seattle Seattle is the creative hub1 of the USA’s Pacific Northwest region and an interna- tional destination for the arts. It is also ‘What home to one of the strangest buildings next?’ you are ever likely to see2: the Experi- ence Music Project (EMP) museum. Paul Gardner Allen of his wealth to 3 (pictured) has various charitable From the top of the nearby Seattle Space always enjoyed causes2 and non- 4 Needle, this brightly colored, shiny me- asking questions. profit foundations. tallic building looks like Christmas gone Born in Seattle, His early passion wrong5: a pile of crumpled wrapping pa- Washington, for the music of Jimi Hendrix led 6 Allen was a gifted per and broken toys. It was designed by computer student Allen to amass the world-famous architect Richard Gehry who left university the world’s and it isn’t the only unusual building on early to work as largest collection a programmer of Hendrix the Seattle skyline. Others include the for Honeywell. memorabilia. new Central Library, which was designed ‘What next?’ was This collection by Dutch7 architect Rem Koolhaas. Microsoft, the later formed a EMP’s spokesman, Christian Quilici, be- company Allen central part of the formed with his Experience Music È un regalo lieves that Gehry has provided the ap- school friend Bill Project, which di Paul Allen, propriate environment for an innovative Gates in 1975. Allen conceived3 leggendario museum like EMP: Allen is now one of as a celebration of the world’s richest musical innovation. socio men, with an The museum today fondatore di Christian Quilici estimated wealth1 showcases4 Allen’s Microsoft, (Standard British accent): of $18 billion. fascination with alla città di Seattle is becoming an architecture- Allen is said to human creativity in have donated music and science Seattle, e lovers’ destination, at this point. We around $900 million fiction. un omaggio have an I.M. Pei, we have a Gehry, we al suo idolo now have a Koolhaas and we’ll see Main picture, 8 personale, what else is coming down the pike . above: the surreal Glossary Jimi But the building, which I wonder if exterior (designed Hendrix. Ma by architect Richard 1 hub - centro. you can sometimes see from space, Gehry) of the 9 2 you are ever likely to soprattutto, because it is so bright and it is so… Experience Music see - che mai avrete l’Experience it’s a work of art in itself, and that, Project in Seatte, occasione di vedere. Washington. 3 nearby - vicino. Music once again, speaks to our mission, Below: the 4 shiny - lucido. 5 Christmas gone wrong Project è un you know, the creative process: well, museum’s interior. - Natale andato storto. capolavoro di this is a helluva piece of art in Far left: Seattle’s 6 a pile of crumpled architettura. itself10, the building is a piece of Space Needle. wrapping paper - una Above: the man pila di carta da regalo By Julian Earwaker Experience public sculpture. So, love it or hate it, who paid for it all, spiegazzata. 7 Dutch - olandese. we’ve got it! And I think it’s a great Microsoft co- 8 what else is coming founder and Seattle down the pike - thing for us to have – it’s a resident, Richard cos’altro c’è in arrivo. landmark11. Allen. 9 bright - luminoso. 10 this is a helluva (hell of) piece of art in itself - LOCAL LEGENDS questo è una grandiosa opera d’arte di per sè. The EMP building is said to represent the 11 landmark - monumento. Music! colours and curves of electric guitars and 12 song lyrics - testi di Language Level canzoni. advanced Dublin’s the energy of . Inside, EMP is 13 film footage - filmati. new wealth. certainly a music-lover’s dream: interac- Clockwise: WHAT NEXT? 12 Track the SoSume tive displays, clothing, song lyrics , 1 wealth - patrimonio. 8 2 charitable causes - Bar; the James guitars and other memorabilia from local opere di beneficenza. Joyce Bridge; legends like Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana, 3 conceived - the River Liffey concepirono. Speaker: waterfront and as well as artists from elsewhere in the 4 showcases - presenta. Chuck Rolando (Standard American accent) café society. USA. But EMP is much more than just a

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Speaker: Chuck Rolando ! (Standard American accent) by Fergal Kavanagh Rendiamo anche noi omaggio a Jimi Hendrix, che trasformò Hey Joe, una canzone tradizionale, in uno dei più grandi successi rock. Ma chi era Joe?

Seattle’s most famous son is Jimi Hen- drix, and one of his most recognisable recordings is his version of “Hey Joe.” It was the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first single in Britain, appearing on the 1967 album “Are You Experienced.” There is much speculation about who wrote the Above: The EMP 1 6 entrance and (right) collection of rare artifacts and film foot- of the artifacts from his own personal song: Hendrix’s original sleeve notes rope around me.” (Ain’t is commonly an intriguing guitar age13. With specialist areas such as the collection. Since it opened its doors refer to it as “a blues arrangement of an used in songs instead of “there isn’t,” so exhibit. Top: the “Sound Lab” and “On Stage” you can in June 2000, EMP has developed into old cowboy song that’s about 100 years grammatically this should be “there isn’t EMP as seen from Seattle’s famous record a demo CD, perform “live” in front a cultural center celebrating not only old,” but subsequent releases credit it to any hangman”). The singer salutes Joe, Space Needle. of screaming fans14, or learn how to play music, but human and scientific im- Billy Roberts. telling him “You better run on down.” Of Opposite page: the museum pays an instrument. At EMP you not only get agination, thanks to its increasingly The name Joe was commonly used at the course he means “you’d,” or “you had, 2 7 particular homage a close-up look at the lives of music leg- popular Science Fiction Museum (SFM). time to refer to a typical American male better run on down !” to local legend, Jimi ends – you and your friends and family The two museums overlap20 in the new – they were often “an average Joe” or Jimi Hendrix made “Hey Joe” one of Hendrix. can become rock stars for a day! permanent exhibit “Sound and Vision,” “a good Joe,” and a soldier was a “G.I. rock’s most popular songs – there are which opens up a fascinating collec- Joe.” The song “Hey Joe” uses a ques- over 400 recorded versions of it from Christian Quilici: tion of oral history recordings. tion-and-answer format to tell the story groups as diverse as , Deep You can come here and record your Like its founder, EMP/SFM encourages of a man’s reaction to his wife’s infidel- Purple and The Offspring, as well as Patti own demo, you can learn how to people to ask “What if?” and “What ity. The singer meets Joe and asks him, Smith, Nick Cave, Cher and Franco Bat- play guitar, learn how to play next?” Some of the 50,000 schoolchil- “Where (are) you going with that gun tiato. In 2006 1,876 guitarists gathered Glossary keyboards, learn how to mix, learn dren who visit here every year might in your hand?” (Spoken English often in the main square of Wroclow, Poland how to beat-match15, learn how to in the future provide answers to these incorrectly omits the auxiliary verb). to play the song together, setting the 14 screaming fans - scratch16 and DJ. And (when) you’ve questions. Christian Quilici occasion- Joe replies that he is “going down to Guinness World Record for the biggest fan scatenati. 15 beat-match - finished with that you can go check ally joins the guided tours around the shoot my old lady” (slang for wife) be- guitar ensemble ever. In spite of the studiare il tempo (di out17 about some of the people who museum. The most enjoyable part, he cause he “caught her messing around song’s subsequent popularity, Hendrix’s una canzone). 3 16 to scratch - creare wrote the book about these sorts of says, is watching popular culture con- with another man .” version only reached number 6 in the suoni manipolando i dischi di vinile, things. You can learn about Hendrix nect the generations: The next time he meets the betrayed British charts on its 1966 release. tecnica tipica dei DJ with the Museum Exhibit Guide, husband, the singer tells him he heard Glossary hip-hop. 18 17 check out - scoprire, which is triggered by sort of Christian Quilici: he had “shot her to the ground” and is (This recording features a brief excerpt imparare. 1 sleeve notes - note di infra-red sensors throughout the I’d see a dad, you know, teaching told, “I gave her the gun.” The man is from “Hey Joe” as performed by Jimi copertina. 18 is triggered - è 4 attivata. museum. It provides you with more his son about “I remember when now on the run from the police, and to Hendrix in 1966). To see the lyrics, visit 2 male - uomo. 19 brainchild - 3 he caught her messing invenzione. information and more contextual Dylan went electric!” and there was the question “where you going to run www.speakuponline.it around... man - l’ha 20 overlap - si background to that T-shirt you’re a big display about that. And, you to now?” replies that he is going south scoperta con un altro. sovrappongono. English Through Music... 4 on the run - in fuga. 21 the dad gets to looking at. know, then the dad gets to put a “down to Mexico way,” where he “can 5 he is aware... hanged - put... frame - il papà Fergal Kavanagh, the author sa che rischia di essere guitar on his young son or be free” and no-one is going to find impiccato. può far imbracciare 21 of this article, runs the website una chitarra ai suoi THE MAN WITH THE MONEY daughter’s frame and he gets to him. He is aware that he faces being www.tuneintoenglish.com. 6 rope - corda. figli... 19 5 The Students’ Area features 7 you’d better run on EMP is the brainchild of Microsoft co- teach them how to pick up a guitar hanged if he is caught, and declares activities for learning English down - meglio che founder Paul Allen, who donated many and... and get inspired that way. “ain’t no hangman… going to put a through pop music. scappi.

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