Lux Interior of The Cramps

It’s a sad day in the punk rockabilly psychobilly world. We’ve lost an innovator and a crazy but utterly talented artist, Lux Interior of the Cramps. Fusing humor and horror with punk and surf, Lux and his wife Poison Ivy and a team of ever-changing musicans staged amazing shows with theatrics, sexual overtones, blood, sweat and tears. Lux was one with his crowd, always seducing us with his half clothed scrawly body, screaming and singing as if his life depended on it, slithering around on stage, stomping, cussing, kicking about and always being really outrageous.

I’ll never forget listening to the cramps growing up. They were one of the first bands in my early teen’s I saw live. They were a warm up to some other band to which I can’t even remember. Lux Interior and Poison just killed me. The way they looked on stage and the sounds that came out were simple and silly, perfect for a 13 year old, but witty and disturbed enough to actually hook you in. It was the way they moved also, demanding attention with each snarl Lux would send the crowds direction, to how Poison would smash her hands over her guitar so they were nearly bleedling.  The crowd was filled with such a mixed set of people.  Goths, Rockers, Billys, theater kids, and the odd ball glasses geeks,  competing for space with a bunch of thrash punks who crowd surfed and kicked you in the head.

RIP LUX.

Thanks for the fun. And the music. and Psychobilly. It wouldn’t have existed without you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cramps

Lux on the ground