There was an actual purpose to my visit. Ever since the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1995, I have wanted to go. Whether it be lack of time, lack of money or lack of good planning, I never made it. A few months ago I saw there was going to be a special exhibit at the Rock Hall commemorating the 30th anniversary of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. That was the extra push I needed to get myself to Cleveland. Not surprisingly, plane fare to Cleveland was pretty reasonable for this time of year. Plus I found a hotel deal that included the room, tickets to the museum and breakfast for one low price. Everything fell together perfectly. I decided to go by myself because a) nobody is stupid enough to go to Cleveland in December and b) this is something I've wanted to do for quite some time, and I didn't want to wait on others or have others wait for me. This turned out to be a good idea because...
...I was at the Rock Hall for nine hours. After moving from Boston, I had forgotten what a damp, winter wind felt like, but was quickly reminded stepping from the warm confines of my hotel through the five minute walk to the Hall. The Rock Hall is beautiful. I stood in awe, and this was just the lobby. This was the beginning of being completely overwhelmed and having tremendous sensory overload. The first thing I saw was the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers exhibit. It's not so much the quantity, but the quality. The mad hatter hat Tom wore in the "Don't Come Around Here No More" video, the shirt he wore in the "Free Fallin'" video, Mike Campbell's boots, Howie's bass, a Mudcrutch press release, the guitar Tom wrote almost every song on from Damn the Torpedoes to Echo. My favorites were the handwritten lyrics to such songs as "Refugee", "Walls (Circus)", "You Got Lucky" and "The Waiting". And listening to him sing "Refugee" while reading the handwritten lyrics in front of me. They had a great video and live performance retrospective. Some time later, I pried myself away and continued looking through the museum.
I soon came across various stage costumes, props and instruments through the decades. The corset Madonna wore during "Like A Virgin" in the Blond Ambition tour, the electric piano John Paul Jones recorded "Stairway to Heaven", the dress Michelle Phillips wore during the Monterey Pop Festival, Michael Jackson's sequined glove, Mick Jagger's US Flag/Union Jack cape, an Alice Cooper severed head and guillitine and the t-shirt and jeans Bruce Springsteen wore on the Born in the USA cover. They had great mementos from Elvis and the Beatles. Highlights were John Lennon's wire-rimmed glasses and the deed to Graceland. I had to chuckle when I saw Jim Morrison's cub scout uniform and pause a moment at his death certificate.
And then I came across...It. The Steven head. An exact replica of Steven Tyler's head. It is still creepy after all of these years. Now it's in glass casing. Probably to keep people like me from compulsively poking it. It was among the outfit Steven wore promoting "Pink" on Letterman, the iconic scarfed microphone stand and the long black trenchcoat Joe Perry wore in the "(Dude) Looks Like a Lady" video. I admit I did spend some time at a distance watching people look at the AeroArtifacts. It made me happy to know that in some tiny, tiny, microscopic, single atom-sized way, I was part of their history. There were other special exhibits dedicated to Roy Orbison, Rick Nelson (a childhood crush of my Mom), the Clash and Jimi Hendrix. It had been about 2 hours by this point, and I had yet to leave the basement. Sadly, I was not allowed to take pictures of the objects in the museum. It's just more incentive to get to the Rock Hall for yourself.
I was trying so hard to absorb everything, but after awhile, everything seemed to blend together. I watched 5 documentaries. My favorite was a tribute to all those who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was on three giant screen and in surround sound. Another was on the songwriting process and the legacy of musicians. Another favorite was a 15-minute review of MTV and the music video. They cite Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson and Madonna for revolutionizing the music video, and although I agree, think Aerosmith should have been included in my completely unbiased opinion.
The best part of the Rock Hall is -- to sound cliche -- the music. I felt completely in my element there. All these incredible genres of music equally represented and respected. To hear Jerry Lee Lewis and the next moment hear Billie Holliday, then Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" and Elvis Costello then Cream to "Dance to the Music" by Sly and the Family Stone. It was fantastic. Since I went on a Wednesday (it's open until 9pm instead of 5pm) and during an off-time of year, it wasn't crowded at all. I could take my time and really take in everything. That definitely enhanced the experience.
I did indulge in one guilty splurge. In the gift shop, there was a glass case of rock memorabilia for sale. I spotted a lapel pin no more than 1.5in across. It was from defunct Washington, DC radio station WAVA promoting a 1984 Billy Joel concert at the Capital Centre. I saw the price and winced, but knew I had to have it. WAVA was the best rock radio station in Washington, DC during the 1980s (yes, even better than DC101), before it changed overnight to Christian Rock in the early 1990s, breaking the hearts of me and of all my middle school peers. The Capital Centre was the storied arena where I saw my first Billy Joel concert in 1993, as well as many other memorable events. The Capital Centre was reduced to rubble in 2002 and now a shopping center. So really, I had no choice.
I cannot praise and recommend the Rock & Roll Hall of fame enough. This is definitely a place I will visit again.
And as an added highlight, I get to see my friend John Chandler, aka the Best Sportscaster in Cleveland. I haven't seen John since commencement and had a great time catching up. Plus, I even saw him on TV during a sportscast. He is definitely worthy of his moniker. Also, a big congrats to him on his engagement.
So all in all, a wonderful trip to Cleveland. I may not have been swaying in a hammock on a tropical isle, but I doubt I could of had any more fun anywhere else. Cleveland Rocks!
Quote of the Day:
"[I]n America and in Europe, you've seen groups of people form themselves into generations. That's a big mistake. That's wrong. ... Look at my generation. How did that work? Jimi Hendrix. Brian Jones. Janis Joplin. Keith Moon. The list is fucking endless. They're dead people. My life is full of dead people. My friends are dead. My friends. They might be your fucking icons. They're my fucking friends." --Pete Townshend
4 comments:
Were there any "special tinted" sunglasses at the Hall of Fame????
Funny you ask...yes! ;) There were a pair of Roy Oribson's glasses on display in his special exhibit, as well as another pair somewhere else in the museum. I even learned something; although he wore corrective contact lenses, the glasses were more of a trademark than a necessity. You learn something new everyday.
so now that you know the entire history of music, let's go find some trivia!!!!
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