CLE Rocks Presents… is a live recording of cleveland.com’s popular CLE Rocks podcast. The series looks back at some of the most historic music events, places and people in Northeast Ohio history. For each live event, host and cleveland.com reporter Troy L. Smith will be joined by an esteemed group of panelists offering their first-hand takes on that night’s subject in front of a live audience invited to interact.
From 1971 to 1982, a hotel on Euclid Ave. and E. 18th St. came to embody the term “sex, drugs and rock and roll.” The place known as Swingos was where Elvis stayed when he was in the Midwest, Led Zeppelin routinely wrecked rooms and where Cher and Kiss’ Gene Simmons would meet for a secret affair. Swingos was made even more famous when it was featured in the Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous.
With the help of an all-star panel, we retell the legendary stories that took place inside the hotel, revisit the glory days of Cleveland rock and roll, and examine the amazing legacy of hospitality legend Jim Swingos. It will all be recorded as part of Cleveland.com’s CLE Rocks podcast.