10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Good Life

“Mom In Love, Daddy In Space,” “Graceland,” “Lampshade,” and “Make It Grand”—there are many reasons why *The Good Life* caused a stir when Kashmir released the album in 1999. The critically acclaimed album turns 25 this year, and this has inspired the Rock Museum to create, for the first time ever, an exhibition based on a single release.
Special Exhibition
Category
Special Exhibition
Date
September 13, 2024 – May 10, 2026
Starting September 13, 2024, the Rock Museum will offer visitors the chance to step right into a true gem of recent Danish rock history when the special exhibition on Kashmir’s album *The Good Life* opens to the public. 

‘Mom In Love, Daddy In Space,’ ‘Graceland,’ ‘Lampshade,’ and ‘Make It Grand’—there are many reasons why ‘The Good Life’ caused a sensation when Kashmir released the album in 1999. The critically acclaimed release turns 25 this year, and that has inspired us to create, for the first time ever, an exhibition based on a single release.

‘The Good Life’ was released exclusively on CD in 1999. The CD has therefore been closely studied over the past few months at the museum, reveals museum curator Rasmus Rosenørn:
“Kashmir created a very strong visual universe in the CD booklet, both in terms of color and imagery, which we’ve been able to play with and further develop graphically. We’ve now recreated this alongside their unique soundscape, so the exhibition stimulates many senses at once, as if you were physically standing inside the album.” 
Quote mark
As a museum, it has been exciting for us to take a creative approach to how we can take an album—designed to be listened to at home—and transform it into a physical exhibition space. Our goal is to give visitors the experience of stepping directly into the album itself and, from there, following the many stories hidden within the history of ‘The Good Life’
Rasmus Rosenørn, Curator

A DEEP DIVE INTO ONE ALBUM

An important story in the age of streaming

Precisely because Kashmir released ‘The Good Life’ in an era before digital downloads and streaming became the dominant ways of listening to music, Isabella No’omi Fuglø, Head of Audience at ROMU, sees great cultural and historical value in delving into the album right now. “We used to take it for granted that we’d listen to an album from start to finish, and that way of approaching music is no longer widespread.

“Kashmir has put a lot of work into making ‘The Good Life’ work as a cohesive whole, and we hope that younger generations will come to appreciate the value of the album format precisely by experiencing it up close,” says Head of Audience Development Isabella No’omi Fuglø. “This is the first time we’ve delved deeply into a single album, and we certainly don’t regret it. Because ‘The Good Life’ has proven to be of enormous significance to Kashmir. It influenced their entire artistic direction from then on and is a contributing factor to Kashmir becoming one of the greatest Danish rock bands of recent times. At the same time, the album still holds a special place in the hearts of the fan base today,” says museum curator Rasmus Rosenørn. 

It was the late musician Poul Martin Bonde who discovered Kashmir. He visited the band during the recording of *The Good Life* at Das Boot Studio in Lake Tahoe, USA, and this photo is one of several that Bonde took during his visit at the time. Now, a selection of his photos from that stay is being shown to the public for the first time in the pop-up exhibition “The Good Life” and in the book of the same name, both of which pay tribute to the landmark album.

The call for fans paid off

Last spring, the rock museum called for contributions from fans for the exhibition, and it has paid off.

“We can tell from the many messages we’ve received that this is far from an album that’s been forgotten. We’ve received lots of items and touching stories from fans. Everything from a piece of a smashed guitar neck from ‘The Good Life’ tour to a private CD autographed by the band. It came from a superfan whose father wanted to surprise her and seized the opportunity when he discovered that one of the band members happened to live on his route as a mail carrier,” says museum curator Rasmus Rosenørn. 

In addition to fan contributions and Kashmir’s own video stories, visitors can explore private photos of the band, among other things. Kashmir was discovered in 1993 by the late music producer Poul Martin Bonde, who gave them their first record deal. Poul Martin Bonde visited Kashmir during the recording of ‘The Good Life’ at Das Boot Studio in Lake Tahoe, USA, with his camera, and those photos are on public display for the first time in the exhibition. 

To coincide with the exhibition, the publishing house Multivers, in collaboration with the museum organization ROMU—of which the Rock Museum is a part—is releasing the next book in the “Danske Albums” portrait series, focusing on “The Good Life.” The book was written by journalist Karina Edlund Jensen based on interviews with band members and other contributors. 

In 2023, the first five portrait books in the series were published: Kim Larsen’s *Værsgo*, Anne Linnet’s *Marquis de Sade*, Sods’ *Minutes To Go*, Natasja’s *I Danmark er jeg født*, and Malk de Koijn’s *Sneglzilla*. 

  • Kashmir released "The Good Life" on February 17, 1999; it is their third album since they formed the band at a music school in 1991. 
  • The album includes singles such as “Mom In Love, Daddy In Space,” “Graceland,” “Lampshade,” and “Make It Grand.” 
  • Critics gave the album a very positive reception. Among other honors, Kashmir received six awards at the 2000 Danish Grammys, including the awards for “Danish Album of the Year” and “Danish Rock Release of the Year.”
  • Kashmir stopped performing as an active band in 2014, and they haven't released any music together since.
  • The special exhibition on “The Good Life” opens to the public at Denmark’s rock museum, RAGNAROCK, located at Rabalderstræde 16 in Roskilde, on Friday, September 13. The exhibition traces the making of the album and the period that followed—including private photos from the band’s subsequent nationwide tour.
  • Denmark’s rock museum, RAGNAROCK, is part of the state-recognized museum organization ROMU, which encompasses a total of 10 venues in Roskilde, Lejre, and Frederikssund.
  • Alongside the special exhibition, a book of portraits about the album will be published as part of the “Danske Albums” series, written by journalist Karina Edlund Jensen. The book is published by Multivers and will be available for purchase at the Rock Museum.
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