Hard Rock Cafe New York is located at 1501 Broadway in Times Square, inside the historic Paramount Building. The current location opened on 12 August 2005 and occupies part of the former Paramount Theatre complex. As with other Hard Rock Cafe locations, much of the interior is devoted to original instruments, stage clothing and other music memorabilia, with the New York collection including several particularly important pieces from hard rock and heavy metal history.
One of the most significant is Tony Iommi’s original left-handed Gibson SG Special, commonly known as “Monkey”. The guitar became Iommi’s main instrument during the early years of Black Sabbath after the pickup on his Fender Stratocaster failed during the recording of the band’s debut album. He subsequently used the SG extensively on Black Sabbath’s early records and live performances. The heavily modified instrument, recognisable by the small monkey sticker on its body, was eventually retired from touring and became part of the Hard Rock collection. The original remains at the New York cafe and was temporarily removed when Gibson used it as the basis for a limited series of detailed replicas.
Another unusual item is a left-handed Alembic bass that belonged to Peter Steele of Type O Negative and Carnivore. Steele was naturally left-handed and originally played guitar that way, but learned to play bass right-handed as a teenager because a left-handed instrument was too expensive. He continued playing right-handed throughout his professional career. The Alembic displayed at Hard Rock is therefore something of an exception: Steele acquired the left-handed bass later to see whether he could also play the instrument in his natural orientation. Its black finish and bright green fingerboard markings immediately recall the customised instruments associated with Steele, making it one of the more unusual pieces connected with the Type O Negative frontman.
KISS is also prominently represented, fittingly for a band formed in New York City in 1973. The collection includes several pieces connected with Gene Simmons, most notably his enormous platform stage boots and custom bass guitars that he used with the band. Among the instruments displayed at the Times Square location has been one of Simmons’ distinctive axe-shaped basses; Simmons was photographed with the instrument at the cafe in 2007. Together with the oversized boots and other KISS material, the display reflects the theatrical stage image that became as important to the band’s identity as the music itself. Recent descriptions of the New York collection confirm that several of Simmons’ stage-worn boots and played bass guitars remain part of the memorabilia displayed at the cafe.
The New York collection also contains memorabilia from Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and other rock artists. New York musicians are strongly represented, with material connected to the Ramones, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Among the larger pieces is Joel’s 1974 Moto Guzzi 850 Eldorado motorcycle, while a signed leather jacket from the Ramones is also displayed at the cafe.
ADDRESS:
1501 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, USA
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