Letters to the Editor
The “best” of readers’ letters and comments from 2016. MANDI RE:“The Bachelor Recap: Yes, We’re Doing This. It’s Time” [Blogtown, Jan 5], Campy Draper’s recap of the season premiere of The Bachelor,...
View ArticleSavage Love
Revolution Hall by Dan Savage Earlier this month, we recorded our Savage Lovecast Christmas Spectacular live at Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon. The audience submitted questions on tiny cards...
View ArticleCaregiving with Cannabis, by Trial and Error
Cannabis helps people in need, but we still need a lot more info. by Josh Jardine A FEW WEEKS BACK, I got a text.“I wanted you to know she passed before you saw it online,” it read. The “she” was a...
View ArticleIs It a Good Idea to Bring Your Stash on the Road?
Idaho doesn’t care if you purchased your weed legally. by Vince Sliwoski I have sometime off and I’m hitting the road. What happens if I bring my stash to Idaho?BAD THINGS, possibly. Picture yourself...
View ArticleWe Got You a 2017 Film Preview! You're Welcome!
Featuring: Aliens! Baby drivers! And a LOT of angry monkeys! by Erik Henriksen 2016 IS FINALLY OVER (or, you know, close enough), and with it goes a year of pretty great movies: Arrival, Swiss Army...
View ArticleSnowpocalypse Impedes Local Man’s Access to Cozy Whiskey Bars
Celebrate the non-inclement weather by drinking at these places. by Thomas Ross ON DECEMBER 14TH, 2016, after experiencing what some cities might consider a “dusting” of snow, I spent three hours in...
View ArticleAlex Falcone’s Things Not Invited Back in 2017
The annual list of things from 2016 that were just “no.” by Alex Falcone Well, shit.Normally this yearly wrap-up is a fun exploration of silly little things around Portland that are irritating me....
View ArticleBands I Pretended to Like for Boys
A partial history of the bands I pretended to like for boys. by Kathleen Tarrant Part One:Wilco{{ image:1, align:right, width:200 }} WHEN THE first boy musician ever to look my way told me he liked...
View ArticleThings to Do Music
Noteworthy shows for the week of December 28-January 3. by Mercury Staff WEDNESDAY 12/28BECAUSE, POINT JUNCTURE, WA, SWANSEA(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Portland listeners might already...
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Things To Do Film
Bruce Lee! Chow Yun-Fat! A New Year’s Day Hong Kong-a-Thon! Arrival Likely the best film yet from Denis Villeneuve, the director behind the excellent Sicario and Prisoners—and who, with Arrival,...
View ArticleOne Day at a Time
Our continuing tour of all the good things that happened in 2016. (What? There were some!) by Ann Romano WELCOME BACK to One Day at a Time, dears—where, to mark the end of this awful year, we’re...
View ArticleNew Column!
The Mercury’s absolutely 100 percent guaranteed accurate predictions for 2017! PREDICTION! New Mayor Ted Wheeler will remove current commissioners, replacing them with old college drinking buddies and...
View ArticleBefore You Say Goodbye to 2016, Read This
It’s our annual rundown of Portland’s most essential stories. by Dirk VanderHart ONE WAY to think of 2016 is as a sort of fast moving glacier: It trudged through our every shred of faith in humanity...
View ArticleLaugh Until You Cry
The best comedy albums of 2016. by Barbara Holm 2016 brought us a lot of bad news and good art, particularly when it comes to comedy. Stand-up albums are my favorite, because on an album, comedians...
View ArticleTake Your Inner Child to La Belle
Enter the world of the automaton at Imago Theatre. by Thomas Ross One of the first visual effects in Imago Theatre’s new family-friendly Beauty and the Beast-inspired play La Belle is a Steamboat...
View ArticleI, Anonymous
An open letter to Portland. I RECENTLY DISCOVERED that I’m a genderqueer male, and I’m starting to embrace that side of my personality. I wanted to express my most deepest, most heartfelt gratitude to...
View ArticleI’m Just Visiting
Seattle: Can’t find a Vedder man. by Hutch Harris This week I traveled to Washington with my girlfriend Kim to visit some of her extended family. We started in West Seattle—home of Amanda Knox, AKA...
View ArticleHot Season > Purity
From Franzen on down, activist lit is so hot right now. Portland’s Susan DeFreitas gets it right. by Megan Burbank I could have read Susan Defreitas’ debut novel Hot Season when I received an advance...
View ArticleThe Merc Food Critic’s Personal Favorites
Where this pro eats on her own time and dime. by Andrea Damewood EVEN RESTAURANTS weren’t immune to the dumpster fire that was 2016—we lost more than a few good spots to the tumult of Portland’s urban...
View ArticleSold Out
Veil & Valor look to the Vikings for inspiration. by Cassie Ridgway ONE MAJOR CHALLENGE that every apparel designer in Portland faces is textile sourcing. With scarce options for wholesaling...
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