Museum of Pop Culture

MoPOP, as the Museum of Pop Culture is affectionately called, is located in Seattle Center next to the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass complex. As you enter this tribute to rock and roll and the pop culture that arose from the guitar going electric, you come face to face with a visual display of over 700 guitars rising up a mythical stairway to heaven. You know you are going to be exposed to a tribute to the guitar, but really it is an exhibition of everything that arose from the emergence of rock and roll and the pop culture that ensued.

Jimi Hendrix was the first of a parade of iconic musicians to rise from the Seattle music scene in the mid 1960’s. Given a one-string ukulele by his father to replace the broom-mop he was playing with, Hendrix started the journey that would eventually lead to him being called the greatest guitar player ever. His journey led him to the London rock scene where his talent drew the attention of such groups as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who and Eric Clapton. The tribute to Jimi at MoPop covers his years abroad from 1966 to his death in 1970 at the age of 27.

 

Seattle, well known for its weather, mountains and waterfront,  has also unseemly so been the center for an evolution of music for over a century that ultimately led to the current music scene in Seattle, the grunge movement. To define grunge is way above my pay grade but ultimately it is a form of alternative rock, heavy guitar sounds and angst-filled lyrics. Alice in Chains, Heart, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam all became mainstream successes in the 1980’s and 1990’s, but it was Nirvana, founded by legendary Kurt Cobain, that set the standard for Seattle-based grunge.

From a tribute to the emergence of punk rock and grunge, the museum delves into a tribute to legendary figures, writers and film makers of science fiction in the exhibit Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Check out some of the members…

 

 

There is an exhibit dedicated to Marvel and the universe of comic book heroes. 

There is a sound lab where one can jam out to one’s own beat on an electric guitar, a set of drums, a keyboard and a bunch of audio-technology providing hands-on multimedia experiences.

We didn’t do MoPop justice cuz’ we missed several exhibits including Scared to Death:The Thrill of Horror Film, Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic, Indie Game Revolution and Holodome, where you explore other worlds and do things you never thought possible. All for another day, but nevertheless an exclamation point on how really cool Seattle is.

So I got to wondering – are there sci-fi recipes out there and upon checking the internet found all sorts of recipes for unpronounceable things, none very appetizing:

Farscape: Roasted-Spider Soup
“The resident culinary guru in the world of Farscape is named Granny, and her signature, uh, dish is a delicacy known as roasted-spider soup, made exclusively from the meat of the Wolaxian arachnid. However, due to the spider’s terrifying appearance, gathering this ingredient proves easier said than done.”

Dune: Spice
“When you hear the word “spice,” you no doubt think of some plant parts that have been dried out and ground up. You don’t, however, often think about secretions left by gigantic sand worms. Oh well. To each his own.”

A Clockwork Orange: Moloko Plus
“Some people like their milk with cereal, or coffee or even cookies. Alex from A Clockwork Orange, however, prefers his milk to be mixed with barbiturates. Breakfast of champions!”

Star Trek: Gagh
“Klingons may make a great cup of coffee (really), but when it comes to dinner they are seriously (sigh) out of this world. Their signature dish is Gagh, which is essentially just a plate of worms. Not just any worms, however. Klingons eat something called “serpent worms.” Yikes.”

Return of the Jedi: Live Frogs
“Jabba the Hutt is a pretty big dude. To keep that masculine figure, he has to regularly consume mass quantities of live frogs. It must be noted, however, that he’d probably eat just about anything that was placed in front of him. Hutts aren’t picky.”

But I did find one that sounded a little off but was actually kind of palatable. A little dessert after a long trek through space and a dinner of Gagh. This is Vulcan Apple Pastry.

Vulcan Apple Pastry