Long Live Rock! Cleveland indeed rocks and thanks to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame rock will never die.
Thank you Rock Hall for hosting the Rock On TV exhibit panel discussion with me and my fellow original MTV VJs Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and (via remote) Nina Blackwood!
If you fly to visit the Rock Hall you'll notice as soon as you get off the plane the giant guitars in the airport. There’s more than one Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gift shop, rock imagery is seen in many of the airport advertisements. In the city even manhole covers on the sidewalks shout out rock ’n rollers, letting you know Cleveland takes it’s rock seriously. As well it should! Cleveland is where DJ Alan Freed assigned the term “rock and roll” to music and the rest is guitar-solo history!
The Rock On TV exhibit featured iconic items that are themselves like celebrities when you see them. The guitar Beatle John Lennon played on the Ed Sullivan Show, the jacket Michael Jackson wore in the We Are The World Video, and the dress Tina Turner wore in the Private Dancer video which was loaned to Rock Hall by me Martha Quinn as she gave it to me as a gift in the 80s!
Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun outfit was so interesting to me, it doesn’t scream 80s. It’s a used skirt she found working at a second-hand clothing store, Screaming Mimi’s, in New York City. Interesting for Hollywood wardrobe stylists to take note the vintage look was a very big part of the 80s style! A Stevie Nicks outfit also reminded me how the pioneer styles created by Laura Ashely, Gunne Sack and Jessica McClintock were so popular. Today we think of the 80s as spandex pants and tutus but there was so much more
On a personal note, spending time with Mark, Nina and Al is never anything less than heaven. They are family. With them I can laugh down to my toes and relax down to my soul. We miss JJ Jackson every day and his spirit is always with us.
Much gratitude Matt aka @Original5VJsForRockHall on Twitter for driving all the way from New Jersey to say hello to the VJ crew, Mike aka @HornsToTheSky, my Facebook page friend Art Swift, and everyone who took the time to attend our talk and stay afterwards to chat and take pics.
Kudos to Greg Harris and Karen Herman of the Rock and Roll of Fame for creating seven levels of an immersive rock ’n roll experience. The museum is a must-see destination for any music fan. Thank you SiriusXM for having me on Volume. Evan Levy, Erik Luftglass and Randy Dry it was great to see you all.
Enjoy my pics, Rock On!
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