R.I.P. Lux Interior

I shed a little tear in my kitchen last week, listening to a radio tribute to Lux Interior, frontman of the Cramps, who died at the tender age of 62. Hmm. Weird. Just realized that I spent my teenage years rockin' out to someone my mom's age. But I digress... Back in about '84, Karen and I were at A&A Records and Tapes in the Gallery, flipping through the bargain bin when we saw this:

Needless to say, we had to have it. And coincidentally, she had a buck, and I had a buck and the record cost two dollars. We agreed to split it, and it did make it's way back and forth between our bedrooms, though I think it spent more time in mine. That Karen's room was across the hall from her parent's and mine was on the other side of the house one floor down, might have had something to do with it. Somehow, I ended up with it, and still treasure it as a memento of our well-spent youth. The Cramps were a turning point for us. That record kicked open the door to all the non-top 40, KX96 music that was to follow. Some of which has aged better than others. Relatively speaking.

Another funny Cramps story... A couple of years ago, my dad was visiting me on 10th Street. While I was at work, he was rifling through my tapes (presumably that's all). When I got home, A Date With Elvis was in the deck. "What's this doing out?" I asked. "It's not what I thought it was," he replied. No, indeed-y.