Hard Rock Treasures
directed by Martin Melhuish
starring Don Bernstine, Dimebag Darrell, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi
Having once served as a Tour Guide for the short lived Hard Rock Vault Museum in Orlando, I can attest to the awe-inspiring collection of music memoribilia not only displayed in the Hard Rock’s restaurants, hotels and casinos worldwide, but inside the company’s warehouse. Walking the large backrooms of their corporate headquarters alongside beat-up guitars that once belonged to the great legends of music, flamboyant articles of clothing and- oh, look, John Lennon’s lyrics scrawled on a dirty piece of paper- it’s enough to make even the most jaded music fan melt into their shoes.
The man responsible for acquiring all of these artifacts of musical history is Don Bernstine, a radio dj referred to in the dvd as “the Indiana Jones of rock ‘n’ roll.” Having begun his career working marketing and promotions for Deep Purple, Bernstine has spent a lifetime forming relationships with the biggest of the big in rock music and those connections are largely what this dvd focuses on. Don having a sit down with Jimmy Page, Don touring Tony Iommi’s home, Don hanging backstage with KISS. It could be considered a cocky celebration of all the famous people Mr. Bernstine is friends with if it wasn’t so obvious that at the core of it all he is a music fan who proclaims, “I’ve got the best job in the world!”
Perhaps the most compelling inclusion of footage on this 90-minute documentary is rare at home footage of the late Dimebag Darrell, filmed shortly before his tragic death; augmented by a sitdown with Darrell’s widow and brother, Vinnie Paul, after his death.
The Hard Rock is the foremost collector of music memoribilia with an ever-increasing collection that is currently estimated at about $45 million. The Hard Rock Treasures dvd is a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of auctions, rockstar hob-knobbing, and scouring the world for those amazing pieces of history that only a music fan can get excited about. On a personal note, I’ve just recently begun selling my live concert photographs to the Hard Rock to be used as visuals within some of the memo cases, and I can’t express how cool it feels to know that a part of me will be on those walls alongside the jewels of music’s past.
