Jimi Hendrix

Fun updates for Seattle’s MOPOP Museum

Museums,

For anyone who loves music, science fiction & fantasy and pop culture in any form, then a stop at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture – MOPOP – should be on the ‘go here’ list.

The museum is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It’s had a myriad of transformations since it first opened at Seattle Center as the Experience Music Project (EMP). And we still get a kick out of walking by the curvilinear building that architect Frank Gehry said was inspired by a broken guitar.

We love stepping inside, too, to see what’s new. And to make sure that our favorite objects and areas, such as the Guitar Gallery and the Jimi Hendrix exhibit, are still around.

There are plenty of new things happening at MOPOP as it turns 25, too.

MOPOP’s refreshed restaurant and lounge

It’s nice when a great museum has a restaurant and/or lounge that invites locals and visitors to stop by even if they aren’t touring any exhibitions.

And MOPOP’s reimagined Culture Kitchen and its new upstairs bar (The Lounge) look promising on that front.

The refreshed menu focuses on Pacific Northwest ingredients and regional partnerships, while the specialty cocktail list includes the MOPOP25 (vodka, Douglas fir jelly syrup and prosecco) and the Velvet Underground (Heritage Elk Rider Whiskey, dry vermouth and chocolate bitters).

Mini Jimi Hendrix LEGO set

LEGO fan? Jimi Hendrix fan? MOPOP has a treat for you.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen founded what is now MOPOP as the Experience Music Project (EMP), although he wanted to call it The Jimi Hendrix Museum, as an homage to the Seattle native who was his favorite musician.

While the focus and mission of the museum have morphed and expanded over 25 years (haven’t you?), the museum is still home to the world’s largest collection of Jimi Hendrix memorabilia. A small portion of that collection is on display at any one time.

But now there’s a limited edition Mini Jimi Hendrix LEGO set that visitors can take home.

Created by MOPOP, Authentic Hendrix, and Most Incredible, this 255-piece LEGO set is available for sale (while supplies last) for $150 in the MOPOP gift shop.

Smells like… MOPOP

MOPOP is also launching a bespoke fragrance.

Created in collaboration with Generation by Osmo, MOPO says Electric Harmony is the world’s first custom fragrance for a museum created using olfactory intelligence (OI), an AI-powered technology.

MOPOP’s fragrance “evokes tranquility, connection, and innovation” and seamlessly blends “the rhythmic and melodic elements of music with the electric energy of contemporary sounds,” said MOPOP CEO Michele Y. Smith.

But how did Generation by Osmo use AI-powered technology and traditional perfume creation methods to make the MOPOP fragrance?

According to Christophe Laudamiel, Generation’s Master Perfumer, an image of MOPOP’s iconic and gigantic classical and electric guitar sculpture, created by the artist Trimpin, was fed into the olfactory intelligent (OI) platform.

The platform then designed a scent structure that the museum chose as a starting point.

“I refined it to make it more like an electric guitar and gave it some very modern and unique diffusive vibrations for the nose and positive brightness and polished the back of the fragrance with elegant woods found in guitar making,” said Laudamiel, “I gave it a bit of mystery with natural oud as well,” he said.

The final product is sold in a bottle inspired by the coloring of the museum’s Frank Gehry-designed building and includes lemon oil and linden blossom, rum extract, oud oil and yes, some patchouli oil. It can be worn by “anyone who wants to bring the MOPOP experience home with them,” said MOPOP CEO Smith.

Groovy SFO Airport celebrates 50th anniversary of the ‘Summer of Love’

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Pretty much all of San Francisco is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ‘Summer of Love’ with exhibits, festivals, tours and happenings.

And San Francisco International Airport – groovy as always – is no exception.

On Saturday, May 13, the city will be celebrating Flowers in your Hair Day” to honor the pop song “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” that became a “flower-power anthem” for the hippie movement.

On that day, local radio stations will play the song at noon and flowers will be distributed at various spots throughout the city – including in Terminal 3 East at SFO.

At 11 a.m. United Airlines’ specially-numbered flight 1967 will arrive from Los Angeles – at Gate 67 – and  a path of flower decals will lead passengers to Madame Tussaud’s selfie-friendly figures of Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, and Jimi Hendrix.

The pups from the airport’s Wag Brigade will be on hand (wearing tie-dyed outfits) and, at 11:30 a.m., the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will perform the song of the day.

SFO’s Summer of Love celebration kicks off earlier, however, with the May 4 opening of SFO Museum’s exhibition of a dozen photographs taken by Elaine Mayes at the Monterey Pop Music Festival June 16-18, 1967. That festival helped launch the ‘Summer of Love’ and featured early performances by The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and others.

The exhibit “Elaine Mayes: It Happened in Monterey” is located post-security, near Gate 76 in Terminal 3, Boarding Area F through August 10, 2017.

 

Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey International Pop Festival, June 18, 1967. Photo: Elaine Mayes. Courtesy SFO Museum

  

Janis Joplin at Monterey Pop Festival. Photo by Elaine Mayes, Courtesy SFO Museum

Jimi Hendrix exhibit at Sea-Tac Airport

Music, , ,

SEA Hendrix Display

Jimi Hendrix exhibit at SeaTac airport.

The music program at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) just keeps getting better.

In addition to live music performances in the terminal and a robust service featuring the music of Northwest artists such as The Ventures, Nirvana, Soundgarden, The Posies, Quincy Jones and Heart in overhead music, videos, safety and public information announcements and on a multi-channel web radio player accessible in the airport and on-line, the airport now has an exhibit about one of Seattle’s most iconic musicians: Jimi Hendrix.

The exhibit – Jimi Hendrix: West Coast Seattle Boy – comes courtesy of the EMP Museum (which has loads more Jimi Hendrix material on display) and includes reproductions of family pictures, rare concert photos, posters and illustrations hand-drawn by Hendrix. Look for the Hendrix exhibit by Gate A1.

Souvenir Sunday: Jimi Hendrix and Orca Poop

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Each Sunday at StuckatTheAirport.com is Souvenir Sunday: a day to celebrate the inexpensive, offbeat and locally-linked items you can buy in airport gift shops.

This week’s finds are from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where, back around Valentine’s Day, I was surprised to find these Jimi Hendrix lunch boxes on sale for just $4.99.

SEA-TAC Jimi Hendrix purses

At first I thought the tins were on sale because they’re red, because Jimi Hendrix was from Seattle and because they had a romantic saying on them: “I only have one burning desire.”

I passed them by, but only later realized exactly why the price was so low: I’m pretty sure the line in the song is actually “I have only one burning desire.”

Even better! Now I’m hoping there are still some of these offbeat – wrong – Jimi Hendrix souvenirs at Sea-Tac next time I pass through.

In the meantime, I’ll present to you another candidate for the “Chocolate Souvenir Poop Hall of Fame.”  Seems like every airport has its own localized version of this sweet.

SEA-TAC airport souvenir

Have you found a great souvenir at an airport gift shop? If it’s inexpensive (around $10), “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along.  If your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, I’ll send you a special airport or airline souvenir.

Souvenir Sunday at London Heathrow Airport

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London Airport souvenirs

There’s never enough time to do everything I want to do in London, but on my most recent visit I managed to squeeze in quite a lot in just three days.

Activities were wedged in between a meal seasoned with performances by contortionists and flame-embellished dancers at a West End cabaret bar named Circus, Afternoon Tea at The Langham’s Palm Court and whiskey tasting (before and after dinner) with the whiskey sommelier at The Athenaeum Hotel.

Whiskey tasting at The Athenaeum in London

Forks-down highlights included a visit to the funky top floor apartment Jimi Hendrix lived in from 1968-1970 (more about honoring Hendrix here); a Fat Tire Bike Tour past iconic monuments, memorials and palaces (more about that here), and walking tours of upscale, low-key Primrose Hill and East London, which is brimming with hip art galleries and stores chock-full of clothing by up-and-coming designers.

Hendrix fan waiting for tour of Hendrix's flat

Hendrix fan waiting to tour Jimi Hendrix's London flat

I couldn’t afford to buy anything in any in-city shops, so that left souvenir shopping at Heathrow Airport.

London souvenirs

Souvenir Sunday was coming up – the day Stuck at the Airport looks at fun, inexpensive items for sale at airports – so I focused on items selling for under £10, which right now equals about $16.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Souvenir at Heathrow - Princess Di Postcard

Giant Princess Diana postcard

London Souvenir - post box banks

Heathrow Airport Souvenir - post box banks

And of course:

Beatles tote bag

Meet the (scary-looking) Beatles. That's not really Ringo is it?

If you find a great souvenir while Stuck at the Airport, please take a photo and send it along. Your souvenir may be featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

[Note, my trip to London was part of a research trip for several articles in progress unrelated to whiskey, cabarets and shopping and was hosted by Air New Zealand, Visit London and The Athanaeum.  Thank-you.]