Liked your story......James is an interesting individual.....would like to know more about his music.......enjoyed the way you put the story together......hope to see more....thank you

What a wonderful story! The next time I visit Seattle Center, I will explore the International Fountain and James Whetzel's music!

FYI: You can listen to and download some of James Whetzel's own personal music here: http://soundcloud.com/jameswhetzel

We live down the street from the fountain. Not long ago, we stopped there to munch on a scone and sip coffee during one of this summer's rare warm and sunny weekends. The Festál mix came on...it was astounding! Ranging from mist to racing waterspouts all the way to those fantastic super shooters out the top. An intended five-minute stop turned into an hour of joy. We hated to leave. Thank you, James!

For the last three years I've eaten lunch at the fountain when it's not raining, freezing or completely taken over by children. The music is one of the reasons I keep going there. It helps me reset so I can go back to the office ready for the afternoon's work.

Great article! The fountain has been there since the World's Fair, but it's only been in its current form since I think 1995. Before that it was all spiky rocks and big scary metal nozzles. (You can see it in pictures of the Kurt Cobain memorial service they had at the Center the day after he killed himself.)

Megan, thanks for writing such a cool article about my work with the fountain! And thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences with the fountain music.

Here's a link to the Festál "big show" mix that I made in 2006, via my Soundcloud account: http://soundcloud.com/jameswhetzel/james…

If you want to know what's playing in the fountain at any given time all the artists and at least one specific track from the new mix are shared via Seattle Center's twitter account @SeattleCenter when I change the music. That usually happens on a Monday or Tuesday but may also happen on other days depending on what events are going on at Seattle Center.

I hope you continue to enjoy the music, cheers!

JW

As someone with children, I have been trekking to the Seattle Center for many years. The fountain was one of my sanity zones. The fountain would entertain the kids and the music was the exact opposite of your typical public space music, which most times is there to prevent loitering. The music was very welcoming and enjoyable. Thank you to the Stranger for introducing the man behind the mix.

What I like the most about the James Whetzel story is his intention to make art out of his circumstances and his environment without the hubbub. Too often art is labeled and signified with big bold statements, "Look At Me! I'm Art!". Then the typical response, "I don't get it." James' attitute seems to be, art is all around you, just open yourself and enjoy. What a great city to have someone like James creating art for the sake of everyone who cares to stop for a moment and breathe.

I moved here from NY in 2005 and my father came to visit me that winter. We were in the car in the middle of an awkward silence after a predictable fight when James' remix of Masters of War came on. We both broke the silence to say how much we loved this song. Then I stalked James and wrote to him to tell him this story and he wrote back.
I lived and currently work in Lower Queen Anne and I used to go through the Center every day (RIP Tuba Man). The music was always phenomenal. And so eclectic. Love, love, love his work.
love.

@8: All Hail James Whetzel!! Thank you for sharing your mixes!! Too cool!!
Being a flutist, I especially liked your mix of Tito Fuentes' Oye Como Va with piccolo from your 2006 Fountain Festa!

The next time I'm in Seattle, I'll check out the International Fountain!