The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened a new exhibit on Thursday, April 7, called “Tommy: The Amazing Journey.” The exhibit pays homage to The Who’s album, “Tommy”, which was one the pioneering album of the rock opera genre.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is delighted to have this new exhibit. “The Who is one of the great bands in rock ‘n’ roll history, and ‘Tommy’ is one of their greatest works,” said Jim Henke, the museum’s vice-president of exhibitions and curatorial affairs.
“We have worked closely with Pete Townshend, who created ‘Tommy,’ and the result is a comprehensive look at the first rock opera.”
The exhibit will consist of numerous personal items including clothes worn during the 1974 movie “Tommy,” first drafts of “Tommy” lyrics and Woodstock memorabilia. The items belong to songwriter and guitarist Pete Townshend who started writing the album when he was 19 in 1964. The Who then recorded and released the concept album in 1969.
The album tells a story of a boy who was exploited and abused by his family. He becomes deaf, dumb and blind after witnessing the murder of his father and deals with his grief by mastering the game of pinball. He then goes on to be a spiritual leader and he collects a large following.
However, controversial material such as this had never been explored in the realm of rock, especially mainstream. This led to the BBC banning “Tommy” and numerous radio stations.
Regardless of the attempted censorship, the album went on to chart at No. 4 in the U.S. and a successful tour followed, including pit stops at various opera houses at places like New York’s Metropolitan Opera House.
A huge fan base ensued — one that grows larger every year as later generations become exposed to the album.
And because of that, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is looking forward to a successful exhibit as Howard Kramer, a curatorial director, explains.
“We anticipate this exhibit to go very well. The Who is a fairly popular band still, “Tommy” is a very well known piece and we know that that will be of interest to a lot of people,” Kramer said.
The fans could not agree more. Claire Landis-Tyson, a Junior pop culture major and fan of The Who is pleased that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame decided to develop this exhibit.
“‘Tommy’ was a pivotal move in rock ‘n’ roll history,” Landis-Tyson explained. “That single album produced a movie which has a huge cult following and a Broadway musical. The Who was always known to tread through uncharted waters and I really think that when I go to see this exhibit, it will convey just that.”
Like the legendary album, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is also treading through uncharted waters of their own, as this exhibit is nothing like the other exhibits they have displayed since their opening in 1995.
“This is the first time we have had this much of an in depth exhibit on one piece of work. We’ve done exhibits over artist’s careers or over a specific genre like hip-hop or psychedelic, but we’ve never taken one record and done an exhibit. But very few records have the life of ‘Tommy’,” Kramer said.
The exhibit also is not just geared towards fans, as it is the No. 1 goal of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to educate. Kramer stated that students who are studying pop culture would greatly benefit from “Tommy: The Amazing Journey.”
“People who are in pop culture studies, or anyone who is generally interested in pop culture, would greatly benefit from this experiment. “Tommy” went beyond its borders and the borders that were defined for it. It has transcended into so many things and it developed its own energy,” Kramer said.
“Tommy: The Amazing Journey” will be on display at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame until May 2006. The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except on Wednesdays when the museum stays open until 9 p.m.
Admission is $20 for adults, $14 for persons 60 and older and $11 for children (9-12). Children under eight are admitted free.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will also be hosting many related programs in conjunction with the exhibit.