The God Bombs
visit the
Museum of Post Punk & Industrial Music
The God Bombs on tour July, 2023, Chicago, July 10, 2023. From left to right, Ania (Guitar), Zig (Keytar), Justin (Singer/Front Man), West (Bass), Seth (Drums)
From Zig's last blog post chronicling The God Bombs' June/July 2023 Tour, one may recall our last stop in the Midwest was in Chicago for our departing flight the next day. We had some time to kill before our flight so we did some touristy sort of activities including visiting the Museum of Post Punk & Industrial Music and meeting in-person Martin Atkins, who drummed for Public Image Limited, Killing Joke, Ministry, and Skinny Puppy, to name but a few of his projects of renown.
The God Bombs with Martin Atkins at the Museum of Post Punk & Industrial Music, Chicago, Illinois, July 10, 2023. From left to right, Ania (Guitar), West (Bass), Justin (Singer/Front Man), Martin Atkins (PIL, Killing Joke, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, etc.), Zig (Keytar), Seth (Drums)
The tour is by appointment only, with Martin providing very personalized tour guidance. One of the most colorful of many anecdotes Martin narrated while presenting one of the many artifacts in the museum related to an artifact that Martin deployed in his own self-defense during a physical altercation with the late notoriously violent, anti-social punk artist, G.G. Allin.
In the museum one will encounter countless graphic art and musical artifacts, silkscreens, vinyl, cassettes, T-shirts, posters, and musical instruments, all of which passed through famous hands and Martin accounts for the auspices of their creation and use.
Many inside stories illuminating the creative process in the making of some of the Post Punk genre's most renowned albums Martin rendered to exquisite detail, right down to 'who-brought-what' -- both musical and graphic art source material for the artistic processes that rendered the many artifacts in the museum -- and also consumables and the consequences those whose lives were on such a path faced in later years. All too often phrases describing posthumous circumstances such as, "recently departed," were muttered, however glowingly reflecting on the notable legacy these artists left for posterity.
The God Bombs with Martin Atkins in the central room of the Museum of Post Punk & Industrial Music, Chicago, Illinois, July 10, 2023. From left to right, Zig (Keytar), Martin Atkins (PIL, Killing Joke, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, etc.), Seth (Drums) in the background on Martin's drums, Justin (Singer/Front Man), West (Bass), Ania (Guitar)
We were given perhaps the deluxe tour where Martin brought us into the basement of the museum where Martin still keeps a two inch magnetic tape reel-to-reel recorder along with, of course, more contemporary digital equipment, to hear unreleased mixes of rather famous recordings by Ministry and Skinny Puppy.
It was during this portion of the tour where we received particular guidance and insights into the working of the music industry especially tailored for those pursuing the Post Punk Industrial genre, giving The God Bombs great practical advice on proven ways to advance one's career. Martin, having an authoritative knowledge on the topic -- literally authored several volumes including the highly recommended, Band Smart and Tour Smart in print, exhibits knowledge that not only facilitates surviving the life of a musician through avoiding pitfalls, but also clues as to viable (still to today) strategies for most favorable outcomes in pursuing this path, one at which he appears to have arrived.
The calling card for Museum of Post Punk & Industrial Music.
In retrospect, our visit to the Museum of Post Punk & Industrial Music and meeting in-person Martin Atkins, stands as one of our most momentous occasions of 2023. While a visit to the museum necessarily entails a limited exclusive engagement, we highly recommend it for anyone finding great inspiration in Post Punk Industrial music and for those visiting Chicago who would like to experience an extraordinary modern cultural landmark.
Happy listening!
Zig