Lux Interior, RIP.

Lux Interior, lead singer of seminal garage punk/psychobilly band, the Cramps, passed away February 4th, 2009. I just found out tonight and I am bummed out. I'm listening to my fave Cramps song 'Creature From the Black Leather Lagoon' as I write this. Apparently, Lux (nee Erick Purkhiser) had a pre-existing heart condition, and this was the cause of death.



Lux and Cramps front woman Poison Ivy (sometimes Poison Rorschach) were husband and wife and they combined with ever-changing band members to release (I'm doing this off the top of my head) probably a dozen albums. Lux and Ivy were indefatiguable, pushing their act (some say schtick) forward despite whatever the prevailing trends of the music industry happened to be.



The Cramps were the kind of band my parents hated. My pops, an Elvis and Roy Orbison lover, would have dismissed the Cramps immediately if he'd ever heard them. I never had the nerve to play their version of 'Jailhouse Rock' for my old man, but I'm sure he would have hated it.



'Bikini Girls with Machine Guns' is playing now and I'm smiling at the sleaze and passion that the Cramps exude. We lost one of the good ones this week, people. I will offer no 'moment of silence' because I'm sure Lux would have rather had 'a moment of punk rock or rockabilly with middle finger extended' instead.

RIP, Lux. You're on your way to the big cheetah printed, velvet covered, martini soaked, patent leather VIP lounge in the sky.