A closer look into Retro's Iconic objects

Transcript

1. In this photo, visitors engage with one of the exhibit’s immersive features. “History museums need to stay relevant to younger people, who are new to the 60s, 70s and 80s. To do that, they lean towards this new paradigm, where it's a participatory experience, not just still objects in glass cases,” said Lauren Istvandity, a scholar who researches music and critical heritage. [Photo © Olivia Belovich]
2. Robbie Robertson’s 1920 Gibson Model O guitar, which he played during The Band’s 1978 farewell concert film, The Last Waltz. The Band, formed in Toronto, emerged in the 1960s as an innovative amalgamation of blues, folk, rock and country. They played with Bob Dylan before finding their own success through songs like “The Weight”. “The prep team did such amazing work. On Robbie Robertson's guitar here, you can see the clasps are painted to match the grain of the wood,” noted the curator, Judith Klassen. [Photo © Olivia Belovich] [Background image courtesy of the Public Domain Review, the Metropolitan Museum of Art]
3. Geddy Lee’s Rickenbacker 4080 double-neck electric bass guitar that he used with the band Rush in 1976. Rush, formed in 1968 in Toronto, is one of the most successful rock bands in history, with epic progressive metal ballads of fantasy storytelling and technical mastery. Lee is the lead vocalist of Rush, with his powerful and unmistakable voice. [Photo © Olivia Belovich] [Background image courtesy of the Public Domain Review, the Metropolitan Museum of Art]
4. This drumskin, hand painted by Cowboy Junkies drummer Peter Timmins, was part of his touring kit for the acclaimed “The Trinity Session” in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Cowboy Junkies are an alternative folk band, who began performing in small Toronto clubs in 1985. Their 1988 recording of “The Trinity Session” at Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity sent them into international spotlight as indie rock legends. [Photo © Olivia Belovich] [Background image courtesy of the Public Domain Review, the Metropolitan Museum of Art]
5. Leonard Cohen’s Olivetti Leterra 32 typewriter from the 1960s is on loan from the Leonard Cohen Family Trust. Cohen, born in Montreal, used this manual typewriter in the 1980s. Originally a writer, Cohen is more known for his introspective songs of poetic imagery. His 1984 ballad, “Hallelujah” is perhaps his most iconic, covered famously by John Cale (1991) and Jeff Buckley (2004). [Photo © Olivia Belovich] [Background image courtesy of the Public Domain Review, the Metropolitan Museum of Art]
6. These 3D “Rust-O-Vision” glasses were given to audiences of Neil Young and collaborator Crazy Horse’s 1979 concert film, “Rust Never Sleeps”. Young is a genre-defying rock, folk, country and pop legend, whose expansive work paved the way for the grunge era of the 1990s. Born in Toronto, he first performed with his high school band, The Squires. In 1966, Young blended Canadian and American musicians to form the rock band Buffalo Springfield in Los Angeles. He also performed with folk-rock group Crosby, Stills & Nash. [Photo © Olivia Belovich] [Background image courtesy of the Public Domain Review, the Metropolitan Museum of Art]