In Lux we trust

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Eight days ago, on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 4:30 a.m., one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll frontmen of all time, Lux Interior of the legendary Cramps (born Erick Lee Purkhiser in 1946), died from a preexisting heart condition. He was 62.

I was lucky enough to catch the Cramps as a young, budding punker in the spring of 1984 in Toronto at the Concert Hall. (For you aging trainspotters out there, they hit Montreal a couple of days later at the old Club Soda on Parc, with Deja Voodoo scoring the opening slot.) Although I had already bugged out to the Cramps classics Gravest Hits and Psychedelic Jungle, it was Lux’s live intensity as he writhed and yelped for an hour while balanced on stiletto heels that quickly rendered most of the hardcore I was listening to at the time obsolete. Almost overnight, my record collection changed as I dived through Lux’s open door into rock ’n’ roll’s rich past, starting with Cramps favourite Hasil Adkins and eventually stumbling on rare sides from Charlie Feathers, the Sonics, Link Wray and more.

Lux was a fierce vinyl collector and if you really want to flip yer wig, start digging around to find the heavily circulated bootleg The Purple Knif Show (or just click on the podcast at garagepunk.com/2005/08/25/the-purple-knif-show and keep it on the Q.T.), originally broadcast in 1984. Lux took over the airwaves at a Los Angeles radio show for 55 minutes of pure insanity, sticking the needle deep in the groove of some of the most amazing early rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly you’ve ever heard, intoxicating exotica, snippets from Z-grade movies with his banter hitting the depths of dementia. In this day and age of homogenous rock and sexless hacks, Lux’s pure rock ’n’ roll fury and cutting sense of humour will be missed more than ever.

Some heat is definitely picking up in the clubs this week, starting Friday night with the 16-piece drone orchestra Ancient Spirit Overdrone (see interview this week) at Lab Synthèse, but you really should do yourself a favour and show up early to check out Grand Trine, and get yer grubby mitts on their new cassette-only release, Free All Psychic Centers. Their lo-fi blast perfectly merges the driving psych of Chrome and Helios Creed with the epic panorama of Simply Saucer. Freak out! In the support slot is Milano Kovacs.

Also happening on Friday night is the eighth edition of the two-day Buckfest kicking off with their punk rock night with the Nailheads, Deadly Pale, Gerbia, les Rektums and the last-ever show by Vulgar Deli. Saturday night is the psychobilly night (a term coined by the mighty Lux, btw), with Devil’s Hot Rod, Oscar B, the Grenades, the Hypnophonics and Hell Hounds. The weekend fest is happening at Petit Campus.

For more rockabilly and roots rock ’n’ roll mayhem, check out Vancouver ex-pat Ronnie Hayward with co-conspirator Bloodshot Bill at l’Escogriffe on Saturday night, and if you miss him there, you can check him out at the Barfly on Monday night.

YOU AIN’T NO PUNK, YOU PUNK…
JONATHAN.CUMMINS@GMAIL.COM