Lux Interior

I was saddened to hear of the death of Lux Interior front man for erstwhile 'psychobilly' band The Cramps last week.




from the Chicago tribune: By Greg Kot

The erstwhile Lux, whose real name was Erick Lee Purkhiser formed the Cramps in New York in 1976 with his wife, guitarist Poison Ivy Rorschach (a.k.a. Kristy Wallace). From the get-go, the group anticipated punk and put its own demented twist on it, with songs that blended campy B-movie imagery, rockabilly fervor and surf-music reverb. Though the band's early records are prized by punk aficionados, the band excelled onstage, and its shows were as theatrical as they were chaotic. With their gender-bending stage outfits, the Cramps flipped the script on rock's sexual role-playing: Lux was the sexy vamp, while his wife played the impassively mysterious guitarist shrouded in shadows. For all the chaos he caused, Lux Interior was a thoughtful, passionate fan offstage. He could talk for hours about early rock 'n' roll, with a musicologist's knowledge, and would share the treasures in his vast collection of obscure 45-r.p.m. singles with anyone who visited his home.




I discovered The Cramps as part of the punk explosion in the UK in the late 70s and early 80s and can remember playing in a band doing a passable cover of Human Fly. At gigs Lux was a livewire outdoing Iggy in the insanity stakes and like Iggy kept performing despite the onset of the years and with the same levels of almost suicidal energy.

In 1978 the band performed at The Mental Institue at Napa Calafornia. It makes for a slightly bizarre but always entertaining watch and says much about Lux and The Cramps that they would play such a gig.

For your viewing pleasure here is a clip :

It only remains for me to say au revoir Lux, the world will be a duller place for your absence.