The Rolling Stones Under Glass

The whole notion of rock ’n’ roll in a museum has never sat especially well with me. For a start, I think the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame is a fatuous catastrophe and utterly devoid of any semblance of merit or meaning. Similarly, the Metropolitan Museum’s Punk Fashion exhibit of a few years back was equally ridiculous. Trying to capture the essence of that which is fundamentally a youth-oriented art form defined by vibrance and rebellion seems completely antithetical. This, of course, must sound a bit rich coming from someone working on a friggin’ coffee-table book about Cop Shoot Cop, but, by most accounts, rock music was never meant to be commemorated in such a fashion.

That said, there have been times when it’s been handled with a modicum of success. Last summer, for example, you might remember my account of the Ramones exhibit at the Queens Museum. While it seemed jarringly incongruous to see Ramones paraphernalia behind ropes and under glass like some rarified Egyptian antiquities, it was a lovingly curated and admirably reverent presentation (especially for a band who never got all the much respect when they were a going concern, much less alive).

I wasn’t originally planning on attending the similarly-inclined Rolling Stones Exhibitionism exhibit currently happening at Industria in the West Village. It’s not that I’m not enthused by the subject matter, but it seemed like a pricey and gimmicky undertaking. Then, my wife went with a friend and gave it a glowing review, and she’s not nearly as much a sucker as I am for this type of stuff. As such, with a day off for President’s Day, I figured today was the right day to check it out — especially considering it’s only up for another couple of weeks.

Let me just say this: It’s awesome.

Granted, clinging to the notion that the Stones are still an insouciant gaggle of rock ’n’ roll cut-throats is basically a sad anachronism. Much like their big-name brethren in Pink Floyd and, to a degree, KISS, they are more of a brand than a band, these days, which is another reason I was initially wary. You’ll see their fabled tongue logo everywhere to this day, but as rock iconography goes, it’s lost a bit of its punch (although it still makes my mom wince, enjoyably). It was for this reason that my expectations for this show were pretty low. I figured it was going to be mannequins sporting Mick’s old stage-wear while “Start Me up” plays on a loop.

While, yes, there is a degree of that (you do indeed see mannequins sporting stage-wear), Exhibitionism is a refreshingly deeper dive. From replicating the band’s early London flat in Edith Grove, Chelsea (endearingly besotted with cigarettes and empty beer bottles) to boasting a dizzying array of the band’s gear (complete with annotation about what songs specific guitars were played on) through robust galleries devoted to their album art, stage production, style, film projects and video, culminating in a ridiculous-by-enjoyable 3D concert experience, it was clearly designed with minutia-crazed rock geeks in mind.

All eras of the band are covered, which will probably make some of the purists who discount everything the band’s done since Tattoo You (still regarded by many as their last “credible” album) less enthused. As I’ve stated elsewhere, as much as i adore their early material, I have a lot of time for their comparatively maligned `80s albums (I think Undercover is ace!). Regardless of your favorite era of the band, Exhibitionism has something for you.

And, of course, just like a ride at Disneyworld, you are encouraged to visit the inventively stocked gift shop upon your exit, rife with the requisite t-shirt selection and everything from luggage-tags to fanny-packs and infant onesies stamped with the afore-cited Stones logo. I’m not going to lie — I sprang for a t-shirt.

So, is it all a crass money-making scheme designed to fill the coffers of an organization that’s already wealthy beyond rational thought? Maybe so, but for those for whom this music, this art and this phenomena matter, it’s very well done. If that makes you feel old …. that’s probably because, let’s face it, you probably are.

Deal with it.

Comments

[David George]

Disclaimer: I am and will always be a huge Stones fan, having first seen them on 06/22/75 @ MSG and last on 12/08/12 @ Barclay Center. Have seen them about 20 times total including the infamous "Show for Snow" on 04/22/79, the benefit Mr. Richards had to participate in as part of Toronto drug case. My shelves are filled with all the major and minor books on them and I have most of their catalog in three generations (LP plus orig CD plus the remastered versions). The point is I'm a diehard, lifelong fan.

That being said, I thought Exhibitionism was very good, but could have been even better. Given the huge amount of video and film out there, I expected more of that. The guitar displays appealed to me (as a musician), but noticeably absent were the main "players" (the most famous of the instruments they have used). I find this understandable, but it was still kind of disappointing.

My main gripe was there was very little regarding anyone but the four "survivors." I grew up in the Ron Wood era, and have no preference for Jones versus Taylor versus Wood: They were all very different periods. (And I do not believe Tattoo was their last credible LP, btw). But I think that Jones, Taylor, and Wyman got a bit short-changed in this exhibit overall.

I did enjoy it, but was surprised regarding some stuff that was missing.

[David George]

For those yet to attend: A highlight for me (as a bass player) was the Vox amp that legend has it was the reason Wyman got hired (it was huge for the time, though just a common configuration for decades now). What I found funny was that some of the books I have read made it sound like this amp was much, much bigger than it is: It's just a 2 X 10" combo, meaning two 10 inch speakers with the amp built in. To paraphrase what Bowie once said, it's sometimes best not to meet your heroes: they are often smaller than you imagined.