Lux Interior 1946 - 2009

The Cramps have been a part of my musical background for seemingly forever. They were very respected throughout their hey-day in the 80s and continued to play Halloween shows at the Filmore in San Francisco for the following decade, cementing their fanbase well past the life-span of most bands.

Singer Lux Interior and his (very underrated) guitarist wife and partner of 37 years, Poison Ivy, were always true to their original concept: shockabilly, grade-B horror iconography, and rarest of all: humor. There are very few competent, humorous pop bands around. It's a really unusual talent I guess. In the 80s Camper Van Beethoven, The Replacements, Butthole Surfers, Eugene Chadbourne, the Ramones and various sardonic punk outfits could bring on the funny, but The Cramps were consistently dark, twisted and funny, pretty much at all times. Lux was a star, as you'll see in this montage from 1984, featuring my favorite Cramps song, "You Got Good Taste." Condolences to Ms. Ivy. He will be missed.



I once made a self-important artiste laugh out loud by quoting the Cramps song, "Human Fly." Here are the lyrics. Perhaps you'll laugh out loud as well.

Human Fly
Well I'm a human fly
It's spelt F-L-Y
I say buzz ,buzz, buzz, and it's just because..
I'm a human fly and I don't know why
I got ninety six tears in my ninety six eyes.

I got a garbage brain, it's drivin' me insane
And I don't like your ride, so push that pesticide
And baby I won't care, 'cause baby I don't scare
'Cause I'm a reborn maggot using germ warfare. Rockin
'Zzzzz...

I'm a human fly
It's spelt F-L-Y
I say buzz, buzz, buzz, and it's just because..
I'm a unzipped fly, and I don't know why
And I don't know, but I say

Buzz...ride tonight
And I say buzz...rocket ride
And I say buzz...I don't know why
I don't know I just, don't know why.

Human fly - The Cramps