Museum Sunday: Reflections, Acknowledgements – The Power of Music and People

Anyway, these are my bandmates now, and I’ll stab you in the face if you fuck with them, OK?

Of course, Dave, Julia and I completed the circle by hanging at the wonderful Electric Funeral on Friday night—or, really, Saturday morning. It was so nice to see John and January there.

Saturday fell into the Always Say Yes to Everything category. Dave asked if I’d be available to drum, opening for Blue Öyster Cult.

Another item not on my bingo card.

“Of course.”

We were on early, early. It was wonderful. Dave told groups of arriving people carrying lawn chairs, “Just to be clear, we are not Blue Öyster Cult.”

Fucking hilarious.

The A.S.Y.T.E. strategy caused a little bit of a scheduling hiccup with the Peter Hook show at the Metro on Saturday night. Joe Shanahan had very kindly put me on the list for the sold-out show. Increasingly, as my shyness slowly continues to recede, my willingness to reconnect with my musical roots grows. I’m getting better at telling my shy-brain to shut up! I could very easily have rationalized that, after two shows Friday and an early set Saturday, it was perfectly acceptable to take the rest of the night off.

Nope.

I arrived just in time for the set break—and what a treat the upcoming set was.

Wonderfully, Joe introduced the band for the second set:

“Who was here in 1983?”

What a phrase to be able to utter.

He even name-checked Peter’s agent, Brad, and later made sure to connect with everyone in the balcony.

Pollstar’s 2026 profile gives perhaps the fullest compact portrait of Joe:

“The longtime den father to the city’s vibrant local music scene, a community-minded philanthropist…an impassioned uniter of diverse cultural tribes [and] a fierce advocate for his city and its citizens.”

That’s good—but it doesn’t come close to what I am trying to say.

So many scenes have been ignited by just one person. I WANT that to be an encouragement to those questioning their ability to make a difference – you fucking CAN! But, Joe would probably be the first to say, “Hang on…” and start listing the places and people, as I am so fond of doing too: Wax Trax, Corey Rusk at Touch and Go, Al Jourgensen, Steve Albini, Lounge Ax, O’Banion’s, Neo, Cynthia Plaster Caster, Medusas, H-Gun, Chicago Trax Recording, The Reader and on and on.

But sorry, Joe. Although I DO agree with you…

Fuck, man — where would we be without you?

Despite a disastrous (but educational) Brian Brain show at the Metro (then Cabaret Metro in 1983), we’ve had some times through Killing Joke and the emerging Pigface multi-show days: a 2½-hour early all-ages show, followed by a four-hour jam in the early 90’s.

Damn.

All I’m trying to do here is unnecessarily write what the picture I captured already communicates so well.

Peter Hook dedicated the set to Joe. Hooky, as my Killing Joke band mates would refer to him,  seems to be at a point in his career where he has taken notice of the value of moments reverberating through time. How sweet to see him take off his shirt at the end and hand it specifically to a fan.

Joe sat and watched all of it—except when he had to stand and applaud.

A few songs from the end, Peter pointed up to the balcony again.

The picture, I think, says it all.

Photo from Martin Atkins

Mutual respect and love.

A decades-long relationship.

A raised eyebrow.

I love music. It’s fucking magic, really.

I love Chicago and the museum.

Thank you, Dave and Julia.

Thank you, Peter Hook.

Thank you, Joe Shanahan, music fan.

What a thing you’re doing.

MA

Chicago ILLANNOYS

Ministry Weekend (mis)Guided Tours

Come join us to celebrate 36 years of Ministry’s In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up!

Join Martin Atkins for an in-depth tour of the museum exploring the history of post-punk and industrial music, sharing his stories and experiences from Ministry’s In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up Tour.

The Museum has a plethora of great artifacts from Ministry — Martin’s Drum Kit from the Cage Tour, the mic stand skull, pieces of the cage, motor oil, rare audio bootlegs and more!

Friday and Saturday — September 4th and 5th

PPIM Presents: Lol Tolhurst in Conversation w/ Martin Atkins

Join Martin and Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of The Cure, at the Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music for a special, intimate evening. Martin will chat with Lol and open the floor for questions at the end!

We look forward to welcoming you for this exciting evening with Lol!

More about Lol Tolhurst:

Lol Tolhurst is best known as a founding member of The Cure – one the most influential, successful and critically acclaimed bands of all time. The musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee has also performed music with various projects, became an author with the release of his 2016 memoir Cured – The Tale Of Two Imaginary Boys, and co-created the podcast Curious Creatures. In 2023, Lol released his second book GOTH: A History. The fascinating deep dive into the history of Goth explores creative giants like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Joy Division, and additional artists that offered a place of refuge for the misfits of the 80s and ever since.

If you’d like to read more about Lol, you can do that here.

• Doors: 6:00 PM

• Event: 7:00 PM

We’ll see you there!

Exclusive Studio Screen Printing Experience w/ Rob Sheridan & Martin Atkins

A rare, hands-on creative experience with Martin and Rob Sheridan.

Step inside Martin Atkins’ studio for a rare, hands-on creative experience with Martin and Rob Sheridan. Limited to just 10 guests, this intimate session offers an inside look at the artists’ creative process while you work alongside them to create a one-of-a-kind screen print “glitched” by human craftsmanship.

You’ll have the opportunity to explore the studio, learn about the ideas and techniques behind the work, ask questions, and experience the screen-printing process firsthand. Each guest will leave with a unique print created during the session, and a behind-the-scenes perspective on how the work comes to life.

In addition to screenprinting, the experience also includes drinks, a photograph of you with your custom-printed poster, a group photo, and the opportunity to co-create a playlist Martin and Rob will spin during the experience.

Limited to 10 participants

From Martin:

So I’ve been screen printing by accident since 1988 – multi print, overprint, huge scenery, shopping bags, all kinds of different things in my punk rock DIY world. And culminating, I think, with the Pigface scenery in 2016 – 22 ft high and fuck knows how wide all across the stage.

And! I’ve been in love with Rob Sheridan’s artwork since forever. And I think Rob’s been doing the same thing with cathode ray tubes that I’d been doing with ink. So to find out that Rob hadn’t screen-printed and wanted to try felt like an epic kind of battle of the bands, rap battle, beat battle.

So in my head, we will both be bringing elements to the table where we can print and overprint each other’s design, add other elements, and then open up this opportunity of pulling screens from my catalog and some specifically shot screens for this event to create unique posters for everyone involved.

Museum (mis)Guided Tours w/ Martin Atkins

Of course, we have museum tours happening almost every weekend! Experience the in-depth history of the Post-Punk and Industrial Scene.

Explore the Museum. Hear great stories about PiL, Killing Joke, Ministry, NIN, and, of course, Pigface. Listen to unreleased tracks and alternative mixes in the studio that drove Invisible Records.

Find a date that works for you on our Events page.

Don’t see one that works for you? Grab up to 8 friends and book a Private Tour – we’ll work with you to schedule a tour that fits your needs.