I just went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio this past week. Love it because it is a monument to the art of music (of which there are few relative to paintings, sculptures, etc.) or hate it because it is too "industry" and "corporate" influenced (like the art of music itself), I think it was well worth my time and money. I understand and respect the Sex Pistols decision to refuse being accepted (click to see the letter). I question how such a place could exist without industry, corporate, and government interests getting involved. I like that it exists now that I have seen it, so I'll just have to disagree with the Sex Pistols on whether it is a "piss stain" or not.

As G said, the feeling after being there is you want to run home and listen to every album you ever bought all at the same time. It is a place that at its core celebrates music and in particular popular music since the 1950s, the beginning of Rock and Roll. I think including musicians like Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, and Madonna really means the museum covers all genres of popular music, not just Rock and Roll. It will be very interesting as they approach the Rap, Hip Hop, Techno, and Electronica of the 1990s whether those genres are truly included or not.

Unknown to me until I visited was the fact they only induct musicians whose first album came out 25 or more years previously. This means for anyone who only listens to new music, or born after 1980, there may not be much of interest. For a music junkie like me though, it was like a candy store. There was so much of interest I felt completely overwhelmed at times and had to just force myself to keep moving on to the next exhibit. In particular I liked the hall of fame inductee video covering all the inductees since 1996. I also could have just stayed at the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" all day and been a happy camper.

If the hall of fame doesn't already, I would implore upon them they include any inductees (who are still alive of course) to have a say in who should be inducted in subsequent years. The more open and democratic the nomination and selection process is, the more legitimate the museum and the hall of fame list will be. It seems a touch suspicious some icons like Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, and John Denver have not made the cut yet. (There are several "lists" of artists who people think are deserving, e.g. this one.) It would be good to know why exactly some have not made it. I don't know if the museum would ever be deemed acceptable to anyone Sex Pistol like-minded, but it would hopefully make it more acceptable to those of us who have a touch of doubt.

All in all, I highly suggest visiting it. Visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website for more info. Anyone who misses "the oldies" stations that use to be prevalent in the 80s and even the 90s will appreciate it for sure, and of course there are substantial exhibits dedicated to many of the icons like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis Presley, among others. Currently it features a huge Bruce Springsteen exhibit too, which G and I agree we want him to be our adopted uncle. He just seems like a good guy.

I also had not realized how controversial Rock and Roll really was back in the 50s. The police broke up the first "official" concert. In comparison I think Rap has received a warm welcome. I agree with the teenagers the Reverend Jimmy Snow refers to in the following video. Rock and Roll is all about "the beat, the beat, the beat!" Well Reverend, I'm feeling "the evil" of Rock and Roll and it is good. I want more!

PS: If Reverend Jimmy Snow didn't like that badass Chuck Berry, he must be rolling around and around and around in his grave now that we have Eminem, Korn, and Marilyn Manson.
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