Cleveland Rocks

So, one thing I really loved about Cleveland is that they take Rock and Roll music seriously. So do I. "I know it's only Rock and Roll, but I like it. I like it." They claim to be the birth place of Rock and Roll and I think that is bunk, but they stepped up and claimed it and did something about it.

It's not that I just "like" Rock and Roll, it is so much a part of my life. The thing about music, for me, is that it was always there. It was background, it was foreground, but most of all music attaches itself to your memories in inextricable ways and Rock and Roll is part of everything I have ever done, everyplace I have ever been and everyone I have ever known. The music of my lifetime is the soundtrack of my movie and the thread of continuity that connects me to everything. It is history, life, love, loss, joy and sorrow. It is a lot. Maybe that's not true for everyone, but it is for me and for my family.

In My Life • Midnight Train to Georgia •  Blackbird •  Forever Young •  And So it Goes  • Your Song •  Our House • California Dreamin' . . .  This list is endless, but it always begins with In My Life.

Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum is first of all, a beautiful, inspiring building, designed by I.M. Pei.

Inside are so many images and artifacts and, of course, music, that it really seems as much a  history of our lifetime as it is a history of just the music. No photos allowed inside so you will just have to trust me that it is a feast for the senses. Several wonderful videos tell the story of the musical roots of Rock and Roll, the many paths it took and the artists who gave it life. The video featuring each of the inductees into the Hall of Fame, a multi-media presentation on three screens, was pure joy and emotion.

What a great day we had. A happy-to-be-alive day.