A quick note before I start rambling....
With the new gig I don't write nearly as much as I used to or would like to, so I'm going to try and make a post a day throughout the month of February to help restore my writerly balance.
I was saddened this morning to hear that Lux Interior, the iconic frontman for punkabilly pioneers the Cramps, has died at the age of 62. Reports say he suffered from a preexisting heart condition.
The first time I crossed paths with the Cramps came by way of Green Day, of all bands. My dad took my brother and I and our mutual friend Mike to a Green Day show at the then-Worcester Centrum in 1995, where the Cramps were booked as the opener. Despite their legendary status within the underground circuit, the band cut through a forty or so minute set to an indifferent audience who were clearly there to see the main event. Punk heroes as they were, most people spent their set with their arms crossed counting the minutes until Green Day took stage.
Admittedly I was in the same boat. I was still a novice to all things punk and underground, but I was intrigued by their camp take on the genre, almost like a punk rock "Rocky Horror Picture Show."
"Who are these guys," my dad asked.
"Don't know," I shrugged.
Just then a guy behind us leaned over and said "The Cramps. These guys are Led Zepplin compared to what you're gonna see tonight."
It wasn't until years later that I realized he was right. When I was a freshman in high school the Amazing (Royal) Crowns hit the Boston scene with a bullet, and I was hit, giving me my first honest introduction to rockabilly's bastard child punkabilly. From there I found other bands such as Reverend Horton Heat, the Horrorpops and eventually the Cramps. I never saw the band again after that Green Day show all those years ago, and days like today make me wish I was old enough to appreciate having seen them when I did.
Cheers Lex.
No comments:
Post a Comment