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FIRST&LAST First record you ever bought I think it was Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
CARRIE BROWNSTEIN The Sleater-Kinney vocalist and Portlandia star shares her habits Last person you fantasised about I think James Franco, I don’t know why. I don’t mean like a ‘fantasy’ fantasy, but every time I see him in a movie, I think, ‘James Franco: very handsome.’
First crush This guy named Chris Lapine. I still have his address memorised because I would say it over and over again in my head and then bicycle over to his house when I was a kid and just ride by it. I was probably 12. Last time you were star struck I went to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. I’m always star struck by authors and politicians. Just seeing Obama – and the First Lady, Michelle Obama – just seeing them from a distance left me pretty star struck.
First word you spoke I actually don’t know. I know I made up a lot of words as a kid for things I didn’t know, like most children. Like ‘bye-bye toast’ – I think that was just like, peanut butter on bread. But I’m assuming my first word was ‘mom’ or ‘dad’. No-one’s confirmed that for me.
buy and regretted it Sometimes if I’m travelling, I’ll do this thing where I go into a drugstore or a Target, and I’ll just kinda walk aimlessly through the aisles and I’ll buy miscellaneous lotions and make-up products and just kinda extraneous, superfluous items. It’s not extravagant financially, but it’s extravagant in terms of the number. It’s a copious amount of items. And then I regret that because I realise, these are items that I’m going to throw away.
First job At a movie theatre. Last meal on earth – what would it be The kind of food I’d eat as a kindergartener – probably just pizza.
First thing you think of when you wake up in the morning That I didn’t sleep enough. I have a kind of issue with insomnia right now. Last thing you think of before you go to sleep Some sort of stressful job thing, which is probably why I’m not sleeping. Some kind of task that I need to be doing – I have a giant to-do list in my head, so that’s the last thing I’m thinking of.
Last time you made an impulse ■ Portlandia series 2 is out now on DVD, and is reviewed on list.co.uk
FESTIVAL ISSUES FROM WED 31 JUL This August, The List will be publishing three special editions covering all the Edinburgh Festivals (the mighty Fringe, plus the International, Book and Art Festivals). They will be distributed FREE through venues, cafes, bars, galleries and street teams across Edinburgh. Normal service will resume on Wed 31 Aug, covering all that’s happening in Glasgow and Edinburgh through to Wed 18 Sep.
Misadventures IN WONDERLAND
AFRODANCE This month we sent our intrepid columnist Alice to try out African Celebration Dance classes. So what did she take away from it?
2. Think about what you wear. The tracksuit 4. African Celebration Dance isn’t as
I wore for sword i ghting a couple of months celebratory as it sounds. It’s a serious dance
back got a second public outing, which was routine with individual moves in a sequence,
great on a value-for-money level. However, the not just a joyful free-for-all. What I did like
wearing-something-that-gets-used-for-cleaning- is that the choreography had meaning: for
and-pyjamas look didn’t make me feel like the example, one arm in front of your chest while
powerful woman towards whom the class is the other ‘chopped’ represented protecting
clearly geared. I would also advise you not to yourself. The whole thing would have been
wear a thong. Not saying that I stupidly did but if I really liberating if I wasn’t sweating from my
had, I would’ve spent the whole hour regretting it. eyes.
1. Dance schools are as intimidating in real life 3. There’s a reason I don’t dance. I have
5. It’s certainly a way to tone up. The next
as they are in movies aimed at teenagers and absolutely no coordination. I could barely do
morning I woke up feeling good. Going about
starring Channing Tatum. Dance Base was quiet it when I only had to concentrate on my feet,
my life with relative ease is unusual after I’ve
when I arrived and it had the same daunting
but when I had to move my feet and hands at had a one-off surge of exercise, but everything
vibes as a huge art gallery; there was a feeling the same time – torture. We were encouraged
was going i ne – until I tried to go up and down
of, ‘if I open my mouth, people are going to suss throughout to look at ourselves in the big
stairs and found that muscles I didn’t even
out that I don’t know what I’m talking about’. mirrored wall – instead I focused on the studio’s
I don’t know why I feel intimidated by good incredible view of Edinburgh Castle through the
architecture; might be something to do with my skylight because I couldn’t bear to meet my own
posture. gaze.
know were there were ‘celebrating’ themselves. ■ The next semester of African Celebration Dance classes takes place at Dance Base, Edinburgh, Thu 12 Sep–Thu 5 Dec.
112 THE LIST 11 Jul–22 Aug 2013