A new punk museum is set to open in Las Vegas. Which is a bit depressing, isn’t it? Even if it is a project led by NOFX frontman Mike ‘Fat Mike’ Burkett.
Originally conceived as a retail unit that would display various artefacts that Burkett has collected over the years, the venture has since ballooned into the 12,000 square foot Punk Rock Museum, which will officially open its doors in the new year. Among the items on show will be Debbie Harry’s Vultures t-shirt – once described as “a sacred relic” by Blondie guitarist Chris Stein – and Devo’s energy dome helmets.
But there will be plenty more besides those. “If you’re a punk band, you’re fucking in”, Burkett tells Spin about his approach to the new museum. “It’s that simple. We want people to come from Indonesia and see the flier of their band on the wall. You know how proud they would feel? I want anyone in a punk band around the world to have that opportunity”.
Also involved in the project are former Less Than Jake drummer, and co-founder of the Fueled By Ramen label, Vinnie Fiorello and Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge.
“This is a love letter to punk rock,”, says Fiorello. “We want to show this common passion amongst so many different people for this form of music”.
Dragge adds: “[Punk] becomes the soundtrack of your life. It’s such a dedicated fanbase and these people are in it for fucking life. When people get into punk rock, they really sink their teeth into it and don’t let go. We wanted to create a place for these people and for people who don’t know much about it”.
This isn’t the first time punk has been formally commemorated, of course. In the UK, the National Lottery and Mayor Of London Sadiq Kahn supported a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the genre. Incensed by this, son of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, Joe Corré, announced plans to burn £5 million of memorabilia on a barge on the River Thames.
The Punk Rock Museum will open on 13 Jan. More info here.