One of the most interesting rock trinkets to come along this year are Lego mini- figures of early-era Genesis from Musical Brick. They are wholly endorsed by Peter Gabriel, so much so that they sold out on his own web storefront. Daniel Kerson, the creator of these toys, says marrying his childhood love for Legos with Genesis came in a flash. “The idea of the Peter Gabriel costumes just struck me in one of those light bulb moments.”
For fans of early Genesis, especially those years when Peter Gabriel led the band and was dressing flower headdresses, red dresses with fox masks, batwings and capes, Kerson has a Lego figure for you. Here’s what he had to say about the concept.
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Where did you get the idea for these figures?
Back in 2012, I was suddenly inspired to check out Lego again. Probably a nostalgia thing. What did catch my interest back then were the Lego mini-figures — both the official collectibles and custom creations I saw on the Internet.
A childhood interest in Legos is a far cry from creating these one-of-a-kind prog rock figures.
True, but like anyone who remembers playing with Lego, it wasn’t just building from instructions, but creating you own models that interested me. My first creation was a custom Aikido martial arts mini-figure. I then moved onto my other passion: my favorite band Genesis.
How do you go about getting the go ahead to fashion Legos on Peter Gabriel’s intellectual property?
In 2014, I designed and created the classic bat-wings costume and posted it on my personal blog and Instagram page. Later on in the year, Real World Records expressed interest in the flower-mask and bat-wings via email. Peter Gabriel wanted them for his personal archive. At that time, I also created an online platform to showcase these mini-figures called Musical Brick.
You couldn’t hope for a better endorsement.
Right! I was so totally blown away by this amazing recognition from the man himself, that I continued to design and build a further 12 costumes. Knowing that Peter Gabriel loved the mash-up, I arranged to pass a framed collection of the mini-figures to Real World Studios in June 2016. Unfortunately I never met Peter; however, I was lucky enough that his PA was able to give us a tour of the studios. Finally, out of the blue, Peter and the Real World team proposed the idea of putting the mini-figures in their store.
What was Gabriel’s Real World Studios like?
The area is so peaceful and the setting so majestic. I was really just trying to soak in the atmosphere of the studios to appreciate all the music that has been created there. Peter Gabriel wasn’t there when we visited, but still it was a wonderful experience.
Seeing how successful this run was, are you planning other figures?
As a full-time teacher, this is still very much a hobby sideline in which I can continue to use my creative skills both in social media and physical Lego customization. I hope to be inspired to create more mini-figures in the future. New ideas are always welcome.
