Experience Music Project - Originally Published 2009

Paul Allen has a double blessing going for him.  First, he has a ton of cash.  According to some rankings, he is the thirty-second wealthiest man in America.  His second blessing is that he is about as anonymous as a co-founder of Microsoft could ever be.  Think about this for a second.  Would you be able to pick Paul Allen out of a lineup?  

So let’s discuss Paul’s money for a minute.  How much does he have?  He’s a part owner of the Seahawks, the Trailblazers, and the Sounders.  He owns the Octopus, the eighth largest yacht in the world.  And, he loves rock and roll so much that in the year 2000, he helped to open the Experience Music Project.

Never accused of being frugal, our buddy Paul commissioned Frank Geary to design the structure where the museum is housed.

So what exactly is it?  I wish that I had a press pass at the time, because it was a camera unfriendly location.  Inside, there are two museums:  The Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

EMP houses the world’s largest Jimi Hendrix collection as well as a wing dedicated to the music of the Pacific Northwest, along with other revolving collections.  The SFHF has an extensive display of Sci-Fi memorabilia. 

I highly recommend getting there while they still have the Jim Henson exhibit on display.  It’s an excellent walk through the mind of a creative genius.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not Buena Park - Originally Published 2009

It’s kind of hard to describe who Robert Ripley was.  Basically, he was a cartoonist that traveled the world attempting to document the unusual.  If you ever are in Buena Park, you can stop by the Believe It Or Not Museum and take a look at what he spent his life pursuing.

Located on Beach Boulevard, the museum is almost directly across from Knott’s Berry Farm.

We have driven past this place hundreds of times, dismissing it as some cheesy tourist trap.  That’s Robert Ripley seated on the airplane fuselage.  

You see this?  This is a genuine Papua New Guinea penis sheath.  This is what convinced me that this wasn’t going to be the usual museum.

The first part of the museum is devoted to bric-a-brac that an early twentieth century explorer would collect in Africa and “the Orient”, such as a hippo skull.

 A quick word before you proceed.  This place is not pc.  If you want pc, go jump in the lake.  The old clips use words like “orient”.  Also, a portion of the display is devoted to displaying odd humans.

That’s right, odd humans like this guy who had four pupils.  This is not done in the name of science like The Learning Channel pretends to do.  It’s done because people enjoy looking at the unusual.  Just remember the lessons learned from Todd Browning’s Freaks and you’ll be all right.

There are also a number of other unusual items made by people, such as this picture made from dryer lint.

Or this copy of “The Last Supper” made completely out of toast.

Ripley’s is a great place to go on a lazy afternoon.  As you go through, make sure to count the number of items made out of human hair.

Liberace Museum - Originally Published 2010

Hinduism has a concept known as an avatar.  The word is Sanskrit and can be translated to “manifestation” or “appearance”.  Basically, think of it like this.  When God comes to visit the physical plane, he uses an avatar to do so.  It is an embodiment of all that is good.  Krishna was an avatar.  So was Jesus.

Krishna’s presence is supposed to invoke pure joy.  Ever seen a Hare Krishna?  You know why they drop out of polite society and sing all day?  It’s because they’ve felt the presence of Krishna and understand what pure joy is.

I’m glad you’ve all decided to attend my lecture today, because it’s my conjecture that Liberace was an avatar.  You see, on a recent visit to the Liberace museum, I found it impossible not to smile.  Look here and here.  Tell me that you didn’t find yourself the slightest bit amused.

At the very least, this was a man who recognized his role as an entertainer.  It was his job to take in an audience for an hour and a half and make them forget about crappy jobs, rising interest rates, disrespectful children, and the price of gasoline.  He wasn’t proving solutions.  He was giving the opportunity to escape and feel bliss.

Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas - Originally Published 2010

Once again, Animated Meat ventures into the underbelly of the city and pulls back the curtain on places you’ve wondered about but never bothered with.  In this installment, Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas.

Madame Tussaud’s bills itself as an interactive wax museum.  What does that mean?  It means that they have dropped the velvet rope and allow visitors to stand right next to the sculptures and take pictures.  That’s pretty much it to the interactivity of the museum.

The quality of the sculptures is remarkable.  Wax museums in my past have left me jaded.  To Madame Tussaud’s credit, I never once wondered to myself, “Who is that supposed to be?”

Bring your camera, because this is a museum that you need to check all your coolness at the door in order to really enjoy.  The museum is populated with celebrities both current and former and from all professions, just waiting for you to make a fool of yourself in front of. 

I’ll give them a whole lot of credit for making a statue of Chuck Liddell.

Royal British Columbia Museum - Originally Published 2009

As noted on a previous entry, thanks to a misread bus schedule, we managed to burn some time we could have used to take in some sights in Victoria.  When we arrived at the Royal British Columbia Museum, we had exactly one hour to tour the entire place.  I can report that while it’s not the most leisurely way to see it, it is possible to get it all in.

The Royal Museum is three stories that tell the history of British Columbia.

They have everything from stuffed animals to rooms devoted to the history and culture of the First Nation people. I recommend that you give yourself considerably more time to take a look at it than we did.  While it is possible to see the whole place in an hour, it’s kind of like driving a car with your feet.  Yes, you can do it, but it’s really not a good idea.