Punk Rock Museum

September 7, 2023

Punk Rock Museum

I love many forms of music, not one genre in particular, but I could never have been confused with being a punk rocker. I was drawn mostly to alternative, rock and even folk, though I always had an appreciation for Punk and many of the bands that identify as such. Back in the day I would routinely attend punk rock shows, including multiple shows by my favorite punk rock band the Ramones, but also shows from bands like the Clash, the Gits, the Circle Jerks and even my Indianapolis hometown punks, the Zero Boys.

Later I would attend early gigs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, L7, Green Day and even the Dead Kennedys. I loved the fury and energy of the punk movement and had a deep respect and admiration for the culture even though technically I never really identified with it. Having said that, I was very much looking forward to checking out the brand new Punk Rock Museum that opened in Las Vegas in April of this year.

Opened in a building off the strip by a consortium of owners, including NOFX frontman “Fat Mike” Burkett, Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge, and former Warped Tour manager Lisa Brownlee, the Punk Rock Museum aims to collect, archive, and display items from across the rock subgenre’s 50-plus year history. In room after room, visitors can gaze at handwritten lyrics, stage-worn outfits, plenty of broken up and mangled instruments, and even a couch that Kurt Cobain used to nod off on during recording sessions

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Better yet, the museum offers guided tours each week with bonified Punk Rock Icons, members of famous and infamous punk outfits, who lead guided tours through the collection and share intimate stories of what the punk rock movement was like from those who lived it and created the history that is being celebrated. For my visit the tour was going to be led by one of the founding members of the band the Dead Kennedys, East Bay Ray.

I arrived early for my tour and was able to check out the gift shop and have a few drinks at the bar that is located in the facility, The Triple Down. A sister establishment to the famous dive bar that is one of my favorite Vegas stops, the Double Down Saloon, the Triple Down has the same feel and aesthetic of the more established bar. It is perfect for the Punk Rock museum as walking into the Double Down has always felt like walking into a punk rock bar. 

The museum also features a working wedding chapel, full-service tattoo parlor and a jam room with instruments, including some actual punk rock band stuff that is all in working condition and ready for impromptu jams sessions by whatever punkers happen to be around. The museum has over 1000 rare punk rock artifacts that span the range of the history of punk rock, mostly donated by the musicians themselves.

East Bay Ray Pepperell is the lead guitarist and founding member of the Dead Kennedys and the only member who has been in the band since its formation. He thus has been through the history of punk music and lived to tell the tale. He was friendly and knowledgeable about much of the stuff featured in the museum and gave a tour of about 90 minutes to the 20 or so lucky patrons like me, 

Ray was funny, likeable and seemed miles away from what I might have expected from a punk rock icon. He seemed to know about every item, had toured with or known personally every other musician featured in the museum and did a great job leading the tour. It was such a cool experience and I am so glad that I did it. Even people who are not big punk fans will find it really fascinating and punk rockers will be completely psyched. 

https://www.thepunkrockmuseum.com/