(Note: This is a long, detailed view of my visit to the Rock Hall, which was on 9/13/2018. This is not about who is or who is not inducted, but about the museum itself. I won't give away that much about the actual museum, and I respect the institution's wishes not to post any pictures on the Internet.)
Well, it finally happened! I've waited quite a while to visit. I have visited many parts of the United States, but for whatever reason Cleveland was never really a priority until about a couple years ago. It seems now, sadly, that a lot of cities have that "one thing" that makes them plenty of tourism dollars and really there's nothing else that city would offer besides their local scene and maybe a few extra museums here and there. Minneapolis has the "Mall of America", Memphis has Graceland, my home city St. Louis has the Arch (and the Budweiser brewery tour) but not much else that would get people out here. If another city had the RRHOF, I would have visited that particular city just for that reason.
BEFORE THE VISIT....
I planned a trip to Milwaukee and Cleveland a month before, as they were two cities that I never visited but always wanted to. My sister's family had visited Cleveland twice in the last 3 years, mostly to see the Cavaliers play. My nephew is a huge Lebron fan. (Of course, now they may be plotting a trip to L.A. now, haha) Both times they visited the RRHOF, and my nephew posted a short video of his visit on his YouTube channel. After I commented, he said, "You should definitely go. Sooner rather than later. You will love it!". That was my dealbreaker right there! My bro-in-law said for the average person it's a 3-hour museum, but for me it would be an all-day thing.
The main reason I wanted to go to Milwaukee was to visit the Record Research place as well as visit my favorite author, Joel Whitburn, who heads that publishing company. Unfortunately, those plans partly went down the drain before the trip. Short version of story: I was told in the past that Joel (who owns one of the world's largest record collections) would do private tours of his record vault which was at his residence. Last year, Joel's wife was seriously injured in a boating accident and he has been by her side since. Since that time he has permanently suspended all tours, which I totally respect and understand. I was, however, invited to check out the Record Research office, in which I met two of Joel's employees and observed their operations. Then after a couple of days, I was off to Cleveland by train.
AND NOW, MY VISIT...
I was very stoked when I first arrived in Cleveland at 6am, even though I had just three hours of sleep (noisy people on train). Just 4 hours later, the museum was open and all the tourists like me poured in. But first, I had to get a few pics, one I shared to all of my social media pages.
Then I was off! (Suggestion: buy your ticket(s) online before you go. It will save you $3. I bought mine from Travelocity, and you can also use the Rock Hall site as well) I started at the very bottom level, as suggested. It takes you through the roots of rock, the regions of rock, as well as several sub-genres. I really don't want to give too much away, since there are several that have not yet visited the museum that really want to. Basically, you'll be getting the learning experience. Some of it is stuff you may already know, but to get an interactive look with the memorabilia in front of it is something else! Speaking of memorabilia, there are plenty of little items that were part of rock and music history inside the museum. I once heard Casey Kasem say on his Top 40 radio program that the RRHOF hosts the world's largest collection of rock memorabilia, and I have to say he is probably right. I'm actually kind of curious as to how many warehouses they store all the "other stuff" that they use for exhibits and all.
Again, I don't want to give away much, but here's a sample of what you'll find on the top and bottom floors: dresses worn by Grace Slick and Janis Joplin; Jim Morrison's Cub scout uniform; Michael Jackson's glove and outfit worn at the Motown 25th special; pieces of the plane that killed Otis Redding and some members of the Bar-Kays; regular stage props from some concerts and many more. I even sent a picture of me posing in front of Britney Spears' flesh-colored outfit that she wore at the 2000 VMAs to a guy I work with (who loves Britney Spears)!
THE TEMPORARY EXHIBIT:
This was Stay Tuned: Rock on TV. It, of course, told the story about how television and rock and roll worked hand in hand to provide the visual experience. A lot of it was stuff I already knew about, but its always easy to forget that television has had a huge impact on mine and my parent's generation. Not just rock and roll, but the way we act, talk, dress, and sometimes how we vote. It's how people after the 1940's saw the world. Featured were American Bandstand, Ed Sullivan Show to sitcoms like The Monkees and the Partridge Family. The exhibit also talks about talent shows of all generations, as well as musical performances from variety shows, including the Sonny and Cher Show and In Living Color. Isn't it amazing how much we knew what was probably cool from watching TV? MTV is also featured with a room of its own.
SIDE MENTIONS:
-Did you know that, in addition to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees (all categories), there is a permanent exhibit that highlights all the greats in classic radio? Or one for One-Hit Wonders that shaped Rock and Roll? They can be experienced at listening kiosks at the Hall. I was very glad they included local radio hero Ron "Johnny Rabbitt" Elz in the radio category. (He was the first to play the Beatles in America. I'll have more info on that in a future blog...) I once read that local national one-hit wonder Bob Kuban was featured in the permanent One-Hit Wonders exhibit but I was very disappointed that he wasn't anywhere to be found. Hmmmm.....
-It's not just the inductees that are featured all over the museum. Several acts that are not in have memorabilia and other items about them are featured in certain sections. For example, Herman's Hermits can be found under the British Invasion part. What surprised me overall was a lot of current future hit-makers and mainstays were also featured. I'm talking about Kesha, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars, along with some of my favorites such as the Arctic Monkeys and Saint Motel. I suppose that's their way of pleasing my generation, haha!
-Did you know there is a Cleveland script sign somewhere nearby the museum where you can take pictures of you and the Rock Hall, in front of the Cleveland city skyline? I didn't know that until the day after my visit. But if you do plan on going there, just a reminder.
-Could this be foreshadowing? The Zombies had a small section devoted to them. I'll explain: in some of the artist/genre sections, some bands like U2 and the Doors have a column devoted to them. In that same section is one about the Zombies. True, Rod Argent did visit the museum 2-3 years ago, and in response his old band has appeared on the Nominations ballot. Also, the Notorious B.I.G. will be eligible for the first time next year and a few of his items (including records from his actual collection!) were in the rap/hip-hop section. I'm not sure if this means he may be a first-time nomination and/or inductee, but we shall see.
-There was also a tucked-away room full of rock-themed pinball machines. Pinball machines have run their course, here and there, over the years - but this exhibit (I believe it was temporary, for all I know) highlighted how rock 'n' roll and pinball went hand-in-hand as a sign of rebellion. It's hard to believe that a lot of elders during the Great Depression didn't think much of pinball back in the day! Some of the machines worked, and some were playable. Each had a description, and some were personally made for that band/artist.
-Outside the museum is Johnny and June Carter Cash's old tour bus. I went in there briefly, since there was not much room to walk around. I did snap a few pictures while inside.
-There is a restaurant inside the place, and a food truck was there outside. I didn't see what the food truck offered, but the indoors restaurant was by the entrance. I ate there, midway through my visit. They have managed to keep up with the restaurant times, offering "hip" items like tacos, flatbread pizza, rice bowls, etc. I can't even remember what I even ate there; think it was buffalo chicken wrap or something and soda. I do recall it was expensive, but what to expect I guess!
-And, as most of us already know, they do let the visitors vote ONE TIME on who should get inducted into the RRHOF. At #1 so far this year is Stevie Nicks, with the most votes. Also on the list are acts that are newly eligible for next year such as Blink 182 and Beck. Surprisingly, Garth Brooks has a lot of votes (he belongs only in the Country Music Hall of Fame!, in my opinion. And maybe a few stars on some Walk of Fames too...). Below is a video I took of the results as of 9-13-2018:
WHAT WOULD I HAVE CHANGED:
-The inductees. No, I'm not talking about who is or isn't in - that's for another post. I'm talking about how they are displayed in the museum. I didn't know this up until the present time that the way they set up that section was brand new. How they present the inductees is by year, starting from, of course, 1986 all the way up to the present year (2018). All inductees, including all categories are presented along with their engraved signatures. No pictures or anything like that. However, the inductees from the new "Singles" category are nowhere to be seen. I did post my concern on Twitter, and the Rock Hall responded they are, at this moment, trying to think of a way to present them in that section. I totally get it, as its unreal to think that it has been at least five months (as of this writing) since they introduced it. I'm sure that will make someone like Chubby Checker happy.
I get it that every Hall of Fame does things different. At the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame, every inductee in that sport gets a plaque with their name, years, description, etc. Same goes for the Country Music Hall of Fame. When I visited the CMHOF in Nashville a couple years ago, I thought it was cool browsing through every plaque, checking out every artist and their achievements as it is engraved. I think it would have been cool to have at least a few lines of description for every artist that has been inducted. Oh well, that's what the website is for, I guess.
-Maybe devote something to electronic music (besides disco), or any other kind of small subgenre. I'm sure there have been temporary exhibits spotlighting them, but what do I know.
IN CLOSING:
I spent nearly seven hours there, which was enough for me. I did comb through every floor again, just to double-check if I missed anything. After all, who knows how long it will take me to get back to Cleveland! Lastly, I went in the gift shop which was huge. Let's just say that it was no average museum gift shop. Almost half of it is apparel, which I didn't bother buying. They sold CDs, records, books, you name it. If you collect something from another place, yes there is a big chance they will have it. I usually collect shot glasses (or what some call toothpick holders, haha) and magnets from other places, so it was like I hit the jackpot. (I used to collect little license plates from other places, but unfortunately more than a decade ago, they stopped making them for whatever reason....) I also bought a mini-replica of the RRHOF museum. It would definitely look good next to my Arch and Mount Rushmore mini-replica statues....
OVERALL FEEL:
The museum? I give it an A-. Because nothing is perfect. It's entirely impossible to cram everything into one museum, even if its five floors and shaped like a pyramid. Nice work. I have faith that the organization/institution will continue to bring plenty of goodness for the coming years. Cheers!
