Museum Of Pop Culture

Nirvana

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The legacy of Nirvana is deeply rooted in Seattle and the surrounding areas of Washington. At the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, they’ve held an ongoing exhibit on the band, called “Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses.” Here we’ll take a look at some of those items on display, as well as a couple locations related to the band.

This cardigan was worn by Kurt Cobain between 1991 and 1994.

LOCATION: 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

This Fender Competition Mustang was played by Kurt Cobain on the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video shoot on August 17, 1991 in Culver City, California. One of Cobain’s speakers is below. To the left is a flyer for a casting call to be in the video, with a record release party flyer for “Nevermind” on the right.

The gold acoustic guitar on the left was played by Krist Novoselic at the MTV Unplugged concert in New York City, November 18, 1993. The Buck Owens American acoustic guitar on the right, owned by Novoselic, was played by Pat Smear with Nirvana on the “In Utero” tour, as well as the MTV Unplugged performance. Between them is a hat worn by Cobain in the early 1990s.

Kurt Cobain lived with his wife Courtney Love at this home, located in Denny-Blaine neighborhood of Seattle. Cobain committed suicide in the home sometime around April 5, 1994 in the greenhouse, which sat separate from the main house at the back of the property. Love had the greenhouse demolished after Cobain’s death.

LOCATION: 171 Lake Washington Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112

Minor portions of the home can be seen from the front gate, as well as the park beside it, but you can’t really get a full view.

Right next to the property is Viretta Park, where this bench stands in memorial to Cobain and Nirvana, with fans writing messages on it. There’s no parking available in front of the home or Viretta Park. The nearest available parking is over at Denny Blaine Park (200 Lake Washington Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112).

LOCATION: 151 Lake Washington Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112

Hostel (2005)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The interrogation chair from the 2005 horror film “Hostel” could be found on display at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington. Not only was it used in several scenes for the film, it was used in real life interrogations in the former Czechoslovakia during the Cold War era. The chair was on loan for display from director Eli Roth himself.

LOCATION: 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

The Thing (1982)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The props and memorabilia from the John Carpenter classic “The Thing” could be found on display at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington. First up is Fuchs’ burnt body.

LOCATION: 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Here is the hat of MacReady, played by Kurt Russell.

Here is a film slate clapper used during the production.

Alien (1979)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

Some props from the 1979 Ridley Scott film “Alien” could be found on display at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington. Here is an alien creature costume from the film.

LOCATION: 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Here is a flamethrower used by Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver. Also seen are Ripley’s speargun and the cap of Brett, played by Harry Dean Stanton.

Here is a miniature of the Nostromo Refinery Tower.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1996 Robert Rodriguez film “From Dusk Till Dawn,” written by Quentin Tarantino, is set in Texas and Mexico. Production actually took place at neither, however. Instead, the film was shot primarily in California.

In the opening scene, the Gecko Brothers, Seth and Richie, played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino respectively, visit Benny’s World of Liquor. The same location also appeared in “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” and still stands today. The building can be found in Lancaster, California. However, a fence has since been erected around the property, obscuring some of the views.

LOCATION: 46551 140th St E, Lancaster, CA 93535

Here is the area next to the building, where Texas Ranger Earl McGraw, played by Michael Parks, first arrives, much in the same way he does (as the same character) in “Kill Bill.” The church he visits in that film is also located in Lancaster, just minutes away from this location.

Seth and Richie speed off down 140th St E as the opening credits begin.

The Dew Drop Motel where the Gecko Brothers meet Jacob, played by Harvey Keitel, can be found in Mojave. The same motel, actually called the Budget Inn Motel, was featured in the film “Nocturnal Animals.” Other than some slight renovations to the front of the motel, it still looks similar to how it appeared in the film.

LOCATION: 16698 Sierra Hwy, Mojave, CA 93501

The restaurant where Jacob eats with his daughter Kate and son Scott, played by Juliette Lewis and Ernie Liu respectively, has since been demolished. It was formerly located in Victorville, on I-15 Frontage Rd, just off Interstate 15. Here is where the building once stood.

LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 34.557037, -117.287256 (nearest address is around 16801 I-15 Frontage Rd, Victorville, CA 92394)

The Titty Twister bar and strip club is not located in Mexico, as depicted in the film. It was a set built on a dry lake bed in Yermo, just off Interstate 15, near Calico Blvd and Ghost Town Rd. There are, of course, no longer any remnants of the set. However, the mountains in the background allow the ability to coordinate where the sets approximately stood. Facing west on the lake bed, looking towards Ghost Town Rd is where the Titty Twister was located.

LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 34.915563, -116.876034 (near Calico Blvd / Ghost Town Rd, Yermo, CA 92398)

Looking the opposite direction is where the dirt path up to the bar was located. There is of course no Aztec temple to be found there, which was a visual effect.

The whip used by Sex Machine, played by Tom Savini, could be found on display at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington as part of their horror exhibition, “Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film.”

LOCATION: 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Related articles: Roadracers (1994)