The Boston chapter of Turbojugend, the international organization for rabid fans of the Norwegian band Turbonegro, is run by a 20-year-old Museum School student who calls himself Captain Max; he formed the Boston satellite organization last May with the mission, as the group's Web site states, "of raping the city's virgin ass with the hard-rock sound of deathpunk." Next weekend, his group are hosting a homecoming of sorts for East Coast chapters of Turbojugend. In Europe, where Turbonegro are stars on par with AC/DC and Motörhead and their songs are used in Levi's ads and as soccer anthems, Turbojugend chapters are run with a tight fist: the members follow the band from country to country clad in a Turbo-approved uniform of denim and debauchery, and there are strict rules governing each chapter's activities. "It's been compared to the Kiss Army", says Max, "only way more extreme."

Ownership of a licensed Turbojugend denim jacket is required for official membership, and the washing of jackets, as with Hell's Angels gear, is strictly prohibited. Turbojugend chapters must maintain a clubhouse open to members at all hours. Chapters must meet at least once every 77 days. The police are not to be called in "for any internal Jugend dispute." Holidays are celebrated on the birthdays of Turbonegro singer Hank Von Helvete and Turbojugend's mysterious leader, El Presidente, as well as on the anniversaries of the band's album-release dates. And each chapter president is empowered to muster a defense force dubbed the "Ass Squad" to enforce the rules. There used to be a prohibition on the drinking of draft beer ‹ "for hygienic reasons" ‹ but the consumption of alcohol and pizza in great quantities is encouraged. Violation of the rules is punishable by a chapter's excommunication from the main office in St. Pauli.

In America, where the Jugend's presence is not as imposing, chapter presidents like Max have to make do with less. There are, by Max's count, at least seven or eight members of Turbojugend Boston. "But we have a lot of deadbeat members", he sighs, lamenting the lack of dedication among his peers. It's to Max's credit that he doesn't inflate the membership by including those who don't own jackets or admitting whoever fills out the membership form on the Turbojugend Boston Web site. (Ever since Jackass star Bam Margera began championing Turbonegro, interest in the band has increased.) Instead, he says, "We're looking for more devotion from people. It's not a fan club for e-mailing updates about what's going on with the band. There are some people who consider themselves members who I've never even met." Max figures that compared with his European counterparts, he's a pretty laid-back president, though he acknowledges that "to some people in Boston, I come off as kind of a freak."

"Captain Max and this other troublemaker Sailor Sam [Max's brother and the chapter's co-founder] are incredibly enthusiastic people", says Emperor Zombie, a member of Turbojugend Boston who bears an uncanny resemblance to Rock City Crimewave frontman Ian Adams. "It's not exactly a fan club it's kind of like a gang for wimpy white people who eat and drink excessively." Emperor Zombie, it should be noted, has not yet acquired a Jugend jacket. "The jacket's $128, and I've been a little short on cash lately", he says sheepishly.

You might think that fans of a group responsible for such thunderous odes to homo-erotic conquest as "Rock Against Ass", "Rendezvous with Anus", "Prince of the Rodeo", and "Good Head" would be overwhelmingly male. "It's more like a brotherhood and sisterhood", Max insists. "Contrary to popular belief, there's lots of girls in Turbojugend. Just not in Boston." He adds, "Homo-eroticism is definitely a big part of Turbojugend, but it's also a part of life."

For Max, who first saw Turbonegro on the band's 2003 "ResErection" tour and plans to catch the group's only 2004 US appearance in Los Angeles next month, next weekend's East Coast Jugend is the culmination of nearly two years of networking. There will be representatives from Jugends from as far away as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Ohio. Next Friday, November 12, a members-only keg party is scheduled at Max's house; it'll be followed by an open-to-the-public midnight screening of the rockumentary Turbonegro: The Movie at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. For Saturday, Jugend members have chartered a Duck Boat for a drunken tour of the city; afterward, they'll do a little bowling while preparing for Saturday night's official Jugend gig by Turbo acolytes including the Candy Snatchers and Electric Frankenstein at the Middle East in Central Square.

Turbojugend Boston's "East Coast Fuck You!" weekend runs November 12 through 14; for more information, visit www.turbojugendboston.com

turbojugend usa 2004