DID BOB MARLEY GROW UP IN A WATER PARK?

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - IF there is such a thing as a rock 'n' roll
family, the Perrys of Myrtle Beach, S.C., surely qualify. With his
goatee and tattoos, John Perry, 31, has the look of a Nordic metal
guitarist. His wife, Laura, 30, is blond and gazes out coolly behind
sunglasses, while their two young children, Gracie and Memphis, are
named in homage to Elvis Presley.

On a recent Saturday, the Perry family was standing in line to ride
the Shake Rattle 'n' Rollercoaster at Hard Rock Park, a rock 'n' roll
theme park that officially opened here last month. They were passing
time in a section of the park called Born in the USA, which features a
1950s-style diner, a water ride called Slippery When Wet and a
50-foot-tall model of the Statue of Liberty holding a Zippo lighter in
lieu of a torch.

This was the family's third visit, but they were still unsure what to
make of a theme park whose marquee attraction, Led Zeppelin the Ride,
is a roller coaster whose hairpin turns are synchronized to Robert
Plant's wails in "Whole Lotta Love" -- not to mention one that tries
to merge the rebellious spirit of rock music with the wholesome family
values of Disneyland or Six Flags.

Mr. Perry, a warehouse manager for the Boar's Head meat company, said
he was offended by an opening ceremony that featured the song "Come as
You Are" by Nirvana, whose frontman, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide in
1994.

"We kept asking ourselves, 'How would Kurt feel about this?' " Ms.
Perry said. She looked at her husband and said: "What did we call this
place? Rock 'n' roll for squares."

The idea of a rock-music theme park may seem a strange marriage, but
it is also a sign that in a changing music industry, rock 'n' roll has
been forced to become more creative in attracting audiences, and to
present itself in whatever outlets are available -- whether it's the
"Grey's Anatomy" soundtrack, the Guitar Hero video game, or a roller
coaster ride.

"For the most part, the bands want exposure at a time when they can't
rely on record companies or radio," said Joe Levy, the editor in chief
of Blender, a music magazine. Being in a rock band today, Mr. Levy
said, might include being in an amusement park.

"It certainly includes being in a video game and at least 15 other
things it didn't include in 1968," he added.

Many of the bands involved in Hard Rock Park are of a 1970s vintage,
when rock 'n' roll still ruled the radio airwaves. Mr. Plant and Jimmy
Page worked with the park's creators to develop the Led Zeppelin ride,
a 3,738-foot roller coaster with a 120-foot-high loop and top speed of
65 miles an hour; the Eagles re-recorded their hit "Life in the Fast
Lane" for the two-minute (the longest ride in the park), 2,234-foot
roller coaster of the same name in the Cool Country section of the
park. Elsewhere, visitors can find Nights in White Satin the Trip, a
3-D ride based on the Moody Blues tune. (The Eagles and the Moody
Blues performed at the park's opening.)

On this day, foot traffic was more of a trickle than a stampede. Upon
entering the park, visitors passed a coffee shop, Amp'd, and a
biker-style hangout, the Whammy Bar, before walking through the
gold-trimmed gates that led to Rock & Roll Heaven, a tropical-themed
salute to fallen rock stars. ("Jerome John Garcia 8/1/42 -8/9/95"
reads an engraved stone in a memorial garden.)

At a table outside the Taste of Paradise Grill, whose walls are
decorated with carved Tiki idols in the likeness of expired rockers,
Marty List, 63, from Nichols, S.C., waited patiently for her family to
return from a ride. Ms. List said she didn't listen to rock music.

"We came here because it's a good way to entertain two grandkids," she
said. Behind her, a steel drummer hammered out a rendition of Elvis
Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love."

Nearby, Jay Roberts, 54, watched his 4-year-old granddaughter, Ava,
splash around on Reggae River Falls, which reinterprets the tough
Kingston streets that gave rise to Bob Marley, presenting them as a
water-soaked playground.

Mr. Roberts said he "went through Woodstock and all that" and is an
avid rock fan who plays guitar. He declared the park's concept "awesome."

"They play the Beatles, Elvis," he said, referring to the numerous
speakers that piped music through the park. "I like that my
grandchildren are listening to that music. Of course, what they don't
understand is the psychedelic experience. We went on that Moody Blues
ride, the Trip. My daughter and son-in-law didn't have a clue. They
said, 'Whoever designed this was having problems.' "

Hard Rock Park is the brainchild of Jon Binkowski, 49, a veteran
theme-park executive, and Steven Goodwin, 40, who developed the Hard
Rock Hotel in Orlando, Fla. Neither man is the kind of rock obsessive
who trades obscure 45s or reads back issues of Crawdaddy; they seem to
appreciate Led Zeppelin for its music just as much for the fact that
the band is represented by one lawyer, making for easier
negotiations.

Eight years ago, Mr. Binkowski bought a struggling theater here that
had once been home to Snoopy on Ice, with the idea of turning the land
into a children's amusement park. When Mr. Goodwin came aboard to find
investors, the project grew more ambitious, and a rock 'n' roll theme
was chosen partly for expediency, when Hard Rock International agreed
to license its name.

The two men said they designed the $400-million 55-acre park in about
two hours at a Kinko's in Hollywood, Calif.

No rock cliche has gone unnoted in their plans, no song title pun
unused. Their park offers an Alice's Restaurant, a Pinball Wizard
arcade, a ride that glows like a black-light poster at night.

There is also an amphitheater, where Kid Rock performed during Bike
Week ("His concert is PG-13 at best," Mr. Binkowski said), a nightly
fireworks display set to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and three loosely
scripted shows, including Malibu Beach Party, an homage to surf
culture. "It's like Frankie and Annette meets Jeff Spicoli," Mr.
Binkowski said. "It's a real hoot."

Both men believe that rock-based attractions will lure vacationing
families. "In the '50s and '60s, rock music was part of the
counterculture," Mr. Goodwin said, "but now it's the culture that
brings the family together."

Though some of the park's source material might not be suitable for
kids ("The 'way down inside' that Robert Plant had in mind is not the
way down inside you may get in this roller coaster," Mr. Levy said,
referring to the lyrics of "Whole Lotta Love"), Mr. Goodwin wasn't
bothered.

"We're fans of the double entendre," Mr. Goodwin said. "It only means
something if you're part of rock culture."

Wander the grounds and you might see toddlers hopping on rubber magic
mushrooms, hear a calliope version of the Arctic Monkeys song "I Bet
You Look Good on the Dancefloor," or read a sign outside a Moonbounce
attraction called the Punk Pit that warns, "All Punks Must Obey the
Following Rules."

The park is filled with insider references: an inflatable pig sits
atop a building in the park's British Invasion section, mirroring the
cover of Pink Floyd's "Animals"; a sign forbids listening to Radio
Caroline, the pirate station that once broadcast from a boat anchored
off the coast of England.

But many visitors seemed more concerned about the cost of
admission.

"With me having so many kids, they should have a family-package plan,"
said Sabrina Manina of Fayetteville, N.C., an operations manager for
an educational nonprofit group, who paid $40 each for herself and her
four children. (Prices vary based on regular specials, but standard
admission is $50 a person.)

Ms. Manina, 36, whose tastes lean more toward R & B stars like Jaheim
than classic rock stars, like Johnny Winter, had nevertheless ridden
the Led Zeppelin coaster, which, she said, "shook my brain."

Some visitors were skeptical that rock music could be successfully
translated to a theme-park setting without losing its intrinsic cool.

"I was expecting everything to be cheesy," said Tristan Meier, 18, a
manager at a local golf course, who was at the Rock & Roll Heaven area
with his girlfriend, Delaney Lacy, 17. "I was expecting people with
mullets."

But after a few visits, Mr. Meier said, he's been won over. "You have
your English rock, classic rock," he said. "The Zeppelin ride is
pretty cool."

He paused, then added, "And I only saw, like, two mullets."