Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
by ethan mccarty
montage hall-of-famer
My mission: to see what the big deal was about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
My time: I had two hours to cover five floors of hair exhibits, photos, displays and interactive archives.
My problem: Press credentials (specifically, the lack of them) and tight security.
When I went to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I spent almost a full hour waiting at and being transferred between various desks and a security office that resembles the set from Wargames. I couldn't help feeling a bit like Matthew Broderick, trapped in the bowels of Norad. Everywhere I turned there were black-clad security agents wearing tilted berets and those little Secret Service agent hearing devices.
"Do you have any press credentials?" asked a hulking security officer.
"Uh, no. I mean, well, yeah. I've got a school I.D," I stammered.
"How about a driver's license and a picture I.D?"
"How about a note from the Pope?" I asked.
"That'll do just fine," he grunted.
Finally, and with great reluctance I was given a press pass even though my pass and press-kit were promised, assured and double confirmed with my editor days earlier.
Having eaten up an hour dawdling with the Hall's stormtroopers, I had only an hour to visit the five floors of exhibits. Fortunately, the five floors of exhibits could be compressed into two or three because there is just not that much stuff there yet.
I began my self-guided tour in the basement where the collection is most complete. The display begins with a history of rock and roll's roots, including pictures and biographical capsules about blues, jazz and country greats of yore. This "Rock of Ages" section features Dinah Washington, Ma Rainy and Hank Williams. Other major influences on the history of rock highlighted included folk singer Woody Guthrie and guitar innovators Les Paul and Leo Fender. This first section is like a regular lo-tech museum, but that changes quickly.
The "Rock of Ages" section is followed by a bank of touch-screen computers hooked into the archives of the Hall of Fame. These interactive displays provide visitors with a chance to see various artists, hear a CD-quality sample of their music and access related information.
The next display is a very brief overview about censorship in rock which bleeds into hairstyle-oriented history of rock music. This hair history is pretty funny and visually stimulating. Many artist's clothes are displayed on mannequins accompanied by corresponding severed heads with the performer's famous coif attached. There is a special section devoted to the ever-changing hairstyles of Michael Jackson. I don't know if they have a deal with the Jackson estate, but Michael's afro days are conspicuously absent. The rock star's clothes are fantastic, but the mannequins leave a little to be desired.
"I don't know if they're trying to simulate the actual people, but they aren't even close," Dick Carlson, a visitor from Indianapolis, said. "The outfits are good, but you can't tell who they go with. The mannequins look cheap, they're something you'd go to a cheap store to buy."
The clothes and memorabilia from the artist's lives comprise the coolest part of the museum. Though museum curators included contemporary artists like Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell, special attention is paid to true superstars such as John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Lennon's report cards, pictures of Morrison as a child and a poem he wrote to his mom are a few of the hightlights. Also featured are the original lyric sheets to songs like "Are You Experienced?" and "All You Need Is Love."
"I liked the section on the Grateful Dead," Cleveland resident Marty Flowers said. "They had the original lyrics from 'Truckin.' You could see where they crossed out some stuff and re-worded it."
The section on punk rock is brief, but cool. Oddly, it centers around the Talking Heads, who were anything but the epitome of punk rock. Maybe they were just trying to capture a bit of the late '70s / early '80s. In any case, the best view of this era is obtained in the One Hit Wonder section. Here, there is a short biography about a number of one-time big-timers.
The second through fourth floors focus on the media's coverage of the rock and roll phenomenon. There is an awesome sculpture named after the Buggles one (and only) hit, "Video Killed the Radio Star." When I approached it I was bombarded by the thunderous Carmina (Apocalypse Now, the chopper scene) Burana blasting through a powerful speaker system. The sculpture is made of 20 or so televisions with their guts exposed, displaying a fast-paced video synced with the music. The overview of images from MTV and other video sources seems to attempt to link videos with reality in a very loud and cool way. The Hall of Fame heavily emphasizes the world of video.
The last stop on the self-guided tour of the museum was the actual Hall of Fame on the fifth floor. Inside it is darkly lit and very quiet. All of the walls are covered by glass in which the signatures of the inductees are etched. Next to the signatures are small screens with fading and reappearing pictures of the artists. It's really nice and low on the cheese.
You can tell that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a lot of room for expansion, especially in the upper levels. The basement, however, makes it all worth the $10.90 admission fee. If you plan to visit the museum, give yourself a lot of time as many of the displays are very reading intensive. Even though I got a bit of hassle from the security agents, the museum is full of exciting displays and I plan to return when I have more time to explore.
That is, if the security guards allow me.