A Melbourne Couple Are Posting Motivational Quotes In Their Window, Accidentally Acting Out A Real Sketch From ‘Portlandia’

The similarities between Melbourne and Portland — the US capital of quirk — are well-documented. There’s the coffee culture, the unrelenting demand for brunch in all its glorious forms, the focus on the arts, the love of fixies and sustainability, the hatred of gluten, and that general waft of wankery that often comes with the knowledge you have things better than somewhere else.

It’s a tired characterisation but, in fairness, I am literally sipping a latte as a write this. And honestly, the fact that the following story exists means I have no further recourse to defend myself.

A couple from the inner-Northern suburb of Abbotsford are literally acting out a scene from Portlandia right now and, considering they proudly spoke to Fairfax about their actions today, they likely have no idea they’re doing it.

Worlds are colliding. Everything is a parody of itself. We’re all doomed.

It all started in 2012, when a man (who has remained nameless) found an old church lightbox at a junkyard sale and told his wife how much he wanted it. Because it was unreasonably large and expensive, they decided not to buy it, but he was later surprised when she gifted him with a similar version a few months later.

Because he was “irritated by how uniform and gentrified our streetscapes are” the man then began posting motivational quotes or song lyrics in the outward facing lightbox every two or three weeks.

“People are so alienated from their own neighbourhoods these days that we’ve had to set up national days for saying hello to the person who lives just metres away,” he told Domain.

“Doing something to add some personality to your neighbourhood, be it guerrilla gardening or commissioning street art or putting up a lightbox, just adds some character.”

Now, it’s become a long-held tradition; one which has gone one for nearly three full years.

In this time, the couple have started a Tumblr to document their messages and members of the community have regularly reached out to congratulate them on their work. The man said he has received a large number of notes, postcards and emails requesting more contributions and at times has even been the subject of local fan art.

And while that’s all well and good, it’s also literally the plot of a sketch from Portlandia. Season four. Episode one. 15 minutes and 13 seconds in.

Spoilers: in the end it turns out the messages are being written by a robot at a marketing company which Carrie Brownstein falls in love with. Considering that the dude wouldn’t reveal his real name, I actually can’t rule out this theory IRL.

God help us all.

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Images via Park Street Lightbox/Tumblr.