Motown Museum

So. I had intended to go see the Ford Museum today, but it was not to be. I had been twitching since last night due to the price (over 40 bucks!) and when I arrived to see all the cars in the huuuuge parking lot, a cold sweat broke out. As I went inside and saw the long, long lines darkness fell upon my soul and the walls drew nearer. When I finally saw something about a five dollar parking fee I was outta there.

And I'm glad I left that place, because I chose instead to go to Motown Museum, where I not only got away with only ten dollars, but also spent an informative and entertaining hour both outside and inside the museum buildings.

Motown is the "black" record label created in 1959 by Berry Gordy. He grew up in a very entrepreneurial African American family; both his parents started and ran businesses, and all their kids had to work from an early age.

Barry Gordy ran Motown like a tight ship; they had a machine where you clocked in and out and if you were late for a meeting you'd find a closed door. Every Friday everybody would gather and listen to some new singles, and if that single didn't get enough thumbs up, it was simply not released. In the beginning, Berry didn't put pics of his artists on the record sleeves, since race could be an impediment to sales.

But he wasn't just a shrewd businessman, he was also a creative powerhouse, and he gathered around him dozens of talented and smart people. He created the "Motown sound" and made sure his artists were trained in singing, harmonics, dancing and everything else. As the woman responsible for educating young street hoodlums said: They could be sent to stages everywhere in the world, they could be introduced to kings and queens. They had to be prepared. The contrast to rap music's yo yo yo/fuck/bitches/etc could not be greater.

Within the first decade Gordy had 400 people working for him. The original studio building expanded to 8 buildings on the same street. The tour takes you through only two, but it's a fascinating look behind the scenes of a true American success story, skin color be damned.

After the tour I went outside to take some pics and got to talking to a family of African Americans from Seattle. When they heard I was on a loooong trip and that I'd just done my 50th state, they were all aflame and we had a very nice chat. They even laughed when I suggested they sell their kids to medical science to finance a similar trip. It's little meetings like this that remind me why I love America and Americans so much, and that make the difference between mere travel and a proper journey.

All pics here (sadly they had a ban on photos inside).