What is rock ‘n’ roll? Where did this thing come from? Why has it enraptured the people of the last 50 years? I kept asking myself these questions as I walked around the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland when I visited it over spring break. The items I found most interesting were the old magazine covers and fan items from the ’50s. As much as we would like to think that fans of such boy bands like The Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees have somehow been bigger suckers than that of previous generations, we are sorely mistaken. Rock ‘n’ roll would be a dead art if it weren’t for the suckers of the past. If it weren’t for the outrageous marketing schemes that paid for Bill Haley and the Comets, record labels would have given up on this garage music a long time ago. I began to wonder: “Is rock ‘n’ roll just Vaudeville with a drum kit?”
The whole experience that I thought would be revolutionary and mind-warping turned out to be instantly impressive, then disposable–how appropriate.
This leads into the televised Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. This year, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Righteous Brothers, AC/DC, The Police and The Clash were honored for their years of service.
The show opened with The Righteous Brothers doing a powerful rendition of their hit song “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.” It was a good reminder that some artists rely more on their talent than their showmanship to gain popularity.
Then came the speeches. Old rock stars came up one-by-one and gave speeches about an artist that changed their lives forever; the most convincing of these came when Tom Morello and The Edge honored The Clash and the late Joe Strummer. It was obvious people truly cared about The Clash, more as a force in music than just being a good rock band. This band actually did change lives.
On the other end of the spectrum, Steven Tyler’s induction speech for AC/DC emphasized their reputation for “kicking ass, man” more than the band’s influence and longevity their 30 plus years performing together.
Of course, the whole evening revolved around the first Police performance in 18 years. It was nice until Tyler, Gwen Stefani and John Mayer joined the group for “Every Breath You Take.” It was so over-hyped and heavy-handed that it was at first revolting, then oddly reassuring. No matter how many great groups appear and try to change the order of things, the shallowness and pretension that rock ‘n’ roll was built upon will always survive in one form or another.
