Praise and Thanks for Lux Interior of the Cramps

How many saw the news (or noticed it at all) that “Lux Interior, frontman of "psychobilly" pioneers the Cramps, died yesterday in Glendale, California” and realized it was another example of Ohio creativity let loose on the world?

These ‘70s punks, rooted in ‘50s rockabilly, wrote and performed in a creative, daring deranged sort of way. Contemporaries of Television and Talking Heads and Patty Smith, the Cramps veered in a different direction. Perhaps you remember “The Goo Goo Muck,” released on their second full length album (remember albums?), "Psychadelic Jungle," in 1981? Who else would have performed at a mental health facility [1]? These guys had more daring and creativity than many could handle, but Lux rocked out for thirty years! Anyone performing daring music today, or over the last thirty years, will concede some debt of gratitude and admiration for the Cramps. The Cramps were among the most creative, challenging, peer-admired voices to operate in their chosen field that Ohio has produced in long time.

Even if you don’t admire their "type" of music, some of the messages and behavior or the lyrics of some specific song, longevity and output should count for something with everyone, and these guys deserve respect and one more round of applause. So hear we go – grab a beer, put on leather pants if you have 'em and dive in. Enjoy music and video for the Cramps: “Goo Goo Muck [2],” "Ultra Twist [3],"“Sun Glasses After Dark [4]” and “Sheena's in a Goth Gang [5].”

We focus too much on what we think we want to see, based on our perceptions of a manufactured and heavily marketed, hyper-stylized word, while there are so many creative things right in front of us. Kids like Miley Cyrus, on the scale they do, because Disney owns enough cable to push her into millions of homes. Lux wrote and performed for thirty years because he always found enough people, a much smaller group to be sure, but enough people, willing to go along for the ride with him … and that is enough. Congratulations for that….and thanks.