In the spirit of Halloween, our next video pick is a live recording from 1990. Check out The Cramps covering Johnny Burnette’s “Tear It Up” in Amsterdam! This rockabilly/punk band formed in the 70s around founding members and offstage couple, lead singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy. Credited with being one of the first punk bands and part of the CBGB punk movement in New York, they are also considered the innovators of the subgenre “psychobilly.” The Cramps had a wide range of influences and became the influence for many genres afterward. Famous for their rambunctious and sexually suggestive live shows, The Cramps left their mark on the music industry forever. The Cramps played their last show in 2006 and disbanded completely after Lux Interior’s death in 2009.
This video is a perfect showcase of their quintessential performances, featuring Lux Interior-- clad only in sheer-panel underwear and heels-- crawling and climbing on speaker stacks, shoving microphone heads in his mouth, and tearing stuff up in general (get it?). Even in ladies’ underwear, Lux Interior is and always will be more punk than pretty much everybody.