Coolest musician cameo on Portlandia?
Fred and Carrie's excellently quirky show has attracted more than its share of musician cameos. Which is the coolest, IYO?
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Tunde Adebimpe was born on 25 February 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Rachel Getting Married (2008), The Invisible (2007) and Never Back Down (2008).- Actor
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Jello Biafra is a compelling, enigmatic public speaker and musician. He has sung for many bands: his first band, Dead Kennedys, was a seminal early punk band and continues to define and influence American punk rock and its beneficiaries. A leader and follower of the "Do It Yourself" punk ethic of music production, he founded the Alternative Tentacles record label, which published the entire Dead Kennedys' catalog, and continues to publish established and emerging talent. As a practical joke, Biafra entered the San Francisco mayoral election in 1979, and came in fourth out of ten candidates. Biafra was a casualty in a right-wing U.S. cultural movement of the 1980s to censor adult content from recorded music and associated materials. Biafra was charged and exonerated in court on a charge of "Distribution of Harmful Matter to Minors", namely, an album containing a poster of "Penis Landscape" by H.R. Giger. The police raid on Biafra's home and his subsequent trial became an underlying theme of Biafra's public speeches and lyrics.- Angel Bouchet was born in a small town in Southern Oregon. Her life began in tragedy. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer at the same time as she became aware of her pregnancy. Bouchet's mother chose to bring the pregnancy to term and as a result died of cancer when Bouchet was 4 years old. This was to influence her later inclination to become a blues musician. Today she is an actor who also fronts her own band, The Angel Bouchet Band, which plays primarily in the Portland, Oregon area.
Bouchet appeared as a recurring extra in the first production year of the IFC TV series Portlandia, in 2010. Fred Armisten, star of the show, along with Carrie Brownstein, said it was "good audience response" that led to Bouchet being brought back to reappear as lighting tech, bartender, and multiple other characters in the series. During this time period Bouchet also appeared as an extra in the TV series Grimm, portraying a bouncer, a pedestrian, an attendee at a cage fight, and a bar patron. Bouchet appears as a co-star in two of the three Portlandia episodes she appears in during season 4. - Composer
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Dirty Projectors is known for Things Heard & Seen (2021), Afternoon Delight (2013) and Dirty Projectors: Gun Has No Trigger (2012).- Actress
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Kim Gordon was born on 28 April 1953 in Rochester, New York, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018), I'm Not There (2007) and Last Days (2005). She has been married to Thurston Moore since 9 June 1984. They have one child.- Music Department
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Josh Homme was born on 17 May 1973 in Palm Springs, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for End of Watch (2012), Hot Rod (2007) and Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000). He was previously married to Brody Dalle.- Actress
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k.d. lang was born on 2 November 1961 in Consort, Alberta, Canada. She is an actress and composer, known for Twister (1996), Salmonberries (1991) and Dick Tracy (1990).- Actress
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Aimee Mann is a Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter. She has released 9 albums including Bachelor No. 2, @#%&*! Smilers, Lost in Space, and Mental Illness in January 2017. Her work includes the soundtrack from the critically acclaimed film Magnolia. "Save Me" was later nominated for an Academy Award. Earlier in her musical life, Mann fronted the band 'Til Tuesday, releasing three albums. She has made memorable cameo appearances in films such as The Big Lebowski and television show such as IFC's Portlandia and The Daily Show to name a few.- Composer
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Johnny Marr made his name as lead guitarist with the cult British rock band, The Smiths, regarded by some as one of the most influential bands of the 1980s. Along with Morrissey, Marr created some of the most memorable and acclaimed songs of that decade, with Morrissey's witty, satirical lyrics and plaintive vocals perfectly complemented by Marr's distinctive jangly guitar style. The band's catchy melodies and Morrissey's eccentric and charismatic stage presence ensured that The Smiths developed a large and devoted following in the UK. To this day, they are name-checked by most up-and-coming British guitar bands as an influence. Personality clashes between Marr and Morrissey meant an acrimonious end for The Smiths in 1987. Morrissey forged a successful career as a solo artist, while Marr became a much sought-after session musician and "guitar for hire", working briefly with artists such as The Pretenders and Bryan Ferry, before more extensive and notable work with Electronic and The The in the early 90s. In the late 90s, he formed a new band, Johnny Marr's Healers.- Actor
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J. Mascis was born on 10 December 1965 in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Reality Bites (1994), Yes Man (2008) and The Double (2013). He is married to Luisa Mascis. They have one child.- Music Artist
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Sarah McLachlan was born on 28 January 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is a music artist and actress, known for Charlotte's Web (2006), Sarah McLachlan: Possession, Version 2 (1993) and Toy Story 2 (1999). She was previously married to Ashwin Sood.- Actor
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James Mercer is known for Wish I Was Here (2014), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and Garden State (2004). He has been married to Marisa Kula since April 2006. They have three children.- Actor
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Duff McKagan was born on 5 February 1964 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Hulk (2003), The Italian Job (2003) and Fantastic Four (2005). He has been married to Susan Holmes-McKagan since 28 August 1999. They have two children. He was previously married to Linda Johnson and Amanda (Mandy) Brixx.- Actor
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Singer, composer, heartthrob, pioneer--all are accurate descriptions of Robert Michael Nesmith. Most easily identified by his trademark blue wool hat with pompom, Nesmith fashioned a diversified career within music and also in film. Born in Saint Joseph's Hospital in downtown Houston, Texas, Nesmith was a self-described "failure" growing up. "I just didn't do anything," he said in his famous 1965 screen test for _The Monkees (1966)_ ; he expanded on this in a 1968 Australian radio interview by noting, "I was just starving and writing music." He got work as a session guitarist up and down the East Coast before moving to Los Angeles with his wife Phyllis Barbour in 1965. He managed to get a record contract with Colpix Records and released several 45s as well as appearing on 'Lloyd Thaxton's' syndicated teen-dance show. When Nesmith won the role for The Monkees (1966) he was the first of all involved to see where the show and the music would go. Nesmith produced tracks for The Monkees even before TV series filming began; he has said "about a hundred" tracks were made by himself, Micky, Peter, and Davy in the first half of 1966, and among the songs recorded was his composition "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." The hiring of Don Kirshner quashed this group gestation, but Nesmith continued to produce tracks for the group, usually with Micky Dolenz providing co-lead or harmony vocals; the trademark of Nesmith's 1966-produced tracks was the stellar deep bass work of Robert West. The leader of the group by having the strongest musical vision and polish, Nesmith challenged the controlling powers, culminating in the famous "That could have been your head!" near-brawl with Columbia executives in late 1966-early 1967 that left a wall torn open and ultimately 86ed Don Kirshner from the project. Nesmith took a controlling involvement in the group's albums, but given the strong egos of each member, breakage was inevitable. Nesmith finally left after 1969. He joined longtime bassist friend John London and pedal-steel ace 'Orville "Red" Rhodes' for The First National Band, a group that pioneered the mixture of country music with rock'n'roll. The song "Joanne" off their first album, "Magnetic South", became a big hit. Though the FNB broke up after three albums, Nesmith and Rhodes kept going with the Second National Band. Their records were critical successes, but unfortunately were not big hits. Nesmith then invented and sold the concept of 24-hour-music-television to Time-Warner. He produced a proof of concept called "Pop Clips," which Time-Warner aired on the Nickelodeon Channel as a test. It was an instant success, and the MTV Network was developed from it. He also branched into TV and film production, with such works as 'Elephant Parts' (1981), 'Timerider' (1983), 'Repo Man' (1984), 'Square Dance,' and 'Tapeheads,' as well as several TV specials. Nesmith also continued to make records on a sporadic basis--13 solo albums in total. He reunited with Red Rhodes in 1992 and a Latin-flavored masterpiece called "Tropical Campfires". He was nominated for a Grammy for his 1994 album "The Garden". He reunited with the Monkees in 1996 for the "Justus" album. In 1997 he wrote and directed an ABC television Monkees special. In 1998 St. Martins Press published his first novel, "The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora". In 2005 he finished his second novel, "The America Gene". He also started a small video game development company called Zoomo Productions, based in Monterey, California.- Music Artist
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Joanna Newsom was born on 18 January 1982 in Grass Valley, California, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for Inherent Vice (2014), The Strangers (2008) and Paper Towns (2015). She has been married to Andy Samberg since 21 September 2013. They have two children.- Music Artist
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St. Vincent was born on 28 September 1982 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for The Nowhere Inn (2020), XX (2017) and Greta (2018).- Actor
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Tuck Andress is known for Portlandia (2011), Bus Stop (2011) and Solace: A Windham Hill Collection (1999). He is married to Patti Cathcart.and Patti Cathchcart, aka Tuck & Patti- Actress
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Corin Tucker was born on 9 November 1972 in Eugene, Oregon, USA. She is an actress, known for The Horse Whisperer (1998), Some Days Are Better Than Others (2010) and All Over Me (1997). She has been married to Lance Bangs since 19 June 2000. They have two children.- Actor
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Jeff Tweedy began his musical career in the late 80s with the band 'Uncle Tupelo.' The band had two frontmen: Jeff on bass and vocals and his long time friend Jay Farrar on guitar and vocals. The band was based out of Belleville, IL and lasted until 1994 when the members decided to go their own ways. Jeff went on to form 'Wilco' in 1994 and has released 11 albums. A highly acclaimed documentary titled 'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart' was made while recording the album 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' in 2001.- Actor
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Eddie Vedder was known in San Diego for being a surfer and a singer in the progressive rock band Bad Radio, where he sang in the 80's until he departed to join Pearl Jam in 1990. Right before Eddie left Bad Radio, they opened for Andy Summers at the Bucchanal in San Diego. After the show, Eddie jumped off stage to talk to a pal of his, who had predicted Bad Radio winning at a competition in the late 80's. Eddie was poor and desperate, and found strong encouragement in the words of his friend Boris, who predicted once again his huge success. Boris Acosta is now a film producer and director.- Actor
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Jack played guitar and sang in the band The White Stripes. They released six albums: their self-titled debut -- "The White Stripes", "De Stijl", "White Blood Cells", "Elephant", "Get Behind Me Satan", and "Icky Thump", before breaking up in 2011.
White also sings and plays guitar in the band The Raconteurs (alternatively known as "the Saboteurs" in Australia). They have released two albums, "Broken Boy Soldiers" and newly released "Consolers of the Lonely".
White surprised fans by starting a third band, The Dead Weather, while The White Stripes and The Raconteurs were still active. White is primarily a drummer and vocalist for "The Dead Weather", with Dean Fertita acting as guitarist. "The Dead Weather" released their debut album "Horehound" in 2009.
"The White Stripes" won three VMAs for the video for "Fell In Love With A Girl". They played two dates in Detroit in early August supported by The Strokes, and supported them when "The Strokes" played two dates in New York. He has written songs for the film Cold Mountain (2003).
White has appeared in the movies Cold Mountain (2003), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), The Fearless Freaks (2005) and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007). He was one of the subjects of the documentary It Might Get Loud (2008).
White is married to model Karen Elson and the couple has two children, Scarlet Theresa and Henry Lee.
In Rolling Stone's 2003 list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, White ranked 17th.