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June 28, 2006
Book Review - Rock & Roll Archaeologist
By Peter Blecha
Review by Kevin Hillskemper
This book starts off real strong but loses a great deal of momentum on about page 87. Then it slows to a crawl by page 121. It struggles on for a while, showing glimpses of life, and then stops completely dead on page 207.
The story starts during the authors childhood in 1960’s Washington state. He develops a love for rock n roll, which is nurtured by his exposure to local Northwest bands like the Sonics, The Wailers, Paul Revere & The Raiders, and The Kingsmen. He is very good at capturing his youthful joy of discovery when he starts seeing music and records in a larger perspective. His life as a collector began when he went down to the local record store to buy a single and was told that it was out of print. From that point on, he gobbled up every record he could find out of fear that it wouldn’t be available tomorrow.
As he got older, he continued collecting but also became interested in studying archaeology and playing the drums. He realizes that everything in his universe is connected. He starts collecting all things Northwest and maintains his enthusiasm through 60's Northwest Garage Rock to Jimi Hendrix and then onto Punk and Grunge. Yeah, he's one of those Zelig types. His knowledge Northwest Musical History gained from collecting led to writing for magazines, writing liner notes for albums, and doing radio shows. He also developes a unique philosophy elevating the compulsive collector - they (we) are not the avaricious hoarders that society sees us as, but rather noble preservationists of history. I feel better about myself already.
Anyway, after years of networking and a good case of being in the right place at the right time, Blecha becomes senior curator for the Experience Music Project in Seattle. The museum is funded by the bottomless pockets of billionaire benefactor Paul Allen. Soon, the author sells his personal collection to Allen and buys a bigger house with the loot.
From then on, there are some good anecdotes about building the collection and getting the museum off the ground but it’s pretty much downhill from there. In this case, the chase is much better than the catch.
When he starts going to auctions and paying half a million dollars for Eric Clapton’s guitar, the thrill is gone. Is it a mixed metaphor to throw in an accidental B.B. King reference when mentioning Eric Clapton? I don’t know. I’m just checking to see if you’re paying attention. You’re not.
Apparently the author also got bored at this point of the story, because he quit the cushy museum gig without really saying why. At the time he was writing the book, his basement was starting to fill up with junk again. There might be a sequel.
Posted by Big Kev at June 28, 2006 5:27 PM
