photography

Turtle Power

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bandwagon started at just the right time for me, just as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was waning in popularity. As a kid, I needed another franchise: cartoons, movies, toys, video games, the whole thing.

At about nine years old, the Turtles were it. They offered another world to invest in, and boy, did they give it to me.

So when I went to my fraternity brother’s DLux Entertainment Expo earlier this spring, it was slightly weird to realize the Turtles here were not strict about their secret identities.

They weren’t shy about taking off their turtle heads. It was a little bit like the mall Santa taking off his beard in full view of the kids.

But at least they had pizza for lunch, right?

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Trains: Gene

Gene

Gene is 85 years old. He’s been seriously collecting trains for more than 55 years. It all started with a $5 set during the Depression.

He served two tours of duty in World War II and in the Korean War.

“When I got home from the service, I started collecting more.”

Since then, he’s been a bit of everything: pest control, fencing (as in fences), antiques.

He’s been with the Central Michigan Model Railroad Club since the beginning, in the 1960s. It’s the tradition – the idea of keeping these old trains alive – that keeps him interested. He likes the G-gauge trains: “The big ones.”

His set is full of moving parts, like a talking car wash, and a tornado that spins around on an old record player.

Gene also collects barbed wire.

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We Are KMFDM

We Are KMFDM: Kunst

Not many bands last 30 years. Not many continue to crank out new material, either.

But KMFDM has marched on through many iterations, founders coming and going, and new lineups that freshen up the sound.

We Are KMFDM: Better Than the Best

I’ve been a fan since the Nihil era – KMFDM’s glory days. The golden age when each new album, from Angst to Symbols, did better than the one before it.

And like a lot of people, it was “Juke Joint Jezebel” that turned me on to the band. I should say – it turned me on to a world of music I didn’t know before.

Danceable. Techno beats. Shredding, heavy-metal style guitars. Backup singers. Self references. Self mockery.

And so much fun.

We Are KMFDM: Steve

The current lineup is a talented group. I do enjoy the twin-guitar gallop of Steve (above) and Jules. Andy’s live drums add a new dimension that makes many live KMFDM songs better.

We Are KMFDM: Kaptain K

We Are KMFDM: Magic Stick

My buddy Don and I saw KMFDM at the Magic Stick, a smaller venue than usual, along Detroit’s Woodward Ave. It’s actually the perfect place to see the band: small, intimate, and easy to get to.

A lot of the new stuff is so-so, but Sascha always throws in plenty of the classic stuff. “Light,” “DIY,” “Anarchy” – these are the songs we came to scream. Some of the new stuff, like “Kunst,” sounds great live, too. But I think the majority of KMFDM fans prefer the classics.

We Are KMFDM: Sascha

Who knows how much longer KMFDM will be around. Forty more years? Fifty?

“Into light and the future.”

See the rest of the set.

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