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Shann

shannmortimer

About Me

Pushin' 40 and livin' with my better half. Went back to law school a few years back and now I'm a criminal defense attorney. (Which makes sense because most of my friends are troublemakers of one sort or another.) Sometimes, I'm not quite sure how the hell I wound up doing the law gig, but I've always liked to argue. So, I figured I'd put that talent to good use helpin' the fine folks of our fair city get a chance to walk if they happen to have a run in w/ The Law (Heaven forbid, right?). It's great fun at times, sheer madness at others. But what the hay... everybody needs a job, right? Before law school (a lifetime ago), I went to PSU on the 11-year plan. Over those years, I played a lot of Rock n' Roll; worked a bunch of jobs like, bagel baker, delivery driver, ceramic tile maker, etc, and; got to do see a good chunk of the world. Some of the bands I played in over the years include: Wehrmacht- 1985-1989; Nervous Christians- 1990-1996; Bastard Children of the Roman Empire- 1996-1997; Killed By Death- 1996-1997. I also helped run the National Dust Record Label w/ a couple of buddies back in the mid-90s. The years from roughly 85-06 have certainly seen highs and lows; moments cast in shadow and moments in the bright sunshine. By and large, I'm digging what I do and digging where I'm at in life. I wake up breathing in the morning and feel pretty damn good (at least after a cup o' coffee). Whether you're someone from the past or just passing through, drop a line and say howdy. Cheers!.. make
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My Interests

Hanging out w/ my girlfriend, riding my bike, playing records. Those are the top three that I bide my rare free time with lately. Following closely on my to do list of interests are; catching up with friends, spending time outdoors and talking about how much I'd love to start playin' music again.

I'd like to meet:

Lemmy, Keith Olberman and the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson.

Music:

With a steady job I've been lucky enough to do a fair amount of record shopping lately. I make regular, compulsive passes through 2nd AV, garage sales and Sonic Recollections. Frequently gracing my stereo: Defiance, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Motorhead, Elvis Costello, Sabbath, UFO, Waylon Jennings, Herb Alpert, Thin Lizzy, The Buzzcocks, Blitz, Sons of the Pioneers, Poison Idea, Judas Priest, Slayer, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, The Supremes, Adolescents, X-Ray Spex, Maiden, Van Halen (nothing later than Fair Warning), Robin Trower, Tom Jones and a GREAT album from Order of the Vulture.

Movies:

Kelly's Heroes, Dirty Dozen and Fight Club. (Were there other movies ever made?)

Television:

Ok, so now that Rockstar Supernova is over, and our local gal Storm is back to doing her own thing, my TV habits have reverted back to regular doses of Jon Stewart and Olberman. Of course, as always, Jeopardy and Hogan's Heroes still rank as an all-time high in American TV. Also, I was quite stoked that Steve Forbes put in a strong showing on the Contender this season. Its great when a boxer with local ties makes good like that.

Books:

I just finished Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon" a while back. F'n great book! If you're a WWII nut and into spy thriller-conspiracy stuff like I am, you'll love this one. I was reading Jewell Lansing's "Portland: People, Politics and Power." (Because I'm also a local history nerd.)But I lost my copy in the move. So I'll have to dig through all my crap in order to find it and finish it. I just finished Elinor Langer's "Hundred Little Hitlers." Hmm, very interesting. If you've read it also, drop me a line and we'll discuss. Besides that, there is the general category of shit that I've read over the years that matters: Kerouac, Bukowoski, Burroughs, et al... Might I also recommend that you add to your reading lists; "SOUND OF THE BEAST: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal" by Ian Christe. Its got great stuff on the early years of Death,Thrash and Crossover.

Heroes:

My father and mother, the late Rowe L. Mortimer (1937-1995) and the late Charlyne K. Mortimer (1941-2007). Never gone, but always missed...

My Blog

RIP Steve Casmano

The mid-winter night had a chill in the air as I was leaving work this evening. It was twilight with darkness soon falling, standing around at the West End of the Morrison Bridge waiting on the bus 14...
Posted by Shann on Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:09:00 PST

Total effin bullshit!!

Okay folks, here's a link to something I came across last week over at MetroBlogging. No knock intended for Ms. Richter, she's only the messenger, but the Slate article she references, written by one ...
Posted by Shann on Sun, 16 Sep 2007 09:13:00 PST

The Quick Skinny on Recent Events

After recently sending out a bulletin thanking everybody for their support,I received a few messages from some folks who hadn't heard what was going on in the first place. So, I'll give a quick recap ...
Posted by Shann on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:33:00 PST

Weasel face bites back!

I knew there was a reason I didn't vote for Jim Francesconi, aka "The Scone", aka "Weaselface", in the last mayoral election. And, somewhat surprisingly, it ties into the  latest push by some rec...
Posted by Shann on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 09:45:00 PST

Ronny Stills is NOT GUILTY!! (Trial Diary .2)

Ok, so I had a little hot streak this year that I thought was winding down round about a month ago and then this happens...We got the 'Convention Center Four' case out to trial last week. Basic Skinny...
Posted by Shann on Sat, 09 Dec 2006 12:50:00 PST

Vote Cheryl for Judge!!!

Hey folks,I'll be hollerin' at ya many times in the coming weeks to vote Cheryl Albrecht for Judge, position 31. She's great and deserves your vote!!For more info: www.cherylforjudge.comwww.myspace.co...
Posted by Shann on Sat, 21 Oct 2006 12:48:00 PST

Alien Boy , R.I.P. (What he said...)

Today was one of those rainy, October Sundays where I lazed about the house listening to The Wipers "Is This Real" Zeno Records CD re-issue, which includes "The Alien Boy" EP, and watched the clouds a...
Posted by Shann on Mon, 16 Oct 2006 07:29:00 PST

Not Guilty, All Counts!!! (Trial Diary .1)

Ok, so I'm really not out to bore ya'll w/ a bunch of shop talk, but the fact is I feel pretty damn good this week after winning a 3-Count (Assault IV, Disorderly Conduct II, Harassment) jury trial th...
Posted by Shann on Sat, 07 Oct 2006 01:41:00 PST

Rock n' Roll Retirement

I've been semi-retired from music for about 9 years now. I know it sounds pathetic, but the last live gig I did was Sept 1997 with Killed By Death (the Motorhead cover band I was in w/ Jim Taylor and ...
Posted by Shann on Sun, 16 Jul 2006 06:18:00 PST