. (Hint: There's a reason it's called "I Like Portland Police.") Do you have a public servant you'd like to thank for ignoring the fact you're a blackout drunk? (Or maybe a confession or a rant?) Submit it here in the mostly factual I, Anonymous Blog: It's the semi-truthiest!

While there's a new troll-baiting post about Portlandia over at the I, Anonymous Blog (which I didn't write—I swear!), there's also this one which you have to admit has a great opening line.
To the two ignorant freaks that were in the hot tub with me tonight debating on whether or not there were more skinheads, or greasers, I hate you.
How come you guys don't submit more I, Anonymooses that take place in hot tubs? You should really work on that. Got a rant or confession (hot tub related or not) you'd like to share with an angry public? Visit the I, Anonymous Blog: Don't worry... it's heavily chlorinated!

Here's one from the Department of General Complaints: Creative Types who STINK!!
Why is it that, in order to be an 'artist' in this town, you have to live like a pig? Seriously. In what way does a lack of personal hygiene and property maintenance relate to 'creating art'? I really don't get it. I don't know how many houses I've been to where a bunch of unwashed 'artists' live and there's dirt for a lawn, numerous disassembled bikes strewn about, beer bottles that have been on the porch for what appears to be months and a general aura of filth. Not only this, but these people have to shove their 'art' in your face every chance they get. Being loud and arrogant is not a substitute for creativity.
Preach on, brother and/or sister! You should see the Mercury office kitchenette! The maggots won't even eat in there! BAH!! Why even bother? Oh, because it's fun and I feel a little better after screaming into the void known as the I, Anonymous blog. Submit your rant or confession here, and breathe in that sweet smell of impotent retribution.


TONIGHT! It's Hecklevision: Red Dawn—the latest event in the Mercury's Winter of Fun™ series, and the first event to take place in the Hollywood Theatre's newly renovated main theater! New seats! New sound! New screen! Dead commies! Nice.
Tonight's gonna be fun, and tickets are a mere $7—but if you want to go for free, I've got a pair to give away. To enter to win 'em, email me no later than 2 pm PST today, and make sure your subject line is "AVENGE ME." Around 2, I'll pick a winner at random and email them back. Deal? Deal. WOLVERINES.
Hecklevision: Red Dawn, Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $7

But here are some other fun facts: Dude wrote Apocalypse Now and Dirty Harry. Dude directed Conan the Barbarian. Dude directed Flight of the Intruder. He believes himself to be a "total man of the people" and a "zen anarchist." AND: "It would be very difficult to chronicle the early history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship without mentioning the considerable part played in it by a man named John Milius," because he CREATED THE FUCKING OCTAGON.
Also, again: He directed Red Dawn, which the Mercury's screening TOMORROW NIGHT at the Hollywood Theatre—in Hecklevision! In order to get you even more excited about this momentous event, here are five things John Milius has said, presumably just while standing in line at Starbucks or whatever.
• "A lot of people thought of me as a threat to Western civilization." (Via.)
• "The Departed was very well-written. A movie I thought was really well-written was Kinsey. Really well-directed. A really good movie across the board. Really made you think and consider the nature of science and behavior. Oh, and I like anything Will Ferrell has to do with. He's the best. He's the best that ever was." (Via.)
• "I think they should give Harvey Weinstein [president of Miramax] to the Taliban. I'd like to see him on the other side. I'd like to hunt him down in a cave." (Via.)
• "Conan is really all of a piece. It's just all it should be. It's really very, very well done. I like the compositions and the mood. I like Conan because it's like a ballet." (Via.)
• "Films are always pretentious. There's nothing more pretentious than a filmmaker. You know, an egotistical filmmaker who thinks that they're doing God's gift to humanity or something—it's just entertainment. It's not really too much different than the carnies." (Via.)
INDEED IT IS NOT, JOHN MILIUS. Red Dawn. Tomorrow. 7:30 pm. Hollywood Theatre. Seven bucks. Vast quantities of beer and patriotism will be available, the latter of which will be free. See you there.
Kudos go out to our crackerjack art director Suji Allen who once again has knocked it out of the park with this week's cover for the Mercury's Booze Issue, titled, "Portland: A Drinking Romance." The feature is about the best bars in Portland for picking people up, romancing them, and later cheating on 'em. You know... THE YOUZH. It's pretty good, and you should definitely check it out.
But back to the cover! This cover and accompanying photos taken by Nicolle Clemetson and styled by Marissa Sullivan are especially amazing considering it was conceived and shot in only two days. As always we don't like to employ much photoshop on our covers, but this one did need one bit of shoppin'. CAN YOU FIGURE OUT THE ONE PHOTOSHOPPED THING IN THIS PICTURE? Obviously we're not talking about the Merc masthead or the words... but there is one thing that ain't real. Can you pick it out?

Later this afternoon... let's say around 3:30, I'll post the original photo below the jump so you can see what was added! Put your guesses in the comments! (HINT: Boobs and that guy's eyes are REAL. Seriously dude... stop eye-fucking me!!)
UPDATE! The answer and original un-photoshopped pic is after the jump!

For years, there's been a Red Dawn remake sitting on MGM's shelves—like The Cabin in the Woods, it's a movie that was shot forever ago, but has yet to, you know, actually make it into theaters. (A while back, MGM even went in and did some digital airbrushing in an attempt to make the film more attractive to our inevitable conquerors.) The new Red Dawn is currently slated for a November 2012 release, at which point it will change the way you watch the original Red Dawn—one of the most perfect movies ever made—forever.
Because the worst thing about The Thing prequel isn't that it exists (even though that fact is pretty terrible), it's that now, whenever I wach John Carpenter's The Thing, I'll be thinking of the prequel for at least a few points during the movie, and TOTAL BUZZKILL. Maybe the new Red Dawn will be great (Thor's in it!), but maybe it won't be... and then? Everytime you watch the real Red Dawn? TOTAL BUZZKILL.
So get one last screening of the original Red Dawn in before Thor tries to put on Swayze's blood-spattered boots. And hey, look at that! We have a big-screen Red Dawn showing set up for you right here! With beer! And text commentary! You should come! Get your tickets here.
Obligatory reminder about how people should read the I, Anonymous blog, employing a quote from one of the posts.
Rant about drivers in the Portland metropolitan area and their snow driving skills. Hint that they may all be from a state south. Rant against drivers from states that get real snow and brag about their skills.Rant against slow trimet buses and trimet's silence about bus lines that go over the hill. Marvel at the alleged intelligence of cyclists.
Provide a link where the reader can continue reading the post. Make smart ass remark about person's intelligence. Provide link where reader can submit their own Anonymous rant. The I, Anonymous Blog: Pithy tag line goes here.
Add outdated illo I never liked very much in the first place. Disable comments.

When I'm excited about something I won't shut the hell up about it, which means this week I'm going to be going on and on and on about Hecklevision. So, you know, apologies, but also, Hecklevision's going to be awesome, so I guess I'm actually not really that sorry about going on and on about it. I hereby retract my half-hearted apology from the previous sentence.
It all goes down this Friday at the Hollywood Theatre—full details (and tickets) are here, but the basics are that we're gonna show John Millius' amazing red-state epic Red Dawn, and—thanks to science!—people in the audience will be able to send text messages that instantly pop up onscreen. We've got a great lineup of Mercury writers, bloggers, and other funny/smart people who're gonna participate, and if you attend, you can totally send pop-up texts too, though be aware that I have little tolerance for people who're annoying and I will happily block your number should I need to, or should you turn out to be a Commie, or if I just drunkenly decide it would be a fun thing to do. Speaking of which, there will also be beer. Shit. I should have mentioned the part about beer earlier.
Anyway, you should get your tickets now. And then I'll see you Friday. I'll let you buy me a beer, even.

Someone has brought this formidable bag full of salt-water taffy into the office, and deposited it in the breakroom, from whence it sings a siren song of taffy-temptation. It sings this song for me. I can pretend like I'm going to hold out, but that is what's known in the scientific community as "horseshit." I will succumb, and I will at some point begin pounding these sticky treats down my face with reckless abandon, horking back delicious bits of candy and my own fillings into my waiting gullet.
So here's the question: On the "You're a giant dick" scale of office behaviors, where does "Eating nothing but the chocolate ones and leaving a bag full of lemon and mint flavors" rank?
For reference, "Leaving less than a teaspoon of a co-worker's clearly labeled coffee creamer in the fridge for them" is a solid 8, whereas "Microwaving your kimchi in an open container" is a 6.
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