Photo: Fred Fischer
Die Kreuzen
Die Kreuzen circa 1987-88. Keith Brammer on far right.
Milwaukee punk rock group The Stellas turned into Die Kreuzen, gained worldwide acclaim and eventually toured Europe. In the ‘80s, bassist Keith Brammer bought a leather motorcycle jacket in New York City.
Leather jackets and underground culture can be traced back to Marlon Brando’s patron saint of juvenile delinquents in the film The Wild One. And probably even earlier.
Brammer’s leather jacket is now on display at the Harley-Davidson Museum as part of the Custom Culture exhibit.
Perhaps unknowingly, he leaned into the design principle: Form follows function. Brammer said his eye was caught by the cover of the first Ramones LP, with the band decked out in biker jackets. But he also noted the heavy leather jacket came in handy sleeping in the van while on tour and even pushing the van through the snow on occasion.
When the band toured, Brammer saw people wearing leather jackets and flannel shirts. What they didn’t realize is Midwesterners wore them to be warm, he said.
Brammer also recalls the time Die Kreuzen played in Germany and stopped at a motorcycle bar. When patrons learned where they were from, the band was grilled about the history of “Milwaukee.”
