States I Called Home / What Sufjan Should Write About Part 3: Oregon

I bet his mom tied that for him and he just loosens it and keeps it hung up on a coat rack.

Today is the conclusion of a series helping every critics favorite SteveReich-PhillipGlass-BrianWilson-JohnFahey-influenced songwriter, Sufjan Stevens, in his ongoing pact to create an album for each of the 50 states. I need not go on too long about my doubts that he'll ever complete such a task, but before he abandons the project (even though I truly hope he doesn't) I've got to secure an album for the three states I've called home. So to help him along, I'm compiling some notes as to what he can write about when he tackles Oklahoma, Washington and Oregon. Today we look at the state I lived in for the least amount of time, but the one where I received my higher education: Oregon!

1) I didn't live in Oregon long enough to come up with the same kind of pet peeves I have for Seattle. I don't have anything in Portland to veto for any album. But I can encourage you towards my favorite landmark in the town. I call it my second home. It's where I go to find peace in the world. It's the largest freaking bookstore I've ever visited: Powells. Maybe there's bigger bookstores in the world, but not anywhere near where I shop. Four stories of new and used goodness, and the easiest way for me to blow a paycheck in a single sitting. Maybe this doesn't scream number 1 pop hit to most, but who thought we'd be rocking out to Casimir Pulaski Day?

2) Astoria. There's so much to be had here. They call it "Little San Francisco." It's got Scandanavians seeping out of the woodwork. It's got a giant column called, appropriately, The Column which visually chronicles the history of the first settlers into the area. There's fish, there's old houses. There's the old canneries. There's a real history there of a once working class town turned vacation spot. C'mon F-ING GOONIES WAS FILMED THERE! This town alone has enough material for an EP all on its own. And what better way to find out about its history than the archives of my last place of employment, The Daily Astorian (I'm not at all biased).

3) Lewis and Clark. What else do you need? This tale is just screaming for a song, or several songs... It's about American expansion, it's about entitlement. It's everything that makes a good Sufjan Stevens song.

4) Eugene is home to many things. Hippies, Ducks (the University of Oregon variety!), tie-dye. Plenty to be found. But if I were to focus on one thing, it would be the strong presence of anarchist communities. It seems like sitting around talking with some locals over some beer might bring up some interesting compositional material, and given the growing presence of noise in Stevens' live set, it seems like he could have some fun with such a theme.

5) And of course... the Oregon mascots. I thought about giving a shout out to my own beloved Ducks (go ducks!) but it's important to note that just an hour north of Eugene lies a school that proudly follows its beaver mascot. Somehow the desire to have aggressive, penis-resembling mascots like most towns (the DAWGS, as they call them in Washington, or Vikings, or whatever the hell else sports teams come up with), Oregon went down to the goofiest and most unassuming creatures of the animal kingdom. Something about Beavers and Ducks could provide material for either a song, or perhaps costume motif for the pending tour.