In the Pink: Portland-based “Little Orchestra”: Celebrates 30 years

If there were no Pee-wee Herman, there probably wouldn’t have been a Pink Martini. 

The official story behind the campy, cosmopolitan, globe-trotting, multi-cultural jazz jubilee/baroque pop band is that founder Thomas Lauderdale, at the time a politico who planned to run for mayor of Portland, Oregon, created the ensemble after being annoyed at the vanilla entertainment at the obligatory fundraisers he attended. The truth, it turns out, was that a single issue fueled his fire, and a TV Christmas special with Pee-wee Herman provided the vehicle.

“There was a very nasty attempt to amend the Oregon constitution to declare homosexuality illegal and I was working on the campaign in opposition,” Lauderdale recalled. “I saw Pee-wee’s special, and within 45 minutes he had everybody on stage – Grace Jones, k. d. lang, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, Charo, Dinah Shore, Magic Johnson, Little Richard, and the Del Rubio triplets, who were amazing.”

Lauderdale ended up bringing the Del Rubios to town for a week of concerts in nursing homes, hospitals, retirement homes, and rotary meetings to get out the vote. At the end, there was a big celebration, and a need for an opening act, so he threw on a Betsey Johnson cocktail dress and started Pink Martini.

“It had to do with both the creation of the band and the aesthetic – the Lawrence Welk on acid approach with all the guest stars,” he explained. “We’ve been emulating that idea ever since.”

Lauderdale only met Herman (aka Paul Reubens) shortly before his death last year, but the list of entertainers worldwide that Pink Martini has collaborated with extends far beyond the scope of that single TV special, as the band has traveled around the world, both literally for concerts, and in gathering material for its albums and performances. 

Thirty years later, the singer-songwriter is as shocked as anyone at the group’s longevity. 

“It still seems unreal to me, but it was maybe 15 years into it, I realized that I guess I’m not going to go into politics after all,” he said. 

Good thing. Else we wouldn’t have the extravagant engagement that is a Pink Martini’s holiday concert at the Arlington Theatre nearly every December – this iteration is Tuesday, December 17 – a UCSB A&L-sponsored show that veers from Christmas carols to obscure songs from distant lands in an upbeat evening that appeals to all ages, cultural, and even political backgrounds. 

“We only do songs that have a beautiful melody,” Lauderdale said. “The music is really accessible, which is the opposite direction of most pop music these days. It’s old fashioned and yet global, and it’s like a big variety show.”

While Martini plans to perform fan favorites “White Christmas,” Chinese New Year tunes, and a samba-inspired version of “Auld Lang Syne,” the concert closes with a number that encapsulates the ethic, Lauderdale said. 

“We do a medley of songs in 18 different languages in 10 minutes, everything from Japanese to Portuguese, French, Arabic, Mandarin and Flemish, to name just a few,” he said. “We’re going to keep the band going as long as people keep coming. I still have a lot of ideas to explore, new countries, new languages, new collaborations. There’s still a lot out there.” 

You’ve got to believe Pee-wee would approve.