My brief stay at the Hard Rock Hotel

When I was a teenager I was convinced that I was destined to be a Rock Star. I thought if I believed strongly enough, my dreams of stardom would come to pass. So, Rock & Roll became my lifestyle, my raison d' etre, my credo, my god. I laid sacrifices at the alter of my god: My education (I dropped out of high school as a way of "sticking it to the man" -- which would be funny if it weren't so tragic), the heart of my High School sweetheart (a rock star couldn't have a High School sweetheart hanging around), my innocence (as in "Sex and Drugs and Rock & Roll") and vast numbers of brain cells (as in "Sex and Drugs and Rock & Roll"). For the details on how the whole thing turned out, you can read my story here.

My Rock & Roll dreams died a slow, hard death. Gradually the realization sunk in that I'd been had. The glamor, glitz and glory of the Rock & Roll lifestyle was an illusion.

I'm travelling this week between Houma, LA (about 45 miles SW of New Orleans) and Jacksonville, FL. I finished my work in Houma this afternoon and, not wanting to stay in Houma any longer than necessary, drove my rental car onto I-10 and pointed it East towards Jax. Its an 8 to 10 hour drive. I figured I'd go to about Mobile, AL and then stop for the night and complete the journey the next day.

60 miles before Mobile I came to Biloxi, MS; an up-and-coming casino town that was decimated by hurricane Katrina. Since by now it was 8pm, I decided to see how the restoration of Biloxi has come along and also grab a bite to eat. Although there is still much devastation, the big casinos have rebuilt and are back in business. I've never cared much for gambling, but figured the casinos would probably house a variety of dining options.

My attention was caught by the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (run by the same company as the Hard Rock Cafes) and I decided to take a closer look. At first glance the place was impressive: Inside the lobby are several restaurants, a Starbucks, gift shops, etc. Loud music is pumping, lights are flashing and music videos play on screens placed throughout. The lobby is filled with museum-style glass cases that contain Rock & Roll artifacts, each identified by a little gold plaque: Elton John's blue jeans (he was skinny once!), Madonna's leather pasties, various shirts, shoes and jackets once worn (allegedly) by various rock stars. Lots of guitars, of course. I wonder though whether any of the rock stars who supposedly owned the guitars attributed to them ever actually played them or if they merely had them in their possession for a brief moment -- long enough to autograph the instrument and hand it back to the Hard Rock Corporation representative.

I browsed around, looking at the displays, and felt completely underwhelmed. Was I supposed to be excited to see Tom Petty's cowboy boots in a glass case, or a jacket once worn by Peter Gabriel?

Since it was getting late, I decided to get a room there for the night. The rate for a "view room" was reasonable (Biloxi is right on the Gulf coast and the thought of waking up to an ocean view was appealing). I also decided to eat at the hotel's buffet.

I had to walk through the casino to get to the buffet. I couldn't help but notice the people "having fun" at the slots and game tables: No one was smiling. I paid $15.00 to graze at the buffet. The food was bland and lukewarm. My luggage was still in the car, but I decided to go up to the 11th floor and have a look at my "view room". It had a lovely view... of the parking lot on the side of the building.

I went back down to the front desk, told them I'd changed my mind and canceled my stay. The Hard Rock Hotel did not live up to the hype. It was a shallow illusion.

I got back in the car and headed towards Mobile.