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Dream of the '90s

Portlandia (2011) Episode 1
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A musical comedy sketch that serves as the cold open for the first episode of Portlandia. Two friends from Los Angeles, Jason and Melanie, discuss Portland, Oregon as an alternative universe where the counterculture of the 1990s never died. Jason, who has just returned from Portland, explains to Melanie that it's a city where young people go to retire, where people are content to be unambitious, sleep until eleven, and work only a couple hours a week at a coffee shop. The sketch features a music video-style production number with Jason singing and walking through Portland with hipsters, clowns, street performers, a choir, and a marching band. The sketch satirizes Portland's reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters who embrace 90s nostalgia, earnestness, and authenticity.

Do you remember the 90's?
There's a place where that idea still exists as a reality and I've been there.
The Dream of the 90's is alive in Portland
Remember when people were content to be unambitious? Sleep to eleven? Just hangout with their friends?
Portland is a city where young people go to retire
Remember the 90's when they'd encourage you to be weird?
I gave up clowning years ago
In Portland, you don't have to
It's like Gore won. The Bush administration never happened
My flannel shirt still looks fly
In Portland you can put a bird on something and just call it art!
You're also a little San Francisco right now