The House That Rock Built!

Hey Everybody!


Cleveland is a great place to visit on a Wednesday! Any day, really....but on Wednesdays the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum is open until 9pm. Before I forget: if you cannot go on a Wednesday & you want to see it all, then I highly recommend the 2-day pass. It's a lot to absorb on a 10a-5p day. A lot!

I was there 10-4:30, left for 1.5hrs and returned until closing time. It was hard to leave, but I did need the break & had a couple errands to run anyway. Cleveland's rock & roll roots run pretty deep....and they worked hard to earn the privilege of being home to such a cool place. In fact, a local band played for more than 100 hours in an effort to get the Hall of Fame to Cleveland. The city heritage includes: Tracy Chapman, Macy Gray, and Marilyn Manson...

You will be tempted not to believe me, but it is true. The first song playing on the radio on the way to the museum: Joan Jett's "I Love Rock & Roll" - what are the chances?! As I walked toward the Hall of Fame I coud hear CCR's "Proud Mary." A person could spend the day just hanging out near the building to listen to great music all day!

As a charter member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it has taken me a very long time to set foot in my church. Admittedly, that membership lapsed due to circumstances over the years. If I lived in Cleveland (or visited regularly) I would absolutely maintain an annual pass. I didn't see anyone famous, but I overheard the conversation of some Elvis fans - they were pretty convinced that if he were coming back...it WOULD be to the Hall of Fame!

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at 9:30AM - before the school buses unloaded. I think field trips don't get much better than this!

Some of the painted guitars out front:

I knew Big Bird was cool...but not this cool! :-)

The staff recommend that everyone begin with a 12 minute film, "Mystery Train." So I did...and really enjoyed it. In the introduction these words fill the screen: "Imagine...There was a time in America when there was no rock & roll." Then it takes viewers way back to the roots and then blends sounds until there is rock & roll.

There are 7 levels to explore - complete with interactive listening booths, big screens showing all kinds of footage (interviews, concerts, inductions), and a movie theatre currently playing the U23D live concert. Right now, two of those levels are dedicated to a special Grateful Dead exhibit. It includes manuscripts, artwork, costumes, and instruments.

One of the less serious items in the museum was Timothy B. Schmit's (The Eagles) duffle bag full of hotel keys from around the world. Somewhere along the way on tour he started keeping them just for fun. It's a lot of keys!

Wanna see Hendrix' clothes, an Elvis cadillac, Michael Jackson's werewolf mask, ZZ tops Yunker Guitars, Mick Jagger's costumes, all sorts of Beatles stuff, handwriiten lyrics on scrap paper, Janis Joplin's psychedelic '65 Porsche, all kinds of guitars ... Well, you get the idea!

One of the most disturbing items on dispay are the two pieces of Otis Redding's airplane. The salvaged parts of the plane have his name. He recorded "Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay" three days before that plane crash.... just seems to intensify the loss, but sure makes me grateful that song was cut. I cannot imagine that song not existing.

Level Three is all about Hall of Fame Inductees. It was one of the highlighs of the visit. There's a video playing past induction ceremony highlights. There's an inductee film presentation that shows inductees from 1986 to the present. For part of the film there was an older man sitting near me and he clearly knew who should be inducted (or not!). When Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell popped up on the screen he rejected them - loudly! He was less bothered by Brenda Lee, but clearly didn't see how they had any relation to rock & roll. One of the best features of this level is a series of glass panels with the etched signatures of every inductee.

The Johnny Cash tour bus!

He used this bus for the last two decades of his career, which means I was on the very bus he used when I saw his show at The Filmore in SF, CA. He sold it just before he died because it was too sad for him to keep after his wife's death a couple months earlier. A couple funny stories about the man in black. First:

And:

I don't know why people think stars live differently than the rest of us!

For any Van Halen fans out there...drum kit from the 1980 Invasion tour.

I wish I had more photos for you, but cameras are NOT permitted except in two places. The Hall of Fame owns about one percent of everything on display - according to a staff member. The rest is on loan & they want to keep those loans coming! I saw people try to take pics and security is right on top of it!

My biggest gripe about the Hall of Fame is that I believe that white women rockers have been forgotten...or at least underrepresented. For the life of me, I do not understand how Heart is not inducted already! They were even a nominee this year, but still no. What about Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Janis Ian...

I am headed to Montana now...