Lux Interior(1946-2009)
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Erick Lee Purkhiser, better known as his stage name Lux Interior was
born on October 21st, 1946 in Stow, Ohio. He grew up enamored with the
culture of the 1950s. In particular he loved Rockabilly music, EC
Horror comic books and B-movies. As a child he was drawn to the antics
of the early 60s Cleveland horror host Goulardi, whose rebellious act
and off-color jokes would earn him much scorn from the local PTA.
Purkhiser later joked that Goulardi was so popular the crime rate went
down when he was on because everyone was watching his show. In 1972 in
Sacramento he met his soul mate; a fellow fan of Alice Cooper, LSD,
record collecting and B-movies known as Kristy Wallace, better known as
Poison Ivy. According to legend he picked her up while she was
hitch-hiking. After discovering just how similar they were the two
moved back to Ohio in 1973 and later to New York City in 1975.
Influenced by the burgeoning punk scene in New York with bands like The
New York Dolls and The Ramones setting the standard the two decided
they would start their own punk rock band, The Cramps. In contrast to
other punk bands at the time however, they also mixed a heavy dose of
Rockabilly and B-movie imagery to form their own unique image. It was
during this time that Purkhiser took the stage name Lux Interior,
taking his name from a car advert. He also created a unique stage
personia, one of a complete honky tonky punk wild man, or as one
reviewer put it "the psychosexual werewolf/ Elvis hybrid from hell".
The genre they helped create was later known as "Psychobilly" even
though Interior denies that that is what their music really is. In 1978
The Cramps showed the world just how deep their love for the weird and
the off beat went when they gave a free concert to the patients at the
Nappa Valley State Mental Institution. The next year The Cramps
released their first official EP, "Gravest Hits". That same year they
released their first LP, "Songs the Lord Taught Us". In 1985 The Cramps
were able to perform one original song for Dan O'Bannon's classic
horror-comedy zombie flick The Return of the Living Dead with the song
"Surfin' Dead". Sadly however Lux Interior passed away on February 4th
2009 from a pre-existing heart condition. The rock and roll world lost
an irreplaceable member on that date, but luckily the spirit of the
Cramps still lives on through their recordings as well as the numerous
bands that count The Cramps as a major influence.
