In April 2023, the Punk Rock Museum officially opened its doors, marking a monumental celebration of punk culture spanning generations. Founded by a passionate team of true-to-form punk rockers and visionaries—Fat Mike, Lisa Brownlee, Mona Wetzel, and Melanie Kaye—the museum emerged as a spirited tribute to the lasting legacy of punk rock. As the museum, a pioneering endeavor globally, approaches its first anniversary, Fish sat down with four of the five founding members to delve into its success and profound impact on the community, exclusively on idobi Radio.
Lisa serves as the museum’s production manager, ensuring seamless operation and immersive visitor experiences. Meanwhile, Fat Mike, the lead vocalist of NOFX and bassist of Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, brings his irreverent spirit and enthusiasm, occasionally attempting to steal artifacts—thwarted by Mona, the collections manager whose mission is “to get all of the cool, rad stuff from bands and facilitate them going up in the exhibits,” showcasing the genre’s rich history. Melanie, fulfilling her “heart’s work,” according to her mother, promotes the museum’s mission of community. Together, these founding members epitomized the punk ethos, fostering a space where punks can immerse themselves in the raw energy and defiant spirit of the genre.
Read more: 7 Female Punk Artists Leading The Genre
To celebrate the approaching one-year benchmark since they opened their doors, the museum will be celebrating with a weekend-long stretch of special events. Kicking off tomorrow, Friday, March 29, at 4 PM local time, the museum will be welcoming a new photo exhibit aptly titled My Shot, which features visuals by Alison Braun, Marla Watson, Naomi Petersen, Courtney Coles, Farrah Skeiky, and Oginee Viamontes. Following this, the museum will be hosting a sold-out parking lot show on Sunday, March 31, featuring performances from The Vandals, Get Dead, The Last Gang, and three local bands. Finally, on Monday, April 1, the museum will be hosting free guided tours to celebrate the proclamation of Punk Rock Day in Las Vegas, NV. Tickets for April 1 events are available here.
As the Punk Rock Museum commemorates its inaugural year, it stands as a testament to the enduring impact of punk rock—a cultural force that continues to inspire and empower generations worldwide. Check out a snippet of our chat with the museum crew and watch the full interview below.
Watch more: Frank Zummo Is “Focused On Enjoying Every Night” With Sum 41
Fish: Now with the jam room, I’m sure that has brought so much talent to the Punk Rock Museum. With people just playing these incredible instruments. Have there been any standout moments of people just jamming? It might be old band members or old friends. It’s just like bringing back memories of old days of jamming with them.
Fat Mike: I’ll tell a story that happened recently, which was amazing. There was a girl that could barely play guitar and Rob Ruckus taught her how to play a Ramones song. She could actually play that because they’re so easy. So she’s playing this Ramones song, and just so happened that C. J. Ramone was in the museum that day, and he came into the room and heard her playing that, and they picked up his bass and started playing the Ramones song with her. And her parents started crying. But that’s the kind of thing that happens at the Punk Rock Museum.
Melanie Kaye: There’s a lot of crying.
Fat Mike: Or there’s the time where someone picked up my bass and dropped it and broke it.
All: [Laughs.]
Fat Mike: Yeah, that happens.
Mona Wetzel: That was crying for a different reason. We fixed it fix it.
Fat Mike: We fixed it. And you know what? It used to play a lot better but we did fix it! And it still plays.
Lisa Brownlee: That’s not to say anybody else’s anything will ever get broken if you decide to loan it to us and put it in a jam row. Just putting that out there.
