“In punk rock, it’s a family, a community.
Everyone’s invited.”
Have you ever wanted a glimpse into the defiant bygone era of punk your parents warned you about?
Mike ‘Fat Mike’ Burkett at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas.Ben Trivett
Or to shred on your favorite rocker’s guitar?
To revisit some of the biggest punk shows ever?
During the pandemic, Mike “Fat Mike” Burkett of the punk band NOFX was at a crossroads.
Artifacts from the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas.Ben Trivett
FAT MIKE:Never.
She’s like, “Sure.”
They don’t want us.
Inside the Punk Rock Museum.Ben Trivett
There’s no Grammy.
Even thoughGreen DayandFoo FightersandBlink-182won Grammys, they’re all old punk rockers.
Pat Smear from the Germs,Nirvana, and Foo Fighters was one of the first investors.
Guitars at the Punk Rock Museum.Ben Trivett
He’s like, “So what do you have to do to get in the museum?”
I’m like, “Maybe you have to put out a seven-inch [record].”
He said, “How about you have your name on a flyer?”
Flyers and photographs at the Punk Rock Museum.Ben Trivett
I’m like, “That’s good with me.”
He’s the coolest person ever.
My job is to get as many different bands in here as possible.
Our flyer’s up there."
Or a rock star.
it’s possible for you to’t act like a rock star, because then you get kicked out.
How did it feel seeing all this history after all these years?
Every couple days, I have to go outside and cry because it’s so emotional.
I’m so stoked I have that.
Not a lot of people could have opened this.
“Hey,Dropkicks, can you send us some bagpipes?”
Everyone is so happy to be a part of it.
We had one record out in ‘82."
“Yeah, you get to be part of it.”
In punk rock, it’s a family, a community.
Everyone knows each other from just playing together.
It’s not like metal.
Did you get most of these items from artists?
It’s crazy how we found these things.
We didn’t get most of our things from bands.
Because his name is sewn in the back by his mom.
Personal stuff like that.
My favorite thing is Pat Smear’s first royalty check for $8.34 from Wet Records.
We had the canceled check.
Charlotte Caffey fromthe Go-Go’shas one for $15 for their first seven-inch.
We have the molds for theDevodomes, the wood molds they’re downstairs.
How did we get this s—?
There’s nothing like this place.
That’s why I made sure this museum was five decades of punk.
you could’t throw a brick through a window and say, “Hey, that’s jazz.”
Youcansay, “Yay, punk!”
Right now we have an East L.A. exhibit because punk rock lives in East L.A. right now.
It’s crazy there.
They’ll do a show under a bridge and have 5,000 kids with bonfires.
But no, bands have gotten beat up there before.
Bands were playing backyard parties and on trucks, flatbeds.
We have a whole exhibit of East L.A., then an exhibit by another photographer,Rikki Ercoli.
He has ’70s stuff.
He hasBlondieand Circle Jerks [stuff].
Those are going to switch out every four or five months.
And it’s really good too.
The Punk Rock Museum is open now in Las Vegas.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
