Rock And Roll Hall of Fame

[Carl]

I'm on a bit of a journey, and yesterday it took me to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. I wanted to share my impressions of this establishment with you and welcome any of your comments.

My first visit to the Rock Hall was part of a great road trip I made with Sara in (I think) the summer of 2000. This trip burned all kinds of indelible memories into my brain - pulling over to hike up a waterfall, funky motels, truck drivers pulling alongside my convertible to check out Sara (she didn't know they made a habit of taking advantage of their view) - so I have great feelings about that trip and about the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, which I thought was fantastic.

Cut to 2006, it's winter and I'm on my own. Instead of a soft glow surrounding this architectural wonder, there was a cloudy haze. Also, I had to pay for it this time because I didn't bother calling ahead and getting a freebie. I charmed the sweet lady selling the tickets into giving me a discount, but even the sponsor rate was $15. As you can imagine, my frame was quite different this time, so consider that in reading my review.

You can't take pictures at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, so all the processing had to be done in my notebook and in my head. There are kiosks all over the place where you can check out their top 500 songs, the influences of various genres of music, and the songs of all the inductees. These were fascinating to me, but I can only stand in front of a computer for about 30 minutes before I start to atrophy.

The first 3 floors were pretty much how I left them in 1999, except I had a new appreciation for Zac Hanson's outfit display now that I've interviewed him. The artifacts are fun, but more fun the first time. If you're into fashion, the first floor is your place.

The films are dated. They have a great video display about MTV, but it hasn't been updated since the place opened. It's really cool, but stuck in 1995, kind of like Alanis Morissette. The other various history films appear of low quality, possibly because so much has happened in the last 10 years, but also because movies are now so much more visually stimulating.

The special exhibit, which takes up 2 1/2 floors, is "Tommy" by The Who. This is a musical landmark - the first Rock Opera - and without it we might not have The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They covered the project with an unprecedented depth, and I learned much more about the show than I ever thought I would.

"Tommy" came out in 1969. Unless it was a large part of your life, it's unlikely you need this much information about it. I didn't see any kids above the second floor. I'm all for teaching kids about Rock history, but this is like teaching them American history by making them memorize who signed the constitution. It lacked fun and excitement. I could relate to it, but I'm a music information freak of nature. The kiosks aren't nearly as cool and don't function nearly as well as an Xbox, and most of the stuff just sat there. Also, I don't think anyone under 30 really cares about Quicksilver Messenger Service.

Not counting 2 school groups who didn't stay long because there was nothing that could constrain their ever-shrinking attention spans, there were about 20 people in the museum when I got there. Really. About 4 on each of the 5 floors, not counting employees. It was a cold, hazy Cleveland Tuesday, but still, 20 people.

If someone was to write me a note and say, "Songfacts is lame," I would want to know what makes it lame and what we could do to improve it, so I'll lay some constructive suggestions:

Update the films every 3 years. Every other college kid has a video camera, a Mac with Final Cut and a love of music. I don't understand how newer and better movies can't end up there.

Fix the broken windows. Little stuff like headphones that don't work and computer programs in the kiosks that don't take you to the next page when you push "next page." This kind of thing can indicate that someone stopped paying attention to detail.

Nothing before 1980 can take up more than 100 feet.

Embrace technology to do something new. Just one thing that you can't find anywhere else.

Make it more like Disney and less like a museum. At Disney, the employees will seek you out and make sure you are having fun. At the Rock Hall, they will not speak unless spoken to. Have a guy run around in a Mick Jagger mask, do some spontaneous break dancing, play some trivia along the way. Can you imagine how much fun we could have if we worked in that place?

[_Laurie_]

wow Carl...I've always said I was gonna go see the rock and roll hall of fame someday...I haven't gotten there yet, but I will someday, hopefully....I've always imagined that I would be in rock and roll heaven if I went there...the way you described it isn't at all what I imagined....maybe us Songfactors should take it over...we'd have that place rockin for sure!

[edna]

I love the idea of a Rock Museum... but I guess they´re making it much too serious... You can´t take pictures??

Wow, that´s a real industry then... I guess they sell postcards at the Rock and Roll hall of Fame shop then...

[Uncle Joe]

Nothing before 1980 can take up more than 100 feet.

That's the only statement I would take issue with. Would you say the same about the Baseball Hall of Fame? NFL? Some could argue that nothing after 1980 should take up more than 100 feet.

As for the poor attendance (20 people on a Tuesday) that's why the Hall should be in NYC instead of Cleveland.

Edited January 26, 2006 by Guest