MR.SKOLNICK GOES TO THE MUSEUM
• MUSEUM: NEW YORK CITY’S METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
• EXHIBITION: PLAY IT LOUD: INSTRUMENTS OF ROCK & ROLL
• DATES: THROUGH OCTOBER 1, 2019
• LOCATION: GALLERY 199, FLOOR 1, THE MET FIFTH AVENUE
• ONLINE: METMUSEUM.ORG TESTAMENT’S ALEX SKOLNICK is like a kid in a candy store. Except that New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art isn’t a store, and these delights — which are safely displayed behind glass — are legendary guitars made famous by EDDIE VAN HALEN, ERIC CLAPTON, JIMI HENDRIX and other rock and roll giants. From Van Halen’s Frankenstein to Clapton’s Blackie, Skolnick is familiar with nearly all the instruments in the exhibit — and even has a story or two about most of them. It’s the guitarist’s second visit to PLAY IT LOUD: INSTRUMENTS OF ROCK & ROLL, a monumental exhibit that runs through October 1 at the Met before scaling down a bit and heading to Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also attended the April grand opening, as did Jimmy Page, who loaned the exhibit several historic items and axes, including his original Fender “Dragon” Telecaster, the one he used in his Yardbirds days and on Led Zeppelin’s self-titled 1969 debut.
Before even entering the exhibit, Skol-nick spies the Chuck Berry guitar that — appropriately — marks the start of his circa-1958 “Johnny B. Goode” Gibson ES-350T. Skolnick cites Berry as a major influence, discovering him in 1978. “That’s when a film called came out. I was 10, and [Berry] played himself in the film and stole the show,” recalls Skolnick. “I’d heard ‘Johnny B. Goode’ on the radio, but I didn’t know who it was — or anything about Chuck Berry.” Berry’s silly lyrics were perfect for kids. “He did a song in the film called ‘Reelin’ and Rockin’.’ He has a couple of lines in that
