Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory - "Buster Crabbe's Circus"

The Century 21 Exposition in Seattle was a moonlit dreamland that captured the imagination of millions. It tapped into the rocket propelled wonderment, mechanized idealism, and self-centered spirit of the times. Empirical thought was serving the needs and whims of the empire in a spectacular way.

One could say it was the crossroads in history where Flash Gordon met the Cold War. The sleepless dreams of schoolkid astronauts, the wildest notions of shade tree inventors and the latest efforts of scientists made an enchanting combination in the Emerald City that spring.

In hindsight, the 1962 World's Fair was a prototype for more nerdy amusement parks in the future. A monorail, super-sized science exhibits, seemingly impossible architecture, and the draw of exotic places were blended into a winning formula that would serve Disney two decades later at Epcot.

My first glimpse of Seattle Center was on a trip north with the family in 1978. We were visiting the King Tutankhamen exhibit. The ride up the Space Needle was thrilling and scary. From the observation deck, the 360 degree vistas of the city, Puget Sound and Cascade Range were breathtaking. It was quite the adventure for an eight year-old and left a deep impression.

Back on the ground, trash was everywhere. Kids put paper cups and empty sno-cones over the jets on the fountains and tried to dash away before the water soaked them to the bone. I remember standing there watching as an older boy slipped, tripped and snapped his leg. The arrival of an ambulance broke the monotony of waiting in line for three hours to see a mummy in a 3,000 pound Faberge egg.

There was a stark contrast between the timeless relics of ancient Egyptian civilization and the careless brats scrambling around the grimy crumbling bowling alley architecture. The empire that I knew was temporary, illusory and very irresponsible. In another thousand years, not a single building would remain from that era in American history. At the same time, the Pharaohs would still be remembered for their pyramids.

Today, the revered technological icons of our recent past are dwarfed by glass and steel manifestations of downtown power. Supersonic flight seems almost quaint. The region that gave birth to the airliner, ushered in the jet age and propelled us into the space age is more well known for an encampment of hard working geeks in Renton.

The monorail ends at EMP now. It whisks you into a futuristic monument to the fleeting success and deadly excess of local musicians. The museum is both a celebration of unique talents and a memorial to broken dreams. Naturally, it fits right into the theme of temporary permanence.

Even with much of the evidence of the World's Fair bulldozed or remodeled, Seattle Center is still a magical place. Though it is hard to ignore the moss growing up the sides of the Space Needle, the Parthenon of Populuxe remains. We should all enjoy it while we still can.

Historic footage of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair was sourced from the incredible Prelinger Collection at Archive.org and is in the Public Domain.

"Buster Crabbe's Circus" and the title cut from "Wy'east Can't Sleep" were first released in 2001 by the Sauvie Island Moon Rocket Factory. Words & Music written by David Klopfenstein in 1996. Performed by David K. & Lincoln McGrath.

Visit us at http://www.littlesongs.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Seattle World's Fair
• Space Needle
• Century 21 Exposition
• Buster Crabbe
• Sauvie Island
• Moon Rocket Factory

[MHart86]

I love all this music, what are the names of the songs?

[littlesongs]

Thank you. The video opens with "Wy'east Can't Sleep" and "Buster Crabbe's Circus" is the final number.

[klo328]

The almost surreal world's fair footage matches your dreamy songscape perfectly... Magical!

[cablebasher]

That's really interesting. Thanks for posting the video.