Turn to Stones
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Day 24: May 10, 2018 Turn to Stones Comment via blog |
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Even after dinner had been eaten, I technically could have made it home
yesterday. However, I would have been on the road until at least 11:30
and that seemed nether appealing nor safe. I found a bed on the north side
of Nashville and went to sleep with plans to head straight home in the
morning. That was still my plan when I left to motel and stopped at a
local restaurant for breakfast. But, I fired up my phone as I waited for
my food and Facebook got me. Facebook knew, of course, that I was near
Nashville and it used my news feed to tell me that two of my friends
"liked" an exhibit that was currently active there. The exhibit
really did sound interesting, so, applying the "you'll never be
closer" rule, I headed south toward the Rolling Stones
Exhibitionism rather than north toward home. Thanks
Charlotte and Michael.
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You know you're in the right place when there are tongues outside and in.
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A portion of the exhibit that I probably enjoyed the most appeared very
early on. It was a large collection of vintage instruments that had major
roles in early Rolling Stones music. The instruments in the first picture
belonged to Brian Jones and those in the second to Keith Richards. All are
from 1963 except for the dulcimer which Brian bought in 1966 and played on
Lady Jane. The information on the wall between the two is
here. The sky blue Ludwig kit was used from
1965 until 1968. It's a near match for Ringo's dark grey set that was
bought about the same time from the same store. On the nearby placard,
Charlie Watts is quoted as saying "Everyone in the early ‘60s wanted
Ludwig...". Maybe that's where I went wrong, but this Ohio boy wanted
(and bought) gear from the local Rogers factory. And that made me smile
when I saw Charlie's hi-hat pedal.
The two other guitars pictured belonged to Keith. Around 1967, he painted the Les Paul with some new fangled paint pens after trying them out on a pair of shoes. |
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The Stones are known about as much for their promotion, packaging, and
presentation as they are for their music, and all are part of
Exhibitionism. Prototypes of the Some Girls cover are there as is
the magazine ad that inspired it. I also got to see
what was under Undercover's cover for
the first time. The model of the Bridges to Babylon stage is one
of several in the exhibit and the pictured stage outfits are just a
fraction of those on display.
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Exhibitionism is at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum and I also took in
the museum while I was there. It features a lot of the instruments used
-- by not always well know musicians -- in the recording of some really
big hits. I bet I'm not the only one who first heard an electric sitar
(and knew it) in 1968 on the Boxtops' Cry Like a Baby. This is the
instrument that session musician Reggie Young used on that song.
Here's the information panel. The cymbal and
garbage can lid were used by Jim Keltner on Steely Dan's Josie.
That information panel is here.
The GRAMMY Museum Gallery® is an interactive area that allows visitors to put their hands on various instruments plus an assortment of recording and editing equipment. I had passed a group of youngsters getting an orientation talk when I walked in. By the time I'd looked over the rest of the gallery and headed back out, they had caught up with me. |
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Something similar happened over on Printers Alley. Not wanting to waste
the overpriced parking I'd already paid for, I started walking toward
Broadway when I left the museum. When I realized that Printers Alley was
much closer, the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar became my
destination. I sat at the bar, ordered a Yazoo, and snapped a picture of
the stage. Halfway through my beer, I heard an amplified voice behind me
and turned around to see that a guy who had been part of a group chatting
in one of the booths had climbed onto the stage. Of course he did. This is
Music City.
This time I really did head north. After one beer and a song and a half, I returned to my car, punched home on the GPS, and declared the road trip over. |
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