This behind-the-scenes Portlandia video features all kinds of secret information, like how to get great guest stars on your show (let them do whatever they want and pay them in hats). Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, who both consider themselves “musicians first and foremost,†make some interesting parallels between the show’s journey from web videos to a fully realized show and, say, practice tapes of punk songs that grow into an album. They also discuss the making of “The Dream of the 90’s†musical number and how their intense but platonic friendship was partly responsible for the creation of what became Portlandia. “If you’re not romancing someone, you’d better be working on some kind of project,†says Carrie. “Otherwise it’s really weird for them to just show up at your house.†I’m not sure I’ve ever been more glad that two people were not dating.
