Last week at the Museum: Twin Tribes, EXIT, Guns N Roses

What an amazing week. Our most successful museum fueling auction to date – you really like the apartment above the museum a lot! And my drum tracks continue to be a best seller supporting the museum. I love the poetry of that – it’s like I’m the guy in the basement on the bicycle that generates the electricity that keeps the lights on – except behind my drum kit pounding away – I fully hope my taped up hands get bloody in the process. It feels correct somehow.

Important events this week: The arrival of the original 30 year old sign from Fashion Nation – the super cool store in Denver that sends us boots for our collection and have supported us from the beginning, a really entertaining and informative ‘Stories from EXIT’ with Steve Silver, a visit from Twin Tribes (what wonderful people!), Eric came and welded more cool industrial shit to the Airbnb gate!

And, my goodness, a visit from three of the members of Guns N Roses: Duff, Isaac and Richard. You might think that this is a step away from the post punk and industrial roots of the museum, but from the first few feet inside of the foyer Duff stopped by a picture of Bill Rieflin and spoke about his Seattle based friendship with him and seeing the Blackouts (pre-Ministry). Underneath that is a poster from Jane Jensen’s album and guitarist Richard says ‘hey, I worked on that!’

After a while jumping around from PiL to Ministry and the NIN area, everyone kind of settled down on the couch until I pointed out the bass rig in the corner – ‘that was Paul Ravens Killing Joke rig and there’s a pic of Charles Levi right by it.’ Duff stood up and just stood over there for a minute, I wanted to take a picture, but the moment is fixed for me in my head and heart.

The museum continues to fuel a deep part of me, connections, a kind of networking bridge across all kinds of unexpected places. I’m not explaining it in as eloquent a way as I would like, but I know many of you just know what I am talking about. YES! The artifacts are many and meaningful, but there’s something in the ether over here that’s larger and more solid than any of it?  I love it more and more each passing day.

Come visit! There are tours this weekend throughout Lollapalooza and into next week.

Martin Atkins

Chicago, ILLANNOYS