Cleveland Rocks....
Having been to Cleveland at least six times over the years I can honestly say that it does not deserve the reputation it has. The city is clean, easy to get around and it has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
To be clear, I love a good museum and I love Rock and Roll so it would seem to be a no-brainer to go visit the “Hall” any chance I have. The I.M.Pei designed building sits on the shores of Lake Erie and stand out like a sore thumb in the gritty city of Cleveland but once you are inside, you forget the unusual design and just get overwhelmed by the amount of memorabilia the museum has. From Elvis’s Blue suede shoes to several Chuck Berry guitars, you just marvel at the different displays and enjoy all of the interactive kiosks that are everywhere. Musical memories flood through you and no matter how much you think you know about an artist or a particular genre, you learn more. Thats what a great museum does, sparks imagination and teaches you. There are theaters where you can watch rock shows or movies and the sound is just amazing. Last time I was there, George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh was playing and I immediately went out and bought the CD (yes, I still occasionally do buy CD’s).
My feelings toward the museum are apparent, I love visiting and I love Cleveland, it’s the membership of the Hall that bothers me. The easy picks have been in there from the beginning. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Elvis, The Who and dozens more are all there as well they should be but why are Madonna, Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston or Run DMC?
Don’t get me wrong, there are some actual rock players that are in that I feel don’t really cut it as well. The Hollies, Patti Smith, Journey, and The Zombies. Solid performers but not up to my idea of who or what should be in a Hall of Fame.
Then there are the groups that should be in and aren’t. Most notably, The J Geils Band, War, MC5, The Spinners, Gram Parsons and dare I say it, T-Rex.
Granted, this is all opinion and we could argue the merits of The Beastie Boys being in and L.L Cool J not being in. They both have distinct Rock and Roll beats in their music yet the Beastie Boys mixed it a little better. As a side note, L.L. Cool J is nominated this year and he does have a good chance of getting in.
However, is it Rock and Roll? To me, thats the ultimate question and the biggest problem with the Hall. They have blurred the lines and if you created some sort of mark in your genre, you can be included, it seems to me as if they are reaching a bit just to fill out a roster of performers for their induction ceremony.
You have Madonna, why not Maria Carey? Miles Davis, what about John Coltrane? Whole decades are missing as well. Joy Division, New Order and The Smiths amongst others from the ‘90’s. I could go on.
Every Hall of Fame has it’s flaws, (except Cooperstown) but the pool of people they draw from is specific enough that the argument is just about their career and it’s influence on that particular sport or industry. The Rock Hall unfortunately doesn’t keep within its sweet spot and each year things get blurrier and more confusing. Granted, Rock Music is not truly defined as a specific type of music but a music of multiple influences and offshoots. I get that, but does that mean that it will eventually include other performers such as Comedians or Jugglers since they may have been the opening act for one of the inductees or performed on the same bill?