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S DO
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E FO
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TY H
homas Lauderdale was
“Portland” before Portland
was cool; well before.
And Pink Martini, the band he
founded and continues to lead
with impish energy, was cool from
the beginning, playing a mélange
of musical styles that ransacked
the globe for its suavest songs
and catchiest rhythms. In the
dream world of Pink Martini, the
cocktail party goes deep into the
night, everybody speaks multiple
languages perfectly, the dresses
are gorgeous and made for
dancing, and the music is witty
and beautifully played.
Lauderdale is a Portland institution
of sorts, from his work on the
board of the Oregon Symphony
and his famous holiday parties to
his effective protests against the
destruction of Memorial Coliseum.
He’s that increasingly rare species
— the involved artist.
In 1994, the year he started Pink
Martini, Harvard grad Lauderdale
worked in city politics, and that
interest hasn’t disappeared. In
this interview with Stephen Marc
Beaudoin, Lauderdale talks about
his music, the changes Portland has
undergone since he graduated from
Grant High School in 1988, and his
hunch that he might be the right guy
to lead the city.
PHOTOS BY AMY GRAVES.
INTRODUCTION BY BARRY JOHNSON.
16
ARTSLANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE JANUARY | FEBRUARY