Lux Interior of The Cramps passes away at age 62 in Glendale, California

Eulogy by Joe Dana

I discovered the music of the Cramps in the year that I lived in Wisconsin. This girl I was seeing introduced me to them. We listened to Stay Sick, Look Mom No Head and Smell of the Female over and over on her cassette player. We would jump and down on her bed and do the twist.

I had heard about them for years. I remember seeing Christian Slater wearing the famous Bad Music for Bad People T-shirt in the movie, Gleaming the Cube.

Something about them really clicked with me. They were like my favorite parts of the music I grew up listening to on KRTH and KRLA but with a certain wildness. The songs were about drugs, sex, and everything in between. The Cramps instantly became my favorite band.

I spent all my money working at a record store back in Los Angeles buying each of their releases. I quickly took note of the differences between the early albums and later ones. I quickly learned that while the formula was the same if one listened to an album with Bryan Gregory, it was completely different from listening to an album with Candy Del Mar. There were subtle nuances and differences in the sound but one thing would remain constant and that is what kept the people coming back.

The constant, of course, was Lux Interior and Poison Ivy. I rented every one of their bootleg videos from Mondo Video a Go Go. Lux was this mad cap performer and a mix of every great entertainer in Rock n’Roll. He was a Mick Jagger, Jerry Lee Lewis, Iggy Pop cocktail. For every ounce of Lux that was wild, Ivy was this demure figure that hardly ever smiled. She owned the stage just by being talented and beautiful. She provided the structure for Lux’s dangerous chaos.

The problem was I was only in my teens and the Cramps almost always played 21 and over shows. They’d come to town and I would get so frustrated that I didn’t have a fake ID. I’d rent more videos and buy hard to find cramps merchandise from Ebay and have my own personal Cramps concert on my parents’ TV.

At the age of 20, the Cramps played an all ages show at the Palace. Guitar Wolf and the Demolition Doll Rods opened for them starting the tradition of the Cramps getting me into new and relatively unknown bands. I can’t tell you how excited I was.

In my mind, every band that played before the Cramps that night sucked. Guitar Wolf were 3 Ramones-esque balls of fire. Fuck them. They ain’t the Cramps. Demolition Doll Rods had two girls in the band with their breasts out. Don’t care. They ain’t the Cramps.

The Cramps finally took the stage and blew me away. Lux was climbing on top of 12 ft tall speakers and jumping from them. He’d take mic stands and bend them over his head. He’d pour bottles of red wine down his throat and all over himself. The show ended, as it did most of the time, with a crazy noisy dripping with feedback rendition of Surfin’ Bird.

Lux destroyed the stage, exposed himself and crawled off the stage. Ivy waved at the crowd and left as well.

I don’t remember how or why but that night I got to meet the Cramps. I quickly bought a copy their album, Big Beat From Badsville so that I’d have something for them to sign. I was standing in front of Lux and I felt tiny next to him. His high heeled boots made him tower over me. The whole time I was star struck, I kept hearing another tiny star struck voice next to me. He was paying Lux all kinds of compliments.

It was Rob Zombie. This was back when he wore the huge hat and had the dreads. It was pretty striking seeing that guy kiss Lux’s ass. I’ll never forget the moment as long as I live. I also remember someone handing Ivy a Barbie doll that looked just like her.

I asked them all to sign my record and went home. I decided that I would try to see the Cramps as many times as I could. I wanted to see them for as many years as I was alive. I got about halfway there.

The Cramps mostly played around Halloween. Every year, my Halloween was dictated on whether or not the Cramps would play. You’re having a Halloween party? I’ll try to make it after the Cramps show. I even drove to San Francisco twice to see them at the Fillmore. The year my band got together, the Cramps didn’t play Halloween so I insisted that we learn 3 Cramps songs at our own Halloween show.

Several years and several shows were much like the first time I saw them. There were different line ups and different set lists but they would always leave me awestruck and inspired. Lux was my father’s age and Ivy was my mom’s age. My parents are pretty cool but I couldn’t picture them rocking a stage at their age. Lux and Ivy were born to do it. It seemed like they bled rock n’ roll. Every year that I would see them would make me scoff at the idea of “getting older” and “growing up”. The Cramps are still rocking and so am I.

Today, I found out that Lux has passed away. It is truly a sad day for rock n’ roll. I’ve already cried a few times which I haven’t done in a few years. I keep rereading the press release and hoping it is hoax.

R.I.P Lux. – Stay Sick.

 

This statement came from the band’s publicist:
Lux Interior, lead singer of The Cramps, passed away this morning due to an existing heart condition at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California at 4:30 AM PST today. Lux has been an inspiration and influence to millions of artists and fans around the world. He and wife Poison Ivy’s contributions with The Cramps have had an immeasurable impact on modern music.