Ongoing History Daily: Facts on Portugal. The Man.

July 6, 2021 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

Here are a few facts about Portugal. The Man that may have eluded you until now.

(1) They’re one of the few rock groups with roots in Alaska. Two members come from hometown is Wasilla, the same place that gave us Sarah Palin.

(2) John Gourley, Portugal. The Man’s singer, was in another band called Anatomy of a Ghost, an emo group who released one album back in 2003.

(3) We must talk about the weird punctuation. First, it has something to do with wanting a name that was bigger than life—like a whole country. The period between “Portugal” (the first country they thought of) and “The Man” is supposed to show that the band ISN’T a whole country, but just one person. Or in this case, any one of the band members. Or something like that.

Yesterday, we traced the origin of the name “Death Cab for Cutie.”

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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