The Punk Rock Museum Displays Punk Rock’s Impact, History, and Continued Cultural Prominence
The Punk Rock Museum celebrated its first anniversary on April 1, attracting those wanting to explore more than 45 years of punk rock history. Located at 1422 Western Avenue in Las Vegas, it’s America’s only punk rock museum. Many visit to see the memorabilia collection, zines, photography, and changing exhibits on display on the second floor.
In addition to these attractions, the events, tattoo shop, wedding chapel, and bar also draw people in. The museum offers much to the public by providing information on punk and offering a place to gather. Here, people enjoy punk culture, whether for the history, the enjoyment of the atmosphere, or as an excellent place for a tattoo or wedding.
Founded by NOFX’s Mike Burkett (A.K.A. ‘Fat Mike’) and a group of musicians and industry professionals, the museum memorializes the founders upstairs on the second floor. Some of the founders include Vinnie Fiorello of Less Than Jake, Pat Smear of The Germs and Foo Fighters, and veteran Warped Tour Producer Lisa Brownlee. The museum founders manage the building, memorabilia, guided tours from established punks, and museum events.
Because of them, the building exhibits 45+ years of punk history in one building. Many bands, artists, collectors, fans, and others provided pieces of punk history, helping contribute to the museum’s collection. Thanks to them, Las Vegas offers another place to its fantastic list of experiences: an attraction with history, music, and culture.
A Self-Guided Tour Through The Punk Rock Museum
Beginning the Tour
Upon entering The Punk Rock Museum, the Punk Shop greets visitors right in the center, offering t-shirts, books, records, buttons, and old gig flyers. After purchasing their ticket, one turns left and begins the self-guided tour in a room of instantly-known figures in the punk rock community. Visitors examine photos of Laura Jane Grace from Against Me!, Minor Threat, Poly Styrene from X-Ray Specs, Derby Crash from the Germs, and a shot of Blink-182 during a live performance. Bits of words and wisdom coincide with the highly detailed snapshots.
“Make yourself look really stupid so you don’t feel bad doing something a little stupid,” The quote under Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 says.
“Everything works in circles. Like sometimes you’re doing something, and a year later, you’re back at the same point. You understand that? So circle one is what we’re doing now, and someday we’ll probably do circle two,” the quote under Darby Crash of The Germs reads.
Before beginning the punk rock timeline, an enclosed glaze case displays information detailing some punk history. In it, Less McNeil specifies the word “Punk” and how people called him that as a kid. Later, he used the name for his and John Holmstrom’s magazine. He then shares that the magazine started by telling the doorkeeper at CBGB that he and John were from Punk Magazine. By saying that, they received free entry to see the Ramones play that night.
Memorabilia Galore
Above the reading, glass cases of memorabilia of bands centered around CBGB overtook the room. CBGB was a venue in New York City that opened in 1973 and became a center for new wave and American punk bands. These included the New York Dolls, The Ramones, The Runaways, Joan Jett, Dead Boys, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Heartbreakers, Johnny Thunders, Richard Hell, Television, and Patti Smith, to name a few of the vast number of bands.
Shining in museum light, photos of live performances and guitars range from Pat Place’s Fender Lead guitar to Dee Dee Ramone’s Fender Precision bass and Johnny Thunder’s Gibson DC Les Paul Junior. Jackets and shirts from Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, and Dee Dee Ramone hang with other items of the past.
The museum displays so much that one can look for minutes, turn away, and look back and see something entirely new. Not just clothing and instruments but also buttons, old gig flyers, newspaper cutouts, props of old televisions, and letters. The cases jam-packed a lot of history; it was only the start.
Band Sections
The Misfits and The Cramps memorabilia dominate another section. With bands from outside New York now showing in the timeline, the change of bands continues. A large photo of Sid Vicious, the bass player of the Sex Pistols, signaled the band’s portion of the museum. With pictures and memorabilia of Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols displayed next to Generation X, these bands from the UK showed another side of punk.
The section then changed to LA Punk, featuring The Nerves, The Weirdos, the Zeros, The Germs, Fear, and Descendants in another room. More photos display live performances, bands hanging around with one another, and pure mayhem. The cases showed more debut singles, along with newspaper and magazine articles. Amidst showcasing eye-catching items, a Descendants coffee cup named “The Bonus Cup” and Milo Aukerman’s glasses stuck out, relating information on how coffee contributed to their music.
The museum displayed more instruments, including Fear’s Derf Scratch’s saxophone and a yellow drum set from Circle Jerks. This room arranged amps and guitars showing battle scars from bands like Wasted Youth, T.S.O.L, and Screeching Weasel. The room also presented cassettes, various VHS tapes, and setlists. Outside that room, Social Distortion’s cases displayed memorabilia encased with their guitars, reiterating how much history the cases pack.
The history timeline leads to the Bay Area, including bands signed with Lookout! Records. These cases presented setlists, gig flyers, guitars, and other memorabilia from bands like Dead Kennedys, Frightwig, and Operation Ivy. This introduces another timeline with playlists accompanying the history. At the bottom, the museum provides QR codes that include playlists of bands of that era, kicking one’s total immersion in the history of punk up a notch. The hardcore genre then followed the Bay Area section.
Eras and Instruments
Entering the Hardcore Era section, the museum provides more information in another display case. In it, Mike Gitter, writer of xXx magazine back in 1983-1988, states, “Hardcore wanted something more and took it without apology.” Then, it specifies the impact and how it’s still felt today, thanks to bands like Minor Threat, Henry Rollins, Bad Brains, Scream, and Black Flag, to name a few.
The sounds of the underground spread more during this era. According to the display, “Hardcore inspired buzzwords like ‘DIY,’ ‘Emo,’ and ‘crossover.’” Mike Glitter continues to state that “Krishna-conscious Connecticut kids Youth of Today and Buffalo’s animal liberationists, Earth Crisis helped push veganism into the mainstream.” Then, ending the topic on hardcore, he states, “It remains the last pure youth culture that matters.”
The next room’s memorabilia showcases more well-known bands who’ve impacted more than just the punk community. This room held memorabilia from bands such as the Offspring, Pennywise, Rancid, Bad Religion, Kathleen Hanna, Nirvana, and Green Day.
Album certifications hung on the walls from gold, platinum, and multi-platinum discs shining in the light. In addition to the certifications hanging in their glory, the room displayed iconic guitars seen in many rock photos, covers, and magazines. These included The Offspring’s Noodles Duct Tape guitar and Bad Religion’s Brett Gurewitz’s Red Rocker. Green Day’s Mike Dirnt’s Fender Precision Bass is also displayed here, along with a replica of Green Day’s frontman and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong’s guitar, nicknamed ‘Blue.’
Along with these guitars present, there’s also a previously owned leather jacket from Kurt Cobain on display. Prominent names dominate this room, all with the common punk roots to show where they came from.
Zines, DIY, and Labels
The following section transitioned into showcasing the history of zines. The importance of zines is understated, and the museum heavily acknowledges this in the information provided by Todd Taylor, co-founder of Razorcake. He states, “ Zines are the evolution of DIY. Free expression, with a long history.”
Then, Taylor specifies how they were made and points out their similarities with punk bands: they were non-institutional, highly personal by nature, and written by active participants. He ends the information on zines by stating, “Without zines, punks ran the distinct risk of being a fad. A footnote, a thing of the past. You’re not at the Museum of Grunge today, and these modest pieces of stapled paper are part of the reason,” he stated.
The next few cases display nothing but zines with varying photos, fonts, cartoons, headlines, and sizes. Ranging from Maximum Rock n’ Roll to Night Voices, these old artifacts contain the expressions of many punks from the past.
The DIY mentality branched out to record labels along with music and zines. Punk labels like Vagrant, Fearless, Hopeless, Lookout! Records, Epitaph, and Fat Wreck Chords Records received a section in the museum to display their rosters, history, and contributions.
The section of Fat Wreck Chord Record that stood out the most displayed over-the-mail interview letters and demo submission feedback with a reply system of its own—a side of punk culture most haven’t seen. The letters and information Fat Wreck Chords displayed provide examples of a label communicating honestly with its fan base.
End of the First-Floor Tour
Ending the label section is another fantastic feature of the museum. This area houses the re-creation of Pennywise’s garage, where they practiced and where many other Southern California bands practiced and still do to this day.
Some final memorabilia cases displayed bands like Hi-Standard, D.O.A, the Buzzcocks, and The Clash. Prominent punk bands like the Clash’s Joe Strummers’ Black 1966 Fender Telecaster are on display, along with photos, lyric sheets, and posters. Moreover, the room showcased Lemmy Kilmister’s boots, hat, jacket, empty bottle of Jack, and bass.
Full of history, this section leads visitors back to the punk shop.
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The 2nd Floor of The Punk Rock Museum
The Tour Continues
After the tour on the first floor, one ends up back in the punk shop. The tour continues, passing by the Triple Rock Social Club bar. Eye-catching stickers in various colors, sizes, and designs decorate the tables and walls. To the side of the bar, stairs lead up to the tattoo shop, ‘The Shop.’ Past there, the museum and photo exhibits continue.
“Punks are a restless bunch,” the following informational display states. It later adds, “Accept that every person walking into the museum is viewing things through their own prism.”
“They are all on point, and they are all wildly mistaken,” Jason Pettigrew from Alternative Press stated in the display, contextualizing today’s punk rock and the generational dispute of what solidifies punk in many people’s eyes.
Also on the second floor, The Jam Room offers people the chance to jam on the available guitars and amps. On this day, the jam room lived up to its name. As people awaited their turn to strum some chords, they jammed in the room, hearing others loudly playing guitar.
More Memorabilia and Exhibits
The memorabilia continued in this era of the museum, with displays for Against Me!, Crazy and the Brains, Alkaline Trio, Saves The Day, Sum 41, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and Sugarcult.
Here, the museum displayed Fall Out Boy action figures, Sugarcult and Alkaline Trio guitars, and My Chemical Romance’s ray guns and masks from their Killjoy Era. As the eras passed, the museum showed that these bands were the new punk veterans.
The museum also displayed prominent up-and-coming bands, including The Interrupters, The Linda Lindas, Plasma Canvas, Suzi Moon, and Tatiana De Maria. All shared some of their memorabilia. In addition, today’s punk bands are also honored in the museum, with more added as the decade unfolds.
The middle of the second floor contains clothing and costumes from various musicians ranging from the Aquabats to Sum 41. Warped Tour and Alternative Press memorabilia are on display in one section next to the changing exhibits the museum curates.
Current exhibits include the ‘My Shot’ and Jesse Fischer’s ‘Photohead’ exhibitions. In addition, the museum dedicated a section to celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Offspring’s album “Smash,” with photos from Lisa Johnson. Many photographs on the second floor provide another contrast to the changes of punk throughout the years. Punk bands from the past, like Sonic Youth and Fugazi, contrast with bands in the present, like Starcrawler and The Regrettes, who’ve broken up but are still part of this era’s collection of bands. It’s a juxtaposition of time but with the same spirit of musical expression.
The ‘My Shot’ exhibition contains this contrast of time with the photos of Naomi Peterson, Farrah Skeiky, Alison Braun, and Marla Watson on display, with a sort of timeline of its own with its arrangement.
Family Albums and Founders of The Punk Rock Museum
The back of the second floor features a section called Family Albums, which frames all the bands, musicians, artists, and anybody involved in the punk community in a collage that symbolizes a family tree or just a community on display.
Paintings of the founders’ heads decorate the wall, along with their names, and next to a framed T-shirt that says “Punk Rock Ruined My Life” with the name of the band ‘World’s Scariest Police Chases’ on the bottom.
The wall of founders includes Fat Mike, Brian Gorsegner, Bryan Ray Turcotte, Mona Whetzel, Astara Kay, Gary Ousdahl, Melanie Kaye, Alison Braun, Lisa Brownlee, Brandon Henderson, Vinnie Fiorello, Collin Smith, Fletcher Dragge, Ian Rodriguez, Tom Reiss, Lisa Johnson, Max Huber, Talli Osborne and Jeb Siqueiros.
#GetinMotion with The Punk Rock Museum
The Punk Rock Museum is full of artifacts and history presented in a manner that complements the culture. It’s bold, in your face, and altogether informative. The stories of every musician in the museum create a feeling of admiration for their feats, longevity, prominence in today’s culture, and inspiration in current bands. Through this immersive, inspiring, and invigorating experience, the museum shows how the punk rock spirit is very much alive.
This article describes only a fraction of The Punk Rock Museum’s memorabilia for the viewing pleasure of punk lovers and those otherwise interested in punk history.
Follow The Punk Rock Museum on Instagram and Facebook and visit their website for more info, events, online shop, and ticket purchases.
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