Awaiting the curious visitor is a whole wall of original gig posters, a room of German-made reel-to-reel machines and early synthesizers, and row upon row of guitars. All is meticulously labeled, the permanent exhibition something akin to walking into the bedroom of a teenage music obsessive.
But then, growing up in 1960s’ Hungary, the wrong side of the Iron Curtain to sample the forbidden fruit of Western pop and rock, the museum founders were teenage music obsessives. Who wouldn’t have been? In 1967, co-curator László B. Tóth hitchhiked to Warsaw to see the infamous Rolling Stones show at the Stalinist Palace of Culture & Science.
Thus began a journey that led Tóth to become an intrepid follower of rock music, a collector of its memorabilia and a renowned radio DJ.
One of the many unusual exhibits is a rather fearsome truncheon the Hungarian police used to keep the crowd in order during a concert by the Spencer Davis Group at Budapest’s Kisstadion in July 1967. An early dry ice machine wouldn’t look out of place in a Flintstones cartoon.
In another corner is the original studio used by Radio Free Europe DJ László Cseke, whose legendary ‘Teenager party’ shows brought the sounds of top UK and US bands to Hungarian kids desperate for new music.
This is not to say that Hungary didn’t have its own bands. Pride of place is given to a map spread across half the wall of the lobby. Worth the modest entrance fee alone, this feature shows Budapest before 1989, the locations of all its revered little clubs and music venues, and alongside, an A-Z selection of beat bands. Press a button and you find out who used to appear where, the group’s line-up and photo.
While the permanent collection is rooted in the radio-under-the-pillow era, temporary exhibitions span rock’s rich tapestry. After displays relating to Zep, Elvis and Queen, a current show running until March 4th throws the spotlight on Kiss.
The museum also doubles up as music venue, with Syconor playing tonight, Friday January 19th, and the Radics Klub scheduled for Saturday January 20th.
Rock Museum 1133 Budapest, RaM Colosseum, Kárpát utca 23 Fri 5pm-9pm, Sat & Sun 2pm-6pm Trolleybus 75 to Vág utca/bus 15 to Tisza utca Website
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