[instrumental music - "The Plan's Working" by Cooper Cannell]
One of my favorite objects in the Archives is this pilot episode of "City A Go-Go" from
the Seattle Channel Moving Image Collection.
[sound effect - tube TV turning on]
[instrumental music - "City A Go-Go" theme by Chris Ballew & Tad Hutchinson]
The Seattle Channel launched “City a Go-Go” in August 2002 as a weekly program created,
hosted and produced by Nancy Guppy of “Almost Live” fame.
Hi and welcome to "City A Go-Go" where we celebrate the awesome power of art.
The show aired on the Seattle Channel and KCTS 9 through 2007 and has been cited by Guppy as the "impetus"
for "Art Zone." On her website, Guppy writes quote “I borrowed $3,000 from my dad to make
the pilot episode of 'City A Go-Go,' a 5-minute interstitial art series…that mini version
morphed into 'Art Zone with Nancy Guppy,' a half-hour show dedicated to Seattle’s vibrant
local arts scene.”
In 2003, the series was modified to air in monthly installments. The Seattle Channel
describes the show’s content in their annual reports as focusing quote “on Seattle’s
arts and cultural communities giving viewers great tips on where to go and what to do."
"The program highlights the activities of dozens of Seattle’s cultural institutions and some
special ‘finds’ off the beaten path that only Nancy could come up with!”
Each episode, shot in handheld digital video, highlights two or three events in the coming
week, and gives a quick calendar of other arts happenings. [sound effect - TV static]
The "City A Go-Go" theme music was written and performed by local musicians Chris Ballew and Tad Hutchison.
[sound effect - TV static]
This series provides an interesting window into the origins of "Art Zone," which has been
running on the Seattle Channel for over 10 years while also serving as an authentic representation
of Seattle’s arts and culture scene in the early 2000s.
[instrumental music - "City A Go-Go" theme by Chris Ballew & Tad Hutchinson]
That's it for this month. Thanks so much for watching.
And as always, we encourage you to get out there, try something exciting and new,
and experience the awesome power of art!
To watch episodes of "City A Go-Go" and other archived programming from the Seattle Channel,
please visit archives.seattle.gov.
Seattle Channel - you gotta watch it!