House of Rock and Roll

Show and Shine

Americans have a long-standing love affair with the automobile. Car ownership is a treated as a right and its part of the fabric of our culture.  We accessorize and idolize motor vehicles.  We may not have invented cars but we perfected using, buying and selling them. We cruise town for the fun of it. We love to pile in a car with friends or plan family Holidays around the “Road Trip”.  Granted, the country is and we have plenty of places to drive: The United States highway network consists of over 4 million miles of roads and streets.

We rarely look on a car as just a mode of transportation or a way to get from A to B. Cars are a reflection of our personality, our status, preferences , what we do and who we are. We look at cars as our ticket to freedom and a symbol of independence.   Most Americans get a “Learner’s permit ” the day they are eligible (15 years 6 months in my State). Everyone I know got a license on their 16th Birthday and a car.  This may sound extravagant but inexpensive cars can be easily found and a Driver License fee is  (and all the other aspects of owning a car in the US are less complicated and expensive)  Aside from dense urban areas we don’t rely much on mass transit so you need a car.  Yes, everyone. It’s typical for a family with 3 kids to have 5 cars at their house. It’s not usual for an individual to have two cars or a car and truck. We will own score of automobiles over the course of our driving lives.  It is not usual for Americans to have multiple cars, collect certain makes or invest in classic cars.

Many familiar icons of American life sprang from our lives being intertwined with our automobiles: Drive-In movies and “Car Hops” at drive-in soda shops.  Beyond the Golden Arches, we have a drive through for every type of food imaginable.  Why get out of the car when you have drive through? Drive-through banks, coffee shops, libraries, bakeries, automated teller machines,  liquor stores, and drive in churches.  If you are in a hurry, more than one Las Vegas chapel can offer you a drive–through wedding.

A mainstay of American life is the ‘Car Show’. We take advantage of any opportunity to display our cars or look at other people’s cars. It’s a typical social event in most every community. These shows can be anything from the prestigious Concours d’Elegance  (a multi-million dollar collection for one-of a kind vehicles from around the world at Pebble Beach) to a local “Cruise In” (an unstructured ‘show’ with no entry fees and no prizes- a car meet-up). Around any town there will be a group of enthusiasts staging a car show every weekend and several nights a week.  The Concorso Italiano is all Italian makes; exotics, muscle cars, just MG’s , only German brands , Corvettes, antique, vintage or any class of classic- you name it, there is a show for it.   ”The Good Guys” have 20 events annually across the country only for Hot Rods. These car shows are three and four day extravaganza’s attracting over 100,000 auto enthusiasts. (see video)

The car show in my neighborhood is held at the a 50′s themed ” Rock N Roll” McDonald’s. The restaurant parking lot is the site for what they term as the “World’s Longest Running Car Show”. It is a come all, classic cruise-in on Saturday nights, that’s every Saturday. This free event (for both participants and spectators) has been going for every Saturday for 22 years!  The car owners occupy lawn chairs while families stroll up and down the aisles bee-bopping to “Oldies” music, taking in the shiny metal and recounting their car stories to the next generation of car lovers.

Van Morrison Star to Shine over Hollywood

Well perhaps not over Hollywood, but certainly on it, as the world famous Irish born singer/songwriter has finally had his talent recognized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.   Along with other recording royalty such as Roy Orbison (posthumously awarded), Ringo Star and relatively new artists like Alan Jackson, Van Morrison’s name was listed among the 2010 recipients of a star on Hollywood’s famous Walk of Fame.

With over 50 years in the music business, Van Morrison’s music has brought pleasure to millions of people around the world.  His concerts continue to bring in the fans, and some of his signature songs such as “Moondance” are sung by world class performers such as Michael Buble and Bobby McFarrin.

Van Morrison, born George Ivan Morrison in 1945, is no stranger to public acclaim and quite apart from his OBE (Order of the British Empire) awarded by the Queen Elizabeth II for his service to music, he also has 6 Grammys to his credit.  In 1993 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, then followed both his induction into the Irish Music Hall of Fame, and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.  With a number of other awards to his name, it’s surprising it’s taken this long for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to add him to their list – especially given that some younger (and less acclaimed singers such as Shakira) are already being given their star on the Boulevard.

A performer who doesn’t engage his concert goers in chit-chat throughout his stage shows, he was the first person to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame not to accept his award in person!

Will he turn up to the media circus that will surely be waiting for him at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 when his start is revealed?  As no dates for the 2010 star additions are yet to be released it’s unclear as yet whether he will attend.  If he does, Hollywood is sure to be a place for all Van Morrison fans to be as they’ll get a rare off-stage glimpse of this talented musician who has spent 5 decades entertaining people with his unique blend of music that encompasses rhythm and blues, rock and roll, jazz, pop and his native Celtic genres.

As is shown by his body of music, and the professional acclaim that Van Morrison has already received, this particular up-coming star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is much deserved, but a long time overdue!