I'm in my boss' office. He's on the phone with his son. "You're going to band practice? Be home by eight..." (I'm thinking, if he is home by eight, he has no career in rock n' roll.) I ask my boss, "What kind of music does he play?" "Just 'klang, klang klang!!!' " he says, making wild motions with his arms that looked like a combination of a good guitar thrashing, and what appeared to be Keith Moon destroying a drum kit. (Hmmm, I think, maybe his son is cut out for it.) I walk out of his office and into a coworker. He says "the singer of the Cramps died" Within about a half second, I was dipped in shit.
.
Lux Interior wasn't just the singer of the Cramps, nor was squeeze Ivy just the guitarist. Equal parts archeoligists and interpreters, they did our dirty work. Digging through dusty records in thrift stores and watching late night creep shows; distilling everything through a four piece filter and into young impressionable faces. And the death of Lux, most assuredly, means the end of the Cramps.
Huge loss. They were everything that the fat cats hate: Elvis, from the waist down. They reminded us that there was a part of rock n' roll that could, and should, discourage parental affinity. And they taught us. They taught us about about the true common vein in all savage rock n' roll, rockabilly or garage record. Not just the sound, or the song, but that certain thing; the old fart repellent. They taught us Ricky Nelson could be cool, Johnny Burnette could be really wild, Little Willie John could be creepy, and that "Surfin' Bird" was damn close to rock n' roll Dada.
Huge loss. They were everything that the fat cats hate: Elvis, from the waist down. They reminded us that there was a part of rock n' roll that could, and should, discourage parental affinity. And they taught us. They taught us about about the true common vein in all savage rock n' roll, rockabilly or garage record. Not just the sound, or the song, but that certain thing; the old fart repellent. They taught us Ricky Nelson could be cool, Johnny Burnette could be really wild, Little Willie John could be creepy, and that "Surfin' Bird" was damn close to rock n' roll Dada.
.
They were B-culture geeks; trash historians cum sex machines. Creedence with balls. They were the "klang, klang, klang!" that my boss heard. They were the unsavory that we so savor. Long live the Cramps. Long live rock n' roll.
.
1 comment:
Hey Tom,
I figured that you'd soon be posting a tribute to Lux... well that certainly does spell an end to one of rock 'n' roll's great bands. Mr. Interior was an extraordinary performer who in his heyday (late 70's - early 80's), who tributed audiences to many mind blowing performances in his black leather skintight pants. Back in high school I was introduced to The Cramps by Dave E. who made me a copy of "Gravest Hits", The Cramps first record... man did they have a wild sound! The Cramps were then, and continue to be one of my favorite bands. Back in 1980 I was privileged to see them at the North Park Lions Club with about 150 people... it was a blast! The next Cramps show I saw was at Adams Avenue Theater with the Pandoras... it was a Mark Rude D.O.A production if I recall correctly. Somewhere packed in boxes in my attic I've got some slides and photos of both of those shows... they sure were jaw dropping performances, with Lux pouring sweat from his body giving his all. Another vivid memory I have of Lux Interior and The Cramps is the time that Dave E., Sam W., my girlfriend Stacy H., and I got a chance to hang out and talk for a while with Lux, Ivy, Nick Knox, and Kid Congo Powers. We all piled into my Buick and drove from Poway... "YE, HA!" to L.A. for a Cramps/Gun Club show at the Roxy Theater in Hollywood. We got up there early and were hangin' around hoping to possibly meet The Cramps when Stacy spotted some interesting lookin' folks across Sunset Boulevard in a parking garage. She shouted out, "hey there they are... its The Cramps!" We ran across the busy street and surrounded them in the garage. They must have been taken back at first since we ran up so quickly... but they soon realized we were fans. We brought up the topic of horror films and Billy Lee Reilly's "Flyin' Saucer Rock", and they then seemed to be genuinely enjoying talking with us kids. Surprisingly, Lux, Ivy, Nick Knox, and Kid Congo were all quite humble and cordial people, without the rock star personas as might be imagined. When we were just sixteen and seventeen year old kids The Cramps took time to talk us and sign autographs... the mission was successful... we met our contacts and later saw a great show that I'll never forget. Lux was a truly amazing performer who will long be remembered by Cramps fans.
Bye, John S.
Post a Comment