The second memorable element of the experience is simply witnessing other visitors and their experiences with the various artists and segments. It’s not rare to see 12 year-old kids ripping windmill guitar solos and doing the moonwalk or to see 55 year-old men clearly gazing off remembering their hey-days with this music. You can really see people relating to the music and the memories and it makes for a really cool experience. And of course, you’ll do plenty of this yourself.
So anyway, I don’t really feel like giving the whole review saga, so instead the rest of this experience is just a series of bloggy lists. Enjoy…
Careful With That Axe, Eugene (Top 5 Favorite Guitars)
1) Roy Orbison’s leather coated, silver embossed guitar – If Elvis was a guitar, he would be Roy Orbison’s Fender.
2) Steve Vai’s Green Meanie – I wouldn’t classify myself as much of a Steve Vai fan, but this guitar was a highlight, not only due to the modifications of the whammy and neon green façade, but mainly because it’s covered in excellent ’80s skateboarding stickers like Vision Shredder (my personal ride of choice), Bones Brigade and T&C Skate and Surf.
3) The Beatles prototype Vox Guitar – Given to the boys at Abbey Road Studios, this raindrop-shaped axe was one of the first hybrid organ/guitars.
4) Billy Joel’s smashed axe from the closing of Shea Stadium – Performing My Generation with Roger Daltrey, the Stranger took the opportunity to shed some ragehol, channeling Pete Townshend and smashing the living shit out of his electric at the last hurrah for the Mets’ old homestead.
5) Joe Strummer’s Telecaster – If you need a history on this little icon, check out this blog. It follows this famous guitar all around the world.
Whatever You Do, Take Care of Your Shoes (Top 5 Favorite Pieces of Clothing)
1) David Byrne’s Big Suit – One of the last pieces in the Annex is stashed away in the corner, but those with a keen eye flock to see this; one of the prize possessions in the whole building. Byrne’s suit from Stop Making Sense would have to be one of the top highlights of the whole place.
“They’re boxy, but their good.” – Dana Carvey in Crazy People.
2) James Brown’s Cape – James Brown’s capes are as much a part of the act as the soul itself, but what I did not know is that James Brown actually modeled his image after the Professional Wrestler Gorgeous George. I would have chosen Brutus the Barber, but to each his own.
3) Madonna’s ’80s Jacket – Most would probably say the pointy-boobed bustier is the highlight of the Madonna collection, but I loved the old leather jacket with the colorful bubble-gummy doodads from her 80s days. I always though Madge peaked in the ’80s, which is a good thing.
4) Johnny Cash’s Cowboy Boots – Not only are Cash’s boots intricately detailed and just bad as hell, but I’m pretty sure either Johnny Cash is 17 feet tall of these babies were thigh highs.
5) Keith Moon’s Green Platform Shoes – Good thing Keith Moon played drums sitting down, because if Moon roamed the stage in the condition he was known to get in, he would have died much sooner with these I’m Gonna Get You Sucka beauties.
Everyday I Write the Book (Top 5 Handwritten Manuscripts)
1) The Handwritten Notes from the Rolling Stones and Beatles to their Fans – In one case you actually see a series of correspondences with a particular fan named Mary, which was almost a pen pal courtship. In another, you start to see where the correspondence begins getting too daunting as the manuscript includes notes of who and for what to say thanks. Yeeesh, nowadays it’s hard to even get a reply when you send nude pictures and hair samples.
2) The Childhood Letters between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel – These two were obviously really tight friends, because they really get into their feelings in these goofy notes. Garfunkel’s is the funniest as he writes, apparently from camp, about how he finally feels like he fits in and is getting popular. In fact, he goes on to tell how thanks to playing music, everybody on campus “even knows his name now.”
3) Elvis Costello’s Handwritten Lyrics to “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” – These handwritten lyrics are especially interesting because they are actually scribbled out on a train schedule as Costello cranked them out in about 20 minutes while riding the rails one day in the UK.
4) Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean Lyrics – Any insight into the way this man’s brain works is noteworthy. Surprisingly, he operates in quite a linear fashion without much disorganization. This is also one of those songs that looks plain weird when you see it on paper. In fact, seeing lyrics of most of these famous songs on paper generally give this weird feeling of “What the hell were they thinking about?”
5) Madonna’s Handwritten Lyrics for Express Yourself – Written in perfect cursive like a note you might find in your older sisters desk drawer in elementary school, Madonna’s lyrics stand out amidst the rest of those in the Annex, because they are just so girly.
They Blinded Me With Science (Top 5 Technological Elements)
1) The Entrance Video – After being locked in the bizarre signature room where you are surrounded by plaques signed by all the inductees in the Hall (Pete Townshend easily has the coolest signature), you file into a high tech auditorium filled with barstools and strap in for a brilliant visual experience. The short film takes you through live performances of some f*cking epic concerts, but what is the most inspiring is how the walls are covered with screens. The ones on your sides are covered in posters for the actual shows and also filled with screaming fans right from the crowd. It really feels at times like you are at the show. Expect more goosebumps here for sure.
2) The NYC Venue Tour – These interactive computer stations walk through Manhattan neighborhoods as part of the New York Rocks exhibit, hitting legendary monuments like the Dakota and the Chelsea Hotel, but far more interesting are the old classics like Max’s Kansas City and locations of the cover of Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti & the shooting location of the Stones’ Waiting On a Friend video (96-98 St. Marks).
3) The Scenery for the Boss’s ’57 Thunderbird – As if Bruce Springsteen’s old convertible wasn’t cool enough, the Annex does a nice job simulating moving New Jersey and New York landscapes in the background while Thunder Road blares on your headset. This is a really moving segment of the tour for sure.
4) The Ridiculously Good Quality Screens – The video installations really push the envelope in terms of clarity.
5) The Hip Hop Section – Complete with the Grand Master Flash’s original invented mixers and old videos, this segment gives a good feel for the underground feeling and inventiveness surrounding the original hip hop movement and the hot dance moves that followed.
You Can’t Always Get What You Want (5 Things That Just Missed the Mark)
1) The Recreated CBGB – Gone, but not forgotten… literally. Does anybody really even miss it yet? It just closed last year.
2) The Roots & Influences Section – The sound and visuals are terrific here, but starting the tour off by drawing comparisons from Etta James to Amy Winehouse, the Velvet Underground to Coldplay, and James Brown to 50 Cent is pretty bush league. This felt dumbed-down for the perceived lowest common denominator, which in actuality isn’t that low.
3) Lack of Grateful Dead – They didn’t get the complete kibosh, but still just a little clip of U.S. Blues with a backdrop of the wall of sound kind of buried in the corner? Come on.
4) The Clash Room – I like the Clash as much as the next guy, but is an entire Clash room really fitting for the opening hurrah for the New York annex? Next up is apparently John Lennon for the rotating exhibit; wouldn’t Lennon pull a lot more clout here for the opening exhibit? Or how about getting that Pink Floyd exhibit in New York?
5) The CBGB Urinal – Look, I’ll give kudos for keeping the gross urine receptacle in original condition, but the fact that it says “circa 1975” and yet has stickers for the Paul Green School of Rock, which was established in 1998, made me question the validity here. Lest not think too deeply.
5 Responses
Nice work Ryan. Been meaning to head over there for awhile, your review has sealed the deal on it.