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A Canadian punk legend will be the face of the new punk rock museum in Las Vegas

Back when 102.1 The Edge/Toronto had its storefront studio on Yonge Street, a Talli Osborne dropped in all the time. Her brother, John, was a behind-the-scenes guy, working in the music department and as a technical operator, so she may have had a little more access to the place than most. That was fine with the staff because she was fun to have around.

Talli, who was born without arms and has extremely short legs, was also seen ripping up and down Yonge Street in her motorized wheelchair. I’d never seen anyone move that fast.

She is an awesomely huge alt-rock and punk fan, who has attended hundreds of shows. And all that devotion has finally paid off.

Fat Mike of NOFX is preparing to open the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas and he’s chosen her to be the face of it. After they met in the early 2000s, Mike was so impressed with her that he wrote a song about her.

Talli loved it. She went on to sing in a band Nubs and Her Studs.

Earlier this year, she got a message from Fat Mike asking her about accepting the gig at the Punk Rock Museum. She was obviously thrilled. From the CBC:

Osborne will travel to punk festivals as the official spokesperson for the Punk Rock Museum, and will be the customer service director for the museum when she isn’t on the road. She is moving to Las Vegas in the coming months. The museum is currently still under construction.

“I’m ready for a new, huge adventure.” she said. 

This is beyond fantastic. Talli, who now lives in Hamilton, will make a great punk rock ambassadors. And if you haven’t ever run into Talli, take a look at this TedX Talk.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37984 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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