The King is Dead.... R.I.P. Lux Interior

I'm very sad to hear that Lux Interior died yesterday aged 62. What can I say, I grew up with The Cramps, first hearing them in 1984 when I was only 13. Although they first came to my attention through their (strange) association with the goth scene, their weirdly joyful and celebratory music was a real tonic after hearing all the self indulgent misery that was coming out of English bands, and I never lost my love for their sleazy punk rock. Lux Interior was always very articulate when outlining his vision, The Cramps were born to make rock 'n' roll dangerous again, to give the kids something nasty, something with the power to frighten parents; The Cramps were the answer to the sexless corporate rock of the '70s, the perfect sountrack for glue-sniffing and teenage lust...

"Somebody told me you people are crazy! But I'm not so sure about that; you seem to be all right to me."

Many thanks to whoever posted this great footage of The Cramps entertaining the staff and inmates of Califoria's Napa State Mental Institution in 1978. The band build a great rapport with the audience at this show and seem to really enjoy the crowd's interaction as inmates join them on stage to dance, improvise lyrics and generally blur the distinctions between crowd and performer. Pure punk rock magic!