New Jersey native Eddie Trunk, host of several rock shows on satellite radio and host of the TrunkFest show on AXS TV, said memorabilia helps connect fans to their favorite artists. Sometimes Hard Rock will make a donation to an artist’s charity in return for a piece of memorabilia, he said. The company obtains its music memorabilia in a variety of ways, including direct donations by artists or purchases at auctions. It was donated to Hard Rock in London by Jackson himself, said Giovanni Taliaferro, Hard Rock’s director of memorabilia. Then there’s The Glove, the iconic sparkly hand covering Michael Jackson made famous in his videos and concerts. There’s a state of New Jersey accident report involving Springsteen, a purple guitar played by Prince, and John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics to “Imagine” on a fading piece of white lined paper.
A glass display case includes autographs from all four Beatles, from Jimi Hendrix and his bandmates, sunglasses and bowties worn by Roy Orbison, and a piece of junk mail delivered to Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain (with his last name spelled wrong) advising him he might already be a winner in a publishing sweepstakes. Alongside is a vintage Springsteen stage outfit (headband included).
