Sunday we went to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles …. Wow. Seriously. We planned on around an hour or so to see the Elvis at 21 photography exhibit (there til March 28), but we could have easily spent all day at the museum.

Why didn’t anyone tell me!!?

I definitely want to go back to the Grammy Museum and spend more than an hour. You could make this an all-day event. Especially as it’s on the campus of L.A. Live. Go to an early lunch, and then spend the whole afternoon at the museum.

Who’s with me?

{sidenote: we went to lunch at Rosa Mexicano and it was VERY good}

The Grammy Museum has – in addition to the expected displays with photos and text to read – costumes and outfits and TONS of interactive ‘exhibits’ ….

Below:  A listening exhibit where you listen to different songwriters talk about their song-writing process. People like Carole King, Brian Wilson and Ludacris ….

There was an instruments little corner where you could play guitar or drums or other instruments – luckily with headphones so it wasn’t a cacophony in there …

There was a whole section on the recording process… they had (I think) 8 different little sound-booth-sized rooms where you watch a short video and interact based on that part of the recording process (recording, mixing, mastering, rapping, etc).

Below, we see Andrew muting every part of the drum section in the mixing activity.

(that one ALONE was about 8 minutes. So if you did all 8 activities, you’d be just in that part of the at 1 floor for over an hour)

But – the REAL reason we decided to go to the Grammy Museum in the first place was for the Elvis at 21 photo exhibit.

Ohmygoodness it was GORGEOUS.

I love me some young Elvis.

I first heard/read about this exhibit in Vanity Fair (also, I love Vanity Fair) … check out an Elvis – Vanity Fair slideshow here. Love.

Alfred Wertheimer – as a young young photographer – was basically hired to just follow Elvis around for a week or 2 in 1956 and document his life and performances.

What an AMAZING opportunity!

I’m absurdly jealous.. …

I guess Elvis basically allowed unprecedented access …. as if he KNEW that he was going to be huge (in 1956 Elvis was still mostly a regional star and hadn’t quite yet made it to national fame) and knew that there should be documentation.

There was also a small theatre playing a running loop of footage from Elvis’s performances on the Ed Sullivan show.

The photos were just FANTASTIC. All blown up to about 24×36″ …. all these amazing moments of Elvis on stage, back stage, at a restaurant, at home….

I sooo loved it. Totally worth the price of admission just for this photo show.