Ruralite Cafe: Published 05/29/03

By Lisa Majors-Duff - News Editor

It's only rock 'n' roll, but I loved it

We'd crammed our suitcases Thursday night with shorts, T-shirts and bathing suits, fully expecting to find the same warm, pleasant days in Ohio we'd left behind in North Carolina. No such luck.

A frigid northern gale blew off Lake Erie, and if the rain from the day before had decided to return, which it appeared it would at any minute, we'd have looked pretty silly sporting sandals in the snow. Leaving the security of the car behind, I thought for a brief moment that we'd arrived in Chicago at Christmas time instead of Cleveland at summer's official start.

Taking in the Sandusky Walleye Festival had been our game plan when we left great-grandma Sarah's hometown of Niles, Ohio, Saturday morning. Outdoor music, local vendors and all the fish you could eat sounded like a wonderful way to spend the evening. But darkening skies caused me to re-examine the map, and a route through Cleveland began to look more appealing. Maybe we could find some sort of indoor excitement instead, I surmised.

Did we ever. Folks, this city of a million bad jokes and a so-so baseball team is home to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and I'm here to tell you the place is a gas. Everything you think you know about rock 'n' roll isn't a fraction of what you'll find inside this 150,000-square-foot glass pyramid dedicated to those who have made this style of music their lives' ambition.

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame honors the legendary performers, producers, songwriters, disc jockeys and others who have made rock 'n' roll the force it is in our culture. From the minute you walk in the door, you know you've arrived someplace special, where everyone around you shares your passion for the music and understands your need not just to sing in the car, but to bang your fingers against the steering wheel to the beat.

Hall of Fame visitors are there, we discovered, not just to find a warm place to spend the day, but to learn more about their favorite stars and to share their acquired knowledge with fellow Dead Heads, Jerry Lee Lewis lovers and Police groupies.

Visitors are invited to explore the roots of rock 'n' roll first by putting on headphones and listening to scratchy tracks from those who were performing during the B.E. (before Elvis) era. The list includes many names I'd never heard of, including T-Bone Walker, Ma Rainey and the Soul Stirrers. The names I did recognize included Louis Armstrong, Hank Williams and Dinah Washington.

And speaking of Elvis, a two-sided exhibit dedicated to the undisputed king of rock 'n' roll depicts his split personalities - a $116 check he wrote to a Memphis men's clothing store is one of the artifacts displayed on the "thin" or "young" Elvis side, while the "flashy" Elvis side holds a black, butterfly-studded jumpsuit the looks of which Memphis had never seen before.

Elvis, of course, only started the trend of wearing outlandish clothing. Elton John perfected it, and three of his stage outfits are on display, along with Steve Tyler's mic scarves, the BeeGee's silk shirts and tight pants, and Madonna's pointed brassiere. The clothes phases of Brittany Spears and the Backstreet Boys are also on display, I guess to illustrate performers do not have far to go before they are exposing all. That reminds me - I didn't see any of Cher's outfits on display.

Moving through the museum's six levels, we made our way to the third floor, where an entire wing is dedicated to the inductees. This list is long and distinguished, starting in 1996 with Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Little Richard. This year's inductees are AC/DC, The Clash, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Police and the Righteous Brothers.

These and all those in between are highlighted in a 30-minute technical masterpiece shown on three screens with surround sound that at times rattles the windows. I was glad I'd gotten to the show late so I could stand in the back, mouth all the words and sway my hips without attracting many on-lookers.

If you find yourself anywhere near Cleveland, Ohio, don't let the weather forecast decide for you. Just go and be amazed.

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