L: The Punk Rock Museum, under construction near the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown; R: Johnny Thunders’ jacket, part of
Curator Bryan Ray Turcotte’s collection (photo credit: Lisa Johnson).
NEVER MIND THE GUGGENHEIM! THE PUNK ROCK MUSEUM
TO OPEN IN LAS VEGAS JANUARY 2023
World’s Most Comprehensive Punk Museum to Shove History, Culture, Absurdity of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Bastard Stepchild in Visitors’ Faces
The Punk Rock Museum announces it will debut the world’s most comprehensive attraction dedicated to the history, culture and absurdity of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s bastard stepchild in Las Vegas on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. To be located at 1422 Western Ave. next to a strip club in a gritty industrial area between the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown, the 12,000-square-foot museum is now under construction.
When it opens, The Punk Rock Museum will house not only artifacts and memorabilia from across the world’s punk scene—such as handwritten lyrics, instruments, clothing, photos, flyers and artwork—but also a bar, tattoo parlor, wedding/wake chapel, punk merch shop, performance space and more.
The Punk Rock Museum began when Mike “Fat Mike” Burkett of the American punk rock band NOFX was bouncing around the idea of opening a punk rock store with a bunch of friends, including former Warped Tour manager Lisa Brownlee. Quickly, the idea grew, and Burkett put together a group including Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge, Bryan Ray Turcotte, Vinnie Fiorello and hundreds of like-minded musicians and industry professionals who became the Punk Collective. With their collaboration, the concept snowballed into a much larger endeavor—the creation of The Punk Rock Museum. Together, the Punk Collective envisioned a museum celebrating the genre’s substantial cultural impact over the last half-century. Prominent figures from the scene who stepped forward as museum investors include Pat Smear, Brett Gurewitz, Kevin Lyman and Tony Hawk.
“The Punk Rock Museum will celebrate not only famous punk bands, but also every punk band that has ever been on a flyer, played in a basement or recorded a demo tape,” states the Punk Collective. “We chose Las Vegas as our location because the destination welcomes visitors from all over the world, plus its always-growing concert and festival scene is unmatched.”
Lifelong punk fans and curious looky-loos alike will enjoy a distinctively hands-on, punk rock experience when they tour The Punk Rock Museum. Visitors will see extraordinary artifacts, such as Debbie Harry’s iconic Vultures shirt, Johnny Thunders’ 1959 guitar, the molds for the Devo helmets, DC Scream’s amp form the “Faith/Void” cover, the chainsaw Sum 41 used to kick off their shows during the Does This Look Infected tour, FEAR’s saxophone, an entire outfit from the Interrupters’ Aimee Allen and other well-used-and-abused objects from their favorite artists.
In addition, punk fans of all ages can visit the museum’s Jam Room, where they can play real guitars and basses owned by artists using their actual amps. Artists whose instruments and amps are featured in this room include Rise Against, NOFX, Pennywise, Sick of it All, Strung Out and many more.
Seven presale ticket bundles are available now. Options include the entry-level $100 “Crustie” bundle, with museum tickets accompanied by ill-fitting, un-custom t-shirts and warm beer at the bar. Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line “In the Shitter” bundle includes a plaque emblazoned with the purchaser’s name above a restroom urinal or on a stall door, a not-for-sale Punk Rock Museum staff jacket, tickets to the Opening Night All-Night Party, a Punk Rock Museum tattoo by Fletcher from Pennywise or Mike from T.S.O.L. and the honor of having a drink at the bar named for them.
ABOUT THE PUNK ROCK MUSEUM
The Punk Rock Museum is the world’s first attraction dedicated to the history, culture and absurdity of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s bastard stepchild. Located in Las Vegas, it will house not only artifacts and memorabilia from across the world’s punk scene—such as handwritten lyrics, instruments, clothing, photos, flyers and artwork—but also a bar, tattoo parlor, wedding/wake chapel, punk merch shop, performance space and more. Encompassing 12,000 square feet at 1422 Western Ave., between the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown, the museum will celebrate the genre’s substantial cultural impact over the last half-century. For more information about The Punk Rock Museum, go to thepunkrockmuseum.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram @thepunkrockmuseum.