I thought I'd pay tribute to shockabilly pioneers, The Cramps. I'm afraid that I took them for granted over the years--they were just always THERE, playing on a constant basis since the mid-70s. That is until singer/songwriter Lux Interior's sudden and tragic death last year. He and his wife, Poison Ivy (such an underrated and fantastic guitarist) were as much about rock & roll as any classic performers before or since.
Footage from the Prelinger Archives, the archive that makes filmmaking fun and affordable. (It's a model of a larynx--get your minds out of the gutter.)
Most memorable Cramps show for me: The Fillmore one Halloween many years ago. I was wearing a blond wig and dressed in a vinyl Barbie kids-costume while subbing for a janitor that couldn't work the show. So I was cleaning out the women's room and sweeping up broken glass throughout the night. They didn't make me mop the vomit on the dance floor though--the twin-brother janitors had to do that--thank you Bill Graham Presents! I think I made $50 for a night's work and the Fillmore was glamorous for me never more. But that's what rock is all about.
Wiki page - long live The Cramps.
Filtered through the brain cells of Lisa McElroy
It was always a special occasion when the Cramps visited Liverpool...not your ordinary run of the mill band,more of a carnival.
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