The History Of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (cont.)
The museum prides itself on presenting the ultimate history of rock'n'roll, according to chief curator Jim Henke. In addition to permanent exhibits (including those devoted to Hall of Fame inductees), it features limited-edition exhibits, educational programs and special events.
As for the exhibits, most of the items come from the artists or their estates "Mothers are often a good source of material," Henke adds. "That's how we got a lot of stuff from Jim Morrison and the Everly Brothers. People love to see things like report cards, handwritten notes and [childhood] possessions.
"One of our favorite pieces," Henke says, "is an early John Lennon notebook called 'The Daily Howl,' which was in the form of a newspaper with his writings and drawings from when he was about 12 or 13. We also had several of his report cards."
For years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies remained somewhat cloaked in the kind of mystique similar to exclusive club events. That changed in 1996, when VH1 began televising the ceremonies.
"We resisted televising it for a long time," Evans says. "The artists enjoyed the feeling that they could say anything, knowing it wasn't going to be televised. But then people started criticizing us for being 'elitist' and not sharing this event with everybody."
Evans adds, "Once the museum was built, we decided to build awareness for the museum through televising the ceremony."
A frequent challenge of any ceremony often is reuniting a disbanded group when its members have been estranged from each other for years. Even harder is getting them to perform onstage together. Such was the case with acts like the Police and Cream.
VH1 executive VP of talent and music programming Rick Krim explains why the artists are often convinced to reunite. "We tell them, 'This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so can you put your differences behind you?' More often than not, they come together for the event."
Evans concludes, "We always try to keep in mind that this is a show for the artists."
This article was originally published in the March 13, 2004, issue of Billboard.
Page
1 |
2 |
3 | 4
