Mike Doughty is back

There is something about the super sarcastic, super cool alternative music produced in the post-grunge era of the 1990s that is simply irresistible to the ears. Bands like Cake and The Presidents were well-known examples of this style of music, but the most talented propagators of snarky, funky, radio-rock was Brooklyn’s drum-and-bass-heavy outfit Soul Coughing, famous for their minor hits “Circle” and “Super Bon-Bon.”

Disbanded in 2000, the mastermind of the group, Mike Doughty, has been busy traveling the country with his acoustic guitar playing to sold-out crowds of ex-Coughing fans, ravenous hipsters, and enthusiasts of his recent work. This Friday, Doughty is playing two very special shows at Mississippi Studios, and attendance is mandatory for ’90s children and modern humans alike.

An accomplished world-traveler, poet, photographer and songwriter, Doughty is a man who puts the fate of the future in his own hands, and never rests for a second. Beginning his career in New York City as a doorman at the über-cool club The Knitting Factory, Doughty quickly realized he wanted to be making music for a living and has been recording amazing albums under various monikers all over the country ever since. In Portland promoting his upcoming album Golden Delicious (to be released Feb. 19), Doughty is coming to town with an agenda of polyphonic transparency, a stripped-down, but stylistically abundant approach to singing the songs he has written over the years.

Prolific, friendly, and approachable in every way, Doughty is striving to bring originality to the often-formulaic concert experience. Calling this very special tour the “Question Jar Show,” a November, small-venue only outing, Doughty will be taking song requests from the audience as well as giving fans the opportunity to ask him intimate questions about his life and music, a privilege usually only relegated to music journalists and the occasional stalker. Living up to its name, each concert will feature a large jar within which audience members are instructed to place their written inquiries, to be answered after the show. According to his publicist, there is no question too weird and no topic taboo. It’s a stipulation that should culminate in some very interesting dialogue knowing the explicit strangeness of Portland’s concert-going crowd and the bizarre literary traditions of this town.

It is very difficult to write about the type of music that Doughty makes without comparing him to his old band, Soul Coughing. Those people, myself included, who adored the Cough for their ridiculously appealing instrumental interplay and beautiful upper-echelon bass lines might want to take a deep, sad breath and just accept the fact that they have broken up.

Although the bass intro to “Maybe I’ll Come Down” is one of the smoothest of all-time, there is presently no shortage of bands with funky background music. And though some may argue otherwise, it’s Doughty’s shank-sharp wit, eloquent sarcasm, and trademarked opiate-slurred sing-poetry that made Soul Coughing. All of those elements are not only present, but improved in his solo work and live show. Having fully rehabilitated from a crippling heroin addiction that contributed to the band’s demise seven years ago, the 2007 incarnation of Doughty may have lost some of the “Cough,” but not a smidgen of soul. He is fresh, focused and ready to rock you old-school style.

Rabid about maintaining a down-to-earth relationship with his fans, Doughty operates a very well-written and interesting Internet blog at www.mikedoughty.com, and encourages people to contact him directly–none of the talk-to-my-agent bullshit that even journalists sometimes have to go through. Himself a competent photographer, Doughty instructs budding camera-kids to send him pictures of his live shows, with full artist credit and front-page exposure given in return. In addition to typical music-site features like discography, news, and tour dates, Doughty’s blog features a captivating, 14-page travel journal detailing a recent trip to Ethiopia, complete with resplendent and colorful tales about the Olsen Twins, honey-wine and a plethora of praise for coffee in the African nation.

Of particular importance to Doughty’s followers are the unique lyrics that he writes. Sometimes humorous, sometimes emotional and serious, and often a strange combination of both, his lyrics take on the role of creating a cynical, rhyming soundtrack to everyday life, complete with both its ups and its downs. He makes it a point to spend at least one hour a day writing random phrases and short thoughts in his journal, and then later returns to his notebooks to put together these fragments and make them into a song, sort of like a puzzle. His need for control over this process may shed light on the break-up of Soul Coughing.

“In Soul Coughing, there was always the question of whether or not I was the songwriter; whether the song was more important than the playing,” Doughty wrote on his Web site. “Even stuff that I really loved, songs that I wrote in a very traditional way and brought to the band, I didn’t really feel a sense of ownership towards. So just to make something and wholeheartedly own it as a writer, as a performer, as a singer–that is incredible.”

It is a proven fact that good music does not just fade quietly into the shadows of obscurity over time, even if they were relatively obscure to begin with. If the resurgence in popularity (and sold-out Portland performances) of bands like Cake and The Presidents are any indication, then 1990s alternative music was not just a trend, but rather a musical force to be reckoned with, both now and in the future.

Mike Doughty Nov. 307 p.m. and 10 p.m.Mississippi Studios$2021+