The Coolest Job in America

Weekends in major cities around the globe, people line up around the block waiting to get into the always-hip Hard Rock Cafe. They go to indulge in big American burgers, to buy the übiquitous souvenir T-shirts, and to gawk at the rock-n-roll memorabilia on display: Jimi Hendrix's Gibson Flying V; Janis Joplin's crushed velvet hat bearing "One night stand" button; Elvis's karate uniform; John Lennon's doodles

One man doesn't have to stand in line to see these holy artifacts. He collected them himself. And he gets to travel around the world to display the items. Who is this guy?

He is Stephen Routhier '76, a refugee from stodgy Madison Avenue who has managed to attain the hip title of "creative director" for Hard Rock International. He started at the New York Hard Rock as a doorman, worked his way up to manager, then in 1986 was sent down to Or-lando to catalog a bunch of rock memorabilia gathering dust in a warehouse. "I had found my niche," he says. Routhier now lives in Orlando with his wife and two kids and heads a staff of five that supports the exhibits. In eight years he has built up the collection to more than 15,000 items, including:

• A 1945 rectangular guitar that Bo Diddly made by hand.

• The manuscript for "Imagine," in John Lennon's hand.

• A signed and dated manuscript for Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Couldn't Stand the Weather."

• James Brown's red cape and crown.

• Letters from Buddy Holly to his family in Lubbock, Texas.

• Corn-row braids of Boy George's hair from his Culture Club days (one of the weirdest items, he says).

• A molar believed to be Madonna's (the weirdest).

• A thirties Gibson that belonged to Woody Guthrie.

• The "Magical Mystery Tour" bus from the Beatles movie (the biggest).

Now a vice president as well as creative director, Routhie rleaves much of the day-to-day maintenance of the collection to his staff, focusing instead on less rock-n-roll matters such as franchise relations and P.R. He still thrills at being able to travel to exotic cities around the world. And unlike so many burned-out rock stars, he says, "I lucked into a situation where I could indulge in my passion without destroying it."