Lux Interior

So I guess everyone's heard the news. I got the following email this morning:
For Immediate Release:February 4, 2009 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.The Cramps emerged from the original New York punk scene of CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, with a singular sound and iconography. Their distinct take on rockabilly and surf along with their midnight movie imagery reminded us all just how exciting, dangerous, vital and sexy rock and roll should be and has spawned entire subcultures. Lux was a fearless frontman who transformed every stage he stepped on into a place of passion, abandon, and true freedom. He is a rare icon who will be missed dearly.The family requests that you respect their privacy during this difficult time.

For me, writing about the death of Lux is like writing an obituary for my teen years. This band was so important to me. Other bands- Birdman, the Clash, the Flesheaters- taught me things, but no one taught me as much as the Cramps did.

They taught me about a secret world of cheap aesthetics, that meant while my friends played immaculate albums through expensive stereos, I played thrift shop singles through a portable record player the size of a phone book- and found that they sounded better that way.

They taught me that it was OK to have fun with music, to mix up humour and guitars and sex, but never to let the joke go too far.

And the music- aside from their own stuff, like "TV Set", or "Garbageman", there were all the gems I found through the Cramps, like Andre Williams, ? and the Mysterians, Warren Smith, Alex Chilton, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Randy Alvey, the Red Crayola, and so much more.

I have so many memories- the joy of finally deciphering the lyrics of "Drug Train". Tracing their logo onto homemade tapes, and t-shirts. Helping to do the window display for "Psychedelic Jungle" at the (old) Missing Link record store. Picking up a copy of NME at the time of their lawsuit with IRS Records, and then putting it down quickly, because the article quoted their real names, and I didn't want to know them. Those early bootleg albums. Writing the liner notes for "Born Bad vol. 3". Signing myself out of hospital to see their first Melbourne show, at Festival Hall. Meeting Lux and Ivy after a show at the Venue a few days later- from where I sit now I can see the bone necklace I was wearing that night, that Lux so loudly and openly admired.

But that's going to have to do for now. This is getting harder and harder to write. I'm gonna go and play some music.

This is probably a good time to mention that for various reasons I'll be taking a week or so off from here, too.