Last Night a Museum Saved My Life
There are all kinds of roles assigned to museums: education, discovery, preservation, research, exhibits etc. – I don’t remember ever thinking a museum might save my life. Through the Museum, I’ve been shown nothing but kindness – severe, massive kindness and generosity from so many people from so many walks of life and we’ve gotten to hang and sit in it.
The early acts of help and support simply kept me going with incredulous but curious naivete (I think) and allowed time for more artifacts to be discovered and donated. The time is a really important factor here – the time to learn more about Chicago, the music, the people, myself too and to witness the effects of the place just existing through reviews, smiles, and sometimes tears. The time to learn I don’t know shit about fuck! So many moments where an act of generosity built a bridge over a problem or a doubt and all that time allowing us to react to and be engulfed by the importance you gave to it. Sometimes feeling like drowning, sometimes walking on water almost. Always grateful.
The time for me to sit in amongst it and be creative again – if you can call screen-printing on sandpaper a creative act. The time to listen to the vast archives. The time to recover from surgery and a close call and get fit again. To contemplate drumming, ferocious leave my body drumming. And the luxury to have my drum kit there in amongst it all – playable daily.
It had been a tough tumultuous week. Then I had a doctors appointment yesterday and he seemed amazed at where I am – 62 lbs. down and all signs good, measurable quantifiable ones anyway. I’m touching on those rare moments behind the kit, hands taped up, always a battle now equally with the kit and myself and then this:
A message from Pumpkins drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin. Of course he jumped onstage with Pigface in the early 90’s in Atlanta, I believe, but our interactions now usually happen around Danny Carey where we are both open mouthed fan boys at his shows marveling at whatever level of other worldly skill that is….. anyway, a message from Jimmy on tour in Asia – who had bought one of my signed cymbals from the Reverb store I have up to fund the expansion of the Museum to over 5,000 sq ft.. Turns out it was shipped out to his house but he had intended to re-donate it back to the Museum. Instead of mailing it out he will hand deliver it when he gets back from tour. My goodness.
What are the phrases here? Wind in my sails? Accelerant in my museum crack pipe? Threads and threads of interwoven kindness that, joined together, can support a massive weight and uplift us all.
Thank you Jimmy. And thank you everyone that helped us to get to this point. Kevin Kapala started this trend last week when he re-donated one of my tape delays back to the studio. Thank you.
In case you needed to hear this, feel this, there are good people doing good things. Be as nice as you possibly can as much as you can. Don’t ever think that the smallest gesture of kindness and support won’t make a difference – I can personally attest that it can.
And please don’t forget that YOU are awesome. Come visit.
The Reverb store is here
Events can be found here
See you in the UK soon.
Martin Atkins
Chicago ILLANNOYS
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EXTREMITIES – CHICAGO – 11/28 – REGGIE’S GA
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