I recently spent the morning at the Rock Hall - my second visit over the past 13 years - and I just don't get what the fuss is all about.
Let's start with the architecture. When IM Pei designed the building he made it very clear he wasn't interested in including Lake Erie in his plans. So the plot of land set aside for this structure sits on the shore of one of the great lakes, a local treasure, but the architect has made it clear that he's not interested in incorporating it into the design in any way. Interesting...
Inside the rock hall you immediately find what is most wrong with the modern age of rock and roll - corporatism. Some of the greatest bands in the history of rock and roll are given short shrift or paid no attention at all. Now, what makes a band historically great is very subjective but I'm talking about the likes of Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Grateful Dead, Simon & Garfunkel - the list goes on.
And music as a vehicle for social change - the essence of the history of rock and roll - no where to be found. To be fair, when I was there 13 yrs ago they had a stellar video on the subject (best thing I saw when I was there) but now the issue is no where to be found. Do these folks understand the social history of rock and roll? Apparently there's a lot they don't understand. Rock and roll was part of the counterculture. It had an edgy, dark side - for heaven sake, it was banned all over the country in its early days. You'd never know it by your visit to the rock hall.
What they do have is a lot of clothes, guitars and a really big store. Maybe the fact that they rarely do inductions in Cleveland says it all. As a Clevelander at that time I remember the fight to get the rock hall. New York lost. Deal with it. And do right by rock and roll. You've got a long way to go.
And so do I. I'm going to Seattle to see the Experience Music Project.