The Cramps - A Short History of Rock'n'Roll Psychosis by Dick Porter

Surprisingly, there hasn't been too many biographies of the Cramps - considering their popularity and their utter coolness, it would seem to be a given, but Lux and Ivy were always fairly private people, so maybe that is the disconnect. In any case, Dick Porter does his best with this book and that turns out to be pretty damn fulfilling and hip.

After a little history of the Ohio area, Porter starts with the mainman, Lux Interior, and his fairly wild, rock'n'roll upbringing. With crazed DJ's like the Mad Daddy playing rare, untamed rockabilly and horror movie hosts like Ghoulardi showing the "best" and trashiest B-Movies, combined with his older brother's Marlon Brando/biker/hoodlum mannerisms, Lux was properly warped'n'primed for a career in rock'n'roll from an early age.

Ivy's younger days are not as detailed - it seems as though she maybe had a slightly more "normal" upbringing prior to her sexual and psychotropic awakening and, of course, everything exacerbated when she met Lux. Bryan Gregory's youth is detailed slightly in John Wombat's book and the rest of the members really come to light when their lives intersect with Lux and Ivy. As befitting of the title, Porter moves fairly quickly through their career, the starts'n'stops, the numerous members, the legal issues and record company problems, and he gives overviews of their records and important shows.

Published in 2007, a couple of years prior to Lux's untimely death, Porter ends with the couple continuing to exalt in their rock'n'roll lifestyle as they tour and record when they like and with no strings attached. Told via various interviews, the story often unfolds in their own words, while Porter adds his personal views to fill out the tale and to give critical reviews of the records.

Although not as abbreviated as the Bryan Gregory book, this is also quite concise and is a quick read, and it remains entertaining throughout and the characters never fail to impress. The Cramps will always be a major influence on my life and it is truly sad that they no longer regale the universe with their psychotic "psychosis".