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Promotional art for Magpie
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Bandcamp

Magpie

Andie Main

Blonde Medicine · Album · 2020 · 44 min

Blunt political comedy recorded live as a farewell to Portland.

Listen on Blonde Medicine(opens in a new tab)

Released , on Blonde Medicine.

Andie Main approaches political friction and personal upheaval with dry, combative fatigue. Having spent years running benefit shows in the Pacific Northwest, she skips the usual pious posturing, targeting street harassers, white nationalists, and suburban Portland with zero interest in playing nice.

Main recorded the set across two sold-out shows at Kickstand Comedy in Portland in September 2019, just as she was leaving town for Denver following a divorce. The release closed out an eight-year stretch anchoring local rooms and producing shows like Revolution Comedy, taped the same afternoon she had the magpie on her arm tattooed.

Rather than softening her material on the way out, she leans into the discomfort. Bits like “Calling Out Catcalling” and “The Last Cowboy in Portland” target local archetypes and public arguments, giving the hometown crowd an unsparing look at the culture they share.

Notable bits & set list

4 bits

  1. The Uncle Sam billboard outside Chehalis, Washington

    Explores Pacific Northwest oddities and political landmarks.

  2. Gresham comedy sets going horribly wrong

    Recounts disastrous suburban standup gigs.

  3. Werner Herzog and animal attacks

    Features an impression of director Werner Herzog exploring human-animal conflicts and animal attacks.

  4. Unimaginative catcallers

    Deconstructs and calls out street harassment and street comments.

How it plays

Tone
Dark, personal, politically minded, and punchy.
On stage
Described as 'a woman punching the system back,' combining personal vulnerability with political humor and dark comedic sensibilities.
Pace
A tight performer noted for holding the microphone away during gut-busting punchline shouts.
About
Pacific Northwest culture, political protests, catcalling, animal attacks, personal life turbulence, white supremacy

What the critics said

The Portland Mercury praised the record as a love letter to the Pacific Northwest that highlights a wealth of strong material and perfected delivery, while offering minor critique of her Werner Herzog vocal impression.

In the room: Main sold out two shows at Kickstand Comedy for the taping.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: sharkpartymedia.com, comedycake.com, westword.com, portlandmercury.com, andiemain.org, blondemedicine.com, flipsidetheatre.com, nytimes.com, punchdrunkcritics.com.

Backstory

Recorded following a tumultuous personal period involving divorce, the death of her sister Katie to cancer, and severe depression, prompting Main to relocate from Portland to Denver in 2019.

Details

Released
Taped
2019, Kickstand Comedy, Portland
Runtime
44 min
Where
Blonde Medicine (album)
Topics

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