Apr 072020
In a comment on another thread this week, Townsman al said he had some shots he took from an AC/DC Lane in Melbourne, Australia. These are too good to embed in the comments from a post that hasn’t caught fire. I’m posting them on the Main Stage, instead, and asking you to share your experiences walking any of the Streets of Rock ‘n Roll (or related 20th century and beyond music genres).
Not experiences but places I have walked by in the rock and roll Cannon:
Abbey Road Crossing
2120 S. Michigan Avenue
53rd & Third (a block from where I work)
I probably reported on my initial dash through London, the first time I visited the UK, circa 2015. I went straight to Abbey Road Crossing, then, I ran into Waterloo Station, Denmark Street, the former site of the Marquee Club… One place I’ve not yet gotten to is the pub where the front cover photo of the Kinks’ Muswell Hillbillies was taken. I believe that pub is still in business and hasn’t changed much.
In Manchester, I got a kick out of walking past the building that once house the Hacienda Club, ground zero of the Madchester scene. It’s now a high-end condo building called…The Hacienda! I’ve been to Manchester at least a dozen times over the last few years. I love it there, but if there’s one thing I could change, it would be that the city spend some time appreciating the Buzzcocks. It’s all Smiths and Madchester bands (from Joy Division through Oasis).
My second visit to Liverpool I booked a personal taxi tour and had a Beatles fanboy day of a lifetime! I saw just about everything, including the band members’ childhood homes. I still get chills thinking about that.
I was in Northern Ireland last summer, mostly Belfast, which is an excellent little city! There, I saw a plaque designating where that guy Terry’s record store stood, where my Undertones were brought to life. The destination I most wanted to do will have to wait for another day: I wanted to drive up to Derry and find the house where the O’Neill brothers grew up. There, I would peak into the backyard, where some of the band’s videos from More Songs About Chocolate and Girls were shot. My wife and I were close to Derry, on our drive up the coast, but she refused to go along with my crazy stalker plan.
I’ve been to Abbey Road Crossing and 2120 S. Michigan Ave.
Never made a special trip to 53rd and 3rd, but I must have walked past it at one point when I lived in New York for a couple years.
I’ve also been to these notable addresses and streets:
2215 Bryant Ave. in Minneapolis (the Replacements “Let it Be” house)
2425 7th Avenue East in Hibbing (Bob Dylan’s childhood/teen home)
There’s a Bob Dylan Way in Duluth that I’ve driven or walked on many times, but it really doesn’t have much of a connection to the first six years of his life. The city just chose a random block downtown to honor him.
I went to Graceland twice on my Memphis trips w/my Elvis fan friend, as well as Sun Studios. I also saw the front of Sam Philips studio, the one that he built to replace the original Sun Studios. I didn’t get to see the rebuilt Stax Studios since it was a few years before, but I did manage to get a brick from the original studio that a local record store was selling.
Also, Mr. Mod, did you ever read Teenage Kicks, the book that their bassist wrote?
DB, I’ve been to 2425 7th Avenue East in Hibbing as well. This was probably 10 or so years ago, shortly after they renamed the street Bob Dylan Way. Tried to steal the street sign but I had no tools and couldn’t get it off. The coolest part of the visit for this fanboy was getting into the high school auditorium where Dylan had his first ever performance with his band The Golden Chords. It was a Saturday in the summer and the school was locked up but we knocked until we got the attention of a janitor who was kind enough to let us in.
Hibbing was amazingly caught in a time warp still. The main drag had local hardware stores and such. It looked like the place a person like Dylan would have had to leave.
diskojoe, I’ve been to the rebuilt Stax Museum and thought it was great. I did not make it to Sun or Graceland. Next time!
I’ve not yet been able to track down that book by Michael Bradley, but I will. I’ve been wanting to buy a copy in the UK, when I’m over there for work, but no one’s had it. I’m going to have to break down and order it. For some dumb reason, I thought it would be cooler to simply buy one off a shelf!
Great to see the Melbourne flag flying above the Rock Town Hall. A true honour.
AC/DC Lane is a tip of the hat to AC/DC’s film clip for It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Want Rock and Roll), which was filmed in Swanston Street, the main drag in Melbourne. My tram to work sails down that street every day, when getting on a tram is a thing.
Visits to my own musical landmarks include accidentally crossing at Abbey Road (in 1990) when I went to an art gallery in North London. Also, the brilliant Denmark Street in London, which was the centre for music publishing and management, and home to a number of cool guitar shops. Very British and still, just, hangs on to some the atmosphere of its heyday.
And yes, I did visit the Salford Lads Club in Manchester. Despite my feelings about Morrissey (who has become an enormous twat – can I use that word on RTH?). The history of the club is as fascinating as its architecture. But oh what a shame that it will be forever associated with that absolute twat, Morrissey.
And I have been to County Down in Northern Ireland, so that’s a hat tip to Van Morrison and the Chieftans, right?