Halls of Fame

We had occasion to meet up with an old friend of ours from high school – the American School of Paris – in Cleveland, Ohio.  It was good to see John/Jean again, and remarkably the Trumpers due to invade the RNC that Monday were mercifully absent from our adventure.  Instead, it was two Halls of Fame which provided the bulk of the entertainment for our meeting.  PLEASE:  if you have occasion to meet an old friend who lives on the other side of the planet – and will likely continue living there until all of you are dead – seize it with both hands and drive 6 hours if you have to.  Life bends us over without a condom all too often, so return the favor whenever possible.  Life, that is, not John/Jean.

Rock’n’Roll.   Cleveland, Ohio, right up on the Lake Erie waterfront, within walking distance of the Fist Energy Area where the Cleveland Browns lose 1-8 games per season.   It’s in a big pyramid shape, with the bulk of the exhibits in the basement, getting progressively smaller as you go up.  The top two floors are a mishmash of tributes to rockers who thought they could tell us what to do (i.e. politics), though I didn’t mind the shots of Peter Frampton with Gerald Ford or Gregg Allman and “Ask President Carter”.  Hell, they even showed Bono with GWB. 

            Anyhow. The main exhibits feature lots of this “vinyl in the window”, Angus’ outfit, ticket stubs, some guitars, and the multitude of “exhibits” you might expect from a museum about rock stars.   A few major issues:

            A.   Deep Purple is finally getting in, long after they were eligible.  Black Sabbath got in back in 2006, and Led Zeppelin much earlier (1995).  This is glacial. 

            B.   Prince, Madonna, etc.  The majority of bands could qualify as “rock’n’roll” by some generous definition.  But when it comes to very popular musicians, the RNRHOF can’t seem to resist. The clear bias is in favor of popular musicians and less so for heavier bands.  This turns it into the Popular Music Hall of Fame. 

            C.   Beatles & Rolling Stones.  Each got its own section of equal size facing each other.  I don’t dispute the Stones’ legacy as belonging here – they are clearly rock’n’roll and are one of the best rock bands around.  What I dispute is ANYONE claiming they are as good as – much less better – than the Beatles.  That’s like the NFL HOF giving equal credit to the Vikings as the Steelers.  Try the Bills instead.  Actually, given their talent and stature, the Beatles deserve a museum of their own, but I suspect if one were to be established, it would be in Liverpool, far away from anywhere I’m likely to go in a 6 hour drive.  Then again, I suppose any true Beatles fan has a duty to make a Mecca-like pilgrimage to Liverpool.  “Strawberry Fields” on the west side of Central Park, across Central Park West from the Dakota, doesn’t cut it. 

            D.   The gift shop.  We’d have preferred artist-specific merchandise aside from vinyl and CDs, though I was pleasantly surprised to see a good selection of vinyl.  Moreover, they carried music by non-HOF members, e.g. King Crimson. 

            Notwithstanding these faults, if you consider yourself a “rock fan”, by all means check it out if you are in Cleveland.  Then go to Liverpool.

National Football League (NFL).  In Canton, Ohio, about an hour south of Cleveland on I77.  This is somewhat shaped like a football and has an extremely confusing interior pattern.  PEOPLE!   The Marine museum near Quantico has it right:  a linear progression from start to finish.  You start at the beginning, and when you get to the end….STOP.  

            It has some great exhibits, and what I really like is older stuff from 1892-1922 and much about the era before 1958, when TV made the NFL competitive with college football, which is NFL Jr.  I also appreciated seeing Adrian Peterson featured – if only in passing – despite the Vikings’ 0-4 record in Super Bowls.  Moreover, OJ’s bust is still in the gallery despite his later mistakes.  Excellent and very worthwhile for anyone who considers themselves to be a fan of American football. 

            And because I know you’re all wondering:  yes, the gift shop rocks.  What I like is that it’s 25% “NFL Hall of Fame” stuff and 75% team-specific merchandise – including, but not limited to, jerseys.  Very well stocked and deserving of our money.  Again, If you like the NFL you will love this place.        

Even if your team sucks.