Turbojugend, sometimes shortened to TJ, is the international fan club of the Norwegian
deathpunk band
Turbonegro
Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style.
History
Early years (1 ...
.
A Turbojugend member can be recognised by their specially-made
denim
Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. While a denim predecessor known as dungaree has been pr ...
jackets with the Turbonegro logo and "Turbojugend
ame of chapter stitched on the back.
The logo of Turbojugend Oslo can be found on almost every album Turbonegro has made. There are more than 2300 chapters worldwide.
Origins
Turbonegro guitarist
Euroboy explained the club's origin: "We thought about how
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
had the
Kiss Army
The KISS Army is the official fan club for the American rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, as well as the unofficial name used to refer to Kiss fans in general. It was started unofficially in 1975 by Bill Starkey and Jay Evans.
The membership form di ...
so we thought that Turbonegro should have our own Navy. It started as a joke in
Happy-Tom
Thomas Seltzer (born 27 July 1969 in Hamar, Norway) is a musician in the band Turbonegro, a television talk show host and documentary creator, and an author.
Personal life
Seltzer was born to an American father and a Norwegian mother. Althou ...
's apartment in 1995. We put his address on the album sleeves and it was all just for laughs. The Jugend blossomed into something way bigger than we ever expected." When you sent in a letter/application you would receive a diploma to prove that you were a member of Turbojugend.
Happy Tom has implied that the band have a complicated relationship with the Turbojugend: 'It's a kind of fearful and hostile relationship we have with them... I think if we put out a bad record we'd probably get beaten up. The Turbojugend are starting to remind me quite a lot of the Manson Family - except they do beer and speed instead of
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
and they haven't killed anyone... yet!'
Ever since its initial foundation, Turbojugend has more and more become a movement independent of the band itself. According to a poll on a TJ-website, a majority of members would choose the Jugend, if they had to decide between band and TJ.
The jackets
The jacket, commonly known as a "Kutte", first appeared in the late '90s. Bitzcore Records customized
Levi
Levi (; ) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's third son), and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron, Moses and ...
jackets by embroidering the "Turbojugend Oslo" logo on them, but eventually changed
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
to St. Pauli.
The jackets became so sought-after that Bitzcore Records-run Turbonegro Mailorder started ordering Levi jackets from the factory with "Turbojugend Oslo" already embroidered on them. These jackets were available for a couple of years but do not hold the same status as the originals, which were locally created in very limited numbers. Eventually, Turbonegro Mailorder made it possible to buy jackets with the names of other chapter cities on them; this is how Turbojugend Worldwide was started.
Members who travel around the world frequently trade patches or buttons with chapter members in different countries, to place them on their own jackets. This is usually a good way to spot well-travelled members, but internet trading does occur and some still prefer a jacket with few to no other patches or buttons.
''Welt-Turbojugend-Tage''
![Turbojugend fischmarkt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Turbojugend_fischmarkt.jpg)
Once a year, Turbojugends from all over the world meet in
St. Pauli
St. Pauli (Sankt Pauli; ) is a quarter of the city of Hamburg belonging to the centrally located Hamburg-Mitte borough. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the nearby Landungsbrücken is a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. ...
,
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Germany to celebrate Turbonegro themselves as well as
punk rock in general. This two-day event is called ''Welt-Turbojugend-Tage'' ("World Turbojugend Days") with concerts and meetings in different clubs.
In 2011 the 7th edition of WTJT was held featuring the comeback of Turbonegro, with Duke of Nothing on vocals.
In addition to the Welt-Turbojugend-Tage in Hamburg, in recent years, th
Punk Rock Bowling festivalin Las Vegas has served as meeting point for Turbojugend chapters Worldwide. Each year, several hundred members can be encountered there.
Bands
Even though Turbojugend is the fan club of Turbonegro, Turbojugend has also taken a shine to other rock bands as well. Some of these bands are:
*
The Dogs
* Silver (former band of Turbonegro drummer Tommy Manboy)
*
Brainerd
*
Peter Pan Speedrock
Peter Pan Speedrock (PPS or PPSR in short) was a Dutch rock band from Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Background
The band was founded in 1995 by guitarist Peter van Elderen. He was joined by drummer Bart Nederhand and bass player Bob Muileboom in maki ...
*
The Turbo A.C.'s
The Turbo A.C.'s are an American punk rock band from New York City, United States, formed in 1995. The band's high-octane sound has led to comparisons with the likes of The Supersuckers and New Bomb Turks.
Band history
In 1996, the band relea ...
*
Trashcan Darlings
Trashcan Darlings were a band from Oslo. They described themselves as the pioneers of Glamour-Punk and a mix of Ramones, Kiss, Sex Pistols and New York Dolls.
Band history
The band was founded by Chris Damien Doll and Strange? Gentle in 1995. ...
* The Dukes of Nothing (former band of Turbonegro vocalist Tony Sylvester)
*
Valient Thorr
Valient Thorr is an American southern rock/ heavy metal band from Greenville, North Carolina. The name of the band is based on the urban legend of Valiant Thor, an Alien which came from Venus to Earth, Valiant Thor. Valient explained, "That'll ...
Leadership
When Turbojugend was first started by the band (Turbonegro), there was no clear leader, instead it was intended to be a flat-structured entity based on the principles of classic anarchist thought. In the late 1990s Bitzcore Records starting taking over and began to produce the jackets as a merchandising venture, with the owners of Bitzcore assuming the leadership role, using names such as "El Presidente" and "Il Consiglieri". However, in 2012 the band regained ownership and handed the leadership over to two groups. These groups were the Turbojugend Amb-ASS-adors and Jugendwart, both groups put together of well experienced members.
Turbojugend Oslo
Turbojugend Oslo is what many believe to be the biggest Turbojugend chapter in the world, along with Turbojugend St. Pauli.
See also
*
Aero Force One
Aero Force One is the fan club for American hard rock band Aerosmith.
Background
The origins of the fan club were rooted in the mid-1970s, when the band first broke through with their album '' Toys in the Attic''. The band became a popular act ...
*
Blue Army
*
Kiss Army
The KISS Army is the official fan club for the American rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, as well as the unofficial name used to refer to Kiss fans in general. It was started unofficially in 1975 by Bill Starkey and Jay Evans.
The membership form di ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
Turbojugend official websiteTurbojugend World forum
{{Turbonegro
Music fan clubs
Turbonegro