I was in Cleveland this weekend, so I made a quick detour to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (and Museum). It’s right on Lake Erie, adjacent to the Great Lakes Science Center, and with beautiful weather I figured I couldn’t go wrong.
Adult admission is a bit steep–$22 for what is essentially one main exhibit hall, though I didn’t have time to check out the extras like the Bruce Springsteen temporary exhibit or the Pink Floyd wall–but if you are into the “stuff” of rock & roll, you’ll be in heaven. John Lennon’s childhood drawings and the jacket he wore for the Sergeant Pepper cover; Jim Morrison’s Easter card to his mother and the letter notifying his father of his arrest for lewd exposure in Florida; a big purple Cadillac Elvis bought for one of his managers; dozens of performance outfits worn by Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Steven Tyler and Stevie Nicks; and handwritten lyrics to countless songs, including Billy Joel’s scribblings for “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and Joni Mitchell’s loopy scrawl for “Night in the City.” And one of my favorites, Janis Joplin’s psychadelic-painted 1965 Porsche 356c Cabriolet.
Like presidential libraries, the Rock & Roll museum really isn’t set up to be skeptical of its subject matter, and it definitely buys lock, stock, and barrel into the premise that rock & roll is the Greatest Thing Ever of the 20th Century. But the collective effect is a bit like that of a hysterical groupie–what about an acknowledgement of the darker side of rock & roll? A tribute, perhaps, to the many stars who inadvertently (or deliberately) offed themselves with the drugs and alcohol the rock & roll lifestyle encouraged? Browsing the Jim Morrison exhibit, I couldn’t help noticing the silimarities between his family and mine–Catholic, middle class, educated. If he hadn’t grown up in the 60s, someone so apparently intelligent might have found a way to define his own path without dying before his 30th birthday. The R&RHoF might have more credibility, and thus be more effective, if it approached its material with a bit more restraint. After all, aloof is cool and oh-so-rock-&-roll, right?
They’re very strict about photography, so with the exception of pictures of the Porsche and some of the guitars, plan to get your souvenirs in the gift shop. I’d recommend a good two to three hours to stroll at your leisure, but worth a visit!
3 responses so far ↓
Dr Bree // November 23, 2009 at 9:57 pm |
I’m not a true US rock and roll fan so subject is quite obscure for me..but the video made it and I loved the music..felt like I was there..thanks for the tour, spare money and time
Charlotte // November 23, 2009 at 10:02 pm |
what i want to know is why so many musicians died young, purposely or naturally? did the museum address that? Anyway, i liked Janis’s car, so bright, the driver so full of life.
Jim // November 23, 2009 at 10:12 pm |
I thought you did a great job with the pictures (video) despite the museum’s restrictions. The zooming camera on most shots – and the captions on the others – made this interesting to look at. The links in the opening paragraph are nice, though I’m not sure the Science Center’s one is so relevant. Maybe you could have made it seem more relevant by adding a little incidental info about it in your text, which I enjoyed as well as the visuals. You whetted my interest in visiting Cleveland.