View Content #1847
| Contentid | 1847 |
|---|---|
| Content Type | 1 |
| Title | German: Museum of Rock and Roll |
| Body | Europe's first rock and pop museum opens in Gronau Website: http://www.rock-popmuseum.de/ Rammstein, Nena, Toten Hosen and Einsturzende Neubauten: Apart from a handful of artists who have made the leap to wider stardom without sacrificing their language, Germany isn't known for being a hotbed of rock and pop music. That changed earlier this week, at least in terms of the music sanctioned by history, when the first European museum to tackle the ever-changing whims of 20th century popular music opened in Gronau, Germany, a small town between Muenster and the Netherlands border. The museum's exhibitions take a light-hearted look at 20th century music, from the popular street tunes of the early part of the century to the thumping techno beats of today. And like many museums that are recognizing pop culture's place in modern history, the Rock'n'pop museum acknowledges that artists beyond Bach and Beethoven are worthy of preservation for posterity. Apart from typical museum fare that includes timelines of pop music history as well as documents and memorabilia left by long-gone stars, the exhibitions hold true to the museum's hands-on approach to experiencing music. One room features the thumping beats and lighting of dance clubs that help ravers reach a trance-like consciousness. Another room not for the wary of rhythm allows the visitor to experiment with various types of drums and percussion instruments. The museum aims not to be just a storehouse for artifacts but also place where music is made. Just outside of the museum, the legendary sound studio used by influential 1970s Cologne rockers CAN has been rebuilt, not just to serve as a museum, but to act as an operating studio for visiting musicians. Pop may be on display, but the museum will also be a meeting of high- and low-brow music, hosting scholars and musicians from the nearby Dutch Conservatory of the Saxion Hogeschool and the Department of Musical Education from the University of Muenster's Institute of Musicology. While the Rockn'popmuseum makes every attempt to offer an international view of popular culture, an admirable effort that spans countries and continents, it has a decidedly European feel, with many acts on display that wouldn't register with most U.S. audiences. But don't think that the museum's location makes it a reflection of German pop music alone. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the museum is that it captures some of the foreign musical icons of their age by reflecting on their time in Germany. The king of rock and roll Elvis Presley is represented by the uniform that he wore while stationed in Germany as a soldier. Also on display are memorabilia from the Beatles, whose front man John Lennon once said that he "grew up in Hamburg, not in Liverpool." The Fab Four performed at clubs throughout the German city's Reeperbahn night-life district before hitting it big internationally in 1962. |
| Source | This week in Germany |
| Inputdate | 2004-07-26 18:15:00 |
| Lastmodifieddate | 2004-07-26 18:15:00 |
| Expdate | Not set |
| Publishdate | Not set |
| Displaydate | Not set |
| Active | 1 |
| Emailed | 1 |
| Isarchived | 1 |
