Citizen Minutes Ghosts Contributor

Sit & Spin – Remembered by Chris Porter

Once upon a time in Belltown, there was a laundromat, music venue, and cafe called Sit & Spin, where dozens of Seattle’s punk icons played while locals separated their delicates from their towels. Talent buyer and event programmer Chris Porter met up with us in front of what is now Spitfire sports bar to share his memories of the deeply missed spot.

Chris used to produce a monthly mod show at Sit & Spin called UFO Au Go Go featuring DJ’s, live bands, go go dancers, and projections – all in a 60’s psych/garage/soul and Brit-Pop theme. Says Porter, “I occasionally lament to my fellow sports fans that over in the corner of the back room where we are watching TV, many great bands including The White Stripes, Billy Childish, and many hundreds of others performed there…I DJ’d many times in an elevated spot behind where we sit to watch sports.  I have memories of countless Seattle bands, burlesque dancers, and getting beer at a bar surrounded with kitschy décor.  The sweet memories of Sit & Spin go on and on – and I continue to cherish them.”

This film is the fourth in a series produced in collaboration with the Northwest Film Forum’s #CitizenMinutes project, featuring Ghosts of Seattle Past contributors sharing the lost Seattle spaces they miss. Be sure to also check out Sarah Galvin performing poetry in front of Malden Ave and E Mercer and Hollis Wong-Wear remembering The Capitol Club, as well as Paul Constant paying homage to On 15th Video.

Chris Porter is Governor for the Pacific Northwest Chapter Board of The Recording Academy, and the former Programming Director of Bumbershoot. As President of Chris Porter Productions, he provides festival/event programming, talent buying, and consulting. He is also the founder of the Boston Sports Fan Club of Seattle.

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