The R & R Hall of Fame started as an idea in the 1980’s and opened its doors in 1995. By he time the building was completed, on the lake front in Cleveland, Ohio, there were many rock & roll heroes already enshrined. I always wanted to go there and see the displays, the memorabilia and certainly the guitars. Yesterday I got to do that. By 9:00 a.m. people were already beginning to collect in front of the building. When they opened at 10:00, it reminded me of the line at Disneyland; lots of every-age, little kids, bent on rock and roll.
I was by myself. Any enthusiasm was dampened a bit by the fact I couldn’t share it with anyone. Wall after wall was covered with display cases, filled with costumes, posters, musical instruments and awards. It didn’t take very long to realize, you can’t look at everything there’s just too much stuff. Some things were displayed by genre, others by time period or region, some individuals got a space for themselves. It’s a museum and there was nothing to touch. But at every turn, there were kiosks where you could watch film clips of past performances. There are two small and one larger theaters where you can watch past performances and in particular, past induction ceremonies into the hall of fame.
I loved the guitars, from Jerry Garcia’s Stratocaster to Bo Diddley’s cigar box, square body Gretch; I was in awe. They might be under glass in Cleveland but once upon a time, they were jamming under the lights to a sold out crowd. Naturally, some people are more special to us than others and there are nearly 200 rock & rollers already inducted and available at the museum. So you get to pick and choose which ones you dwell on. I walked into one theater while the film was in progress. It was a close up of the body of an acoustic guitar. It was gorgeous with abalone inlay on the sound hole and bindings. The hand on its strings was playing the bridge to a song I knew but couldn’t identify at the moment. Just as the camera began to zoom back, revealing the artist, I recognized, “The Sound of Silence” and there they were, two, old, gray headed dudes in HD on a stage in front of thousands. Garfunkel was recognizable with his high forehead and frizzy hair but Simon was just a little old man and I don’t know how long it would have taken to put a name on his face if not for the music. I sat there through 7 or 8 songs. Their voices weren’t all they used to be but neither are my ears. It was way-cool.
The class of 2014 includes The E Street Band and Linda Ronstadt. The Boss made it in in the 90’s and his band has made it now as well. There are others and great as they are, just not my favorites. Linda Ronstadt on the other hand, I’ve loved her since the Stone Ponies. On You Tube there is a duet with her and Bonnie Raitt, from the early 70’s; "Blowing Away." I’ve played it so many times I know every detail, from the camera angles, to the cut aways to when eyes shift one way or the other. I love Bonnie Raitt too, she was inducted in 2000. The two of them together when they were invincible is worth watching again and again.
Quotes from interviews at the ceremonies were great. Mick Jagger thought it was ironic that they were all on their best behavior when it was their bad behavior that got them there. Pete Townshend’s advice was, “Whatever you do, don’t grow old gracefully. It doesn’t become you.” I recommend the museum to any and everyone. The people there were as interesting as the displays. The ones I noticed most were old folks like me, sharing their enthusiasm with their grand children. One little girl was dragging her grandmother across the room, telling her at every step, “Grandma, it’s Janice Joplin, it’s Janice Joplin.” If one of my granddaughters ever took me by the hand and dragged me to where we could listen to Ruth Brown or Linda Ronstadt, I’d know I was in heaven.
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