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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Life / Architecture / Theater Just In Case You Were Wondering...

Posted by Brendan Kiley on Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 3:10 PM

... whether we took any pictures of the tearing-down of the iconic, 80 year old sign of the Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle (to be replaced with a replica that is 90% more energy efficient and made with lots of recycled aluminum by the Sign Factory of Kirkland for $616,000) the answer is yes.

They let me up to the vertiginous heights where Joey and Anthony said they were running out of Camel Lights and did I have any. I didn't.

Don't look down.

During the lunch break Jim talked about seeing the Beastie Boys at the Parmount back in "what was that, '87?" Then he recited most of the lyrics to "Paul Revere."

"Have any good memories of the sign?" I asked. "Kiss anybody pretty under there?"

"Naw my wife'd kill me if I said that," Jim said.

"Hey Jim, I heard you boned a girl under that sign!" one of the other workers joked. "Just tell your wife you were making shit up to sound cool in The Stranger!"

Jim just grinned and kept on reciting: "I did it like this/I did it like that/I did it with a wiffle-ball bat."

More photos after the jump. And the new sign goes up starting 9 am tomorrow morning.

Comments (23) RSS

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ROTATE THOSE PICS!

Posted by Akbar Fazil on October 6, 2009 at 3:13 PM

Thanks for posting these! I hope you have updates when they start installing the new one, this whole process is fascinating.

Posted by lukeiscool on October 6, 2009 at 3:15 PM

You guys could write the Seattle equivalent of "The Wire" with dialog like that.

Posted by A Sprinkle A Day on October 6, 2009 at 3:16 PM

@ 1. Working on it. I wasn't trained as a photographologist.

Posted by Brendan Kiley on October 6, 2009 at 3:20 PM

another good Beastie Boy lyric: "I think her name was Lucie but they all called her Loose!"

Posted by furburger on October 6, 2009 at 3:22 PM

thank you Brenadan.

Sorry if I was cranky...not properly rotated pics are the bane of my existence. That and Loveschild.

Posted by Akbar Fazil on October 6, 2009 at 3:23 PM

Way to out someone publically Brendan.

Posted by treacle on October 6, 2009 at 3:26 PM

I want the P and T!

Posted by CommonKnowledge on October 6, 2009 at 3:30 PM

I thought we established yesterday that that sign is a replica of the original, not 80 years old.

Posted by Fnarf

on October 6, 2009 at 3:35 PM

That was suggested, Fnarf, but not established. I asked the Paramount historians and they say that's a misunderstanding. The replica built for the movie never went onto the side of the Paramount building.

Posted by Brendan Kiley on October 6, 2009 at 3:39 PM

I'll chip in for marquee lettering that isn't so jacked looking all the goddam time.

Posted by gloomy gus on October 6, 2009 at 3:43 PM

My God is that a beautiful thing to see "Sunny Day Real Estate" on the Paramount marquee.

Posted by Kris on October 6, 2009 at 4:01 PM

1)Was that 1987 Beastie Boys concert the opening act for Madonna?
2)Sunny Day Real Estate is playing on the 16th! Holy Smokes!

Posted by Roosevelt

on October 6, 2009 at 4:02 PM

Am I the only one who sees a large blue cock (Dr. Manhattan?) with the word 'amount' written on it?

Posted by The Amazing Jim

on October 6, 2009 at 4:11 PM

@10, OK, but that must have been a hell of a restoration job. When I stood under that sign in the 70s it looked like it was made out of rust.

Posted by Fnarf

on October 6, 2009 at 4:14 PM

Whoa, two nights of Steely Dan?

Posted by Dougsf on October 6, 2009 at 4:19 PM

15 - the seventies were the last time your ugly ass got out of the house? .I'm pretty sure that is the case seeing that you spend all day in here spouting shit you know nothing about.

Posted by Concerned Citizens for no More Fnarf on October 6, 2009 at 4:51 PM