Their line-up has rotated much over the past couple of decades, with husband and wife Lux Interior and Poison Ivy--the lead singer and lead guitarist, respectively--as the only permanent members.
Lux picked up Ivy when he was driving on the highway. Ivy had raised her hand for an auto stop, Lux stopped his car and ...fate brought them together.
They were part of the early CBGB's punk rock movement that had emerged in New York, although they had formed several years earlier in California. The band is credited as a prominent factor in terms of influence on the gothabilly genre.
Their sound was heavily influenced by early rockabilly and proto-rock'n'roll like Link Wray and Hasil Adkins, 1960s surf music acts such as The Ventures, The Surfaris and Dick Dale, 1960s garage rock artists like The Standells, The Gants, The Trashmen, The Green Fuz and The Sonics, as well as the post-glam/early punk scene from which they emerged. They also were influenced to a degree by The Ramones as well as Screamin' Jay Hawkins, who is often credited for having pioneered their style of theatrical horror-blues.
On February 4, 2009, Lux Interior died of a pre-existing heart condition at the age of 62.
Discography:
Albums & EPs:
Gravest Hits
Songs The Lord Taught Us
Psychedelic Jungle
A Date with Elvis
Stay Sick!
Look Mom No Head!
Blues Fix
Flamejob
Big Beat from Badsville
Fiends of Dope Island
Live albums:
Smell of Female
Rockin n Reelin in Auckland New Zealand
Singles:
"Surfin' Bird" / "The Way I Walk" "Human Fly" / "Domino" "Fever" / "Garbageman" "Garbageman" / "TV Set" "Garbageman" / "Drug Train" "Drug Train" "Goo Goo Muck" "The Crusher" "Faster Pussycat" "I Ain't Nuthin' But a Gorehound" "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" "What's Inside a Girl?" "Kizmiaz" "Get Off the Road" "Bikini Girls with Machine Guns" "All Women Are Bad" "Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon" "Eyeball in My Martini" "Let's Get Fucked Up" / "How Come You Do Me?" "Ultra Twist!" "Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs" "Like a Bad Girl Should" "Big Black Witchcraft Rock"
Compilations
...Off the Bone Bad Music for Bad People How to Make a Monster The Secret Life of the Cramps
Fissure of Rolando
The Cramps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a hot rodder: with a greasy ballpeen hammer dear
As the eggheads rot in the sulphur pits of Hell
You'll hear me laughin': ringin' death's doorbell
Your eyeballs extracted: exactly just so
Fit to be tied: cross your beak in a pretty bow
They found her body beautiful, but never found her head
Just a sweet goo and a nylon tricot thread
Just one good tire on my Monte Carlo Alamo
Just one good blow to the fissure of Rolando
The lyrics to The Cramps's song Fissure of Rolando can be interpreted as a celebration of violence and destruction. The singer is presented as both a worker and a rebel, combining the imagery of railroad workers with that of hot rodders to create a powerful symbol of American masculinity. The violence of the imagery - from the railroad spike in the ear to the greasy ballpeen hammer - is tempered by the singer's laughter, which suggests an enjoyment of the chaos and destruction he is causing. The allusion to the sulphur pits of Hell implies that this violence is not only physical but moral, with the singer reveling in the damnation of those who oppose him.
The second stanza of the song becomes even more violent and surreal, with a reference to eyeballs being extracted and tied in a bow. The image of a headless woman and a reference to "sweet goo and a nylon tricot thread" is particularly disturbing, suggesting that the singer has not only killed but also dismembered his victim. The final line of the second stanza, "ringin' death's doorbell," implies that the singer is so immersed in violence that he is constantly pushing at the boundaries of life and death.
The final verse of the song brings all of these themes together in a final burst of violence. The Monte Carlo Alamo is a powerful symbol of Americana, representing both the military might of the US and the freedom of the open road. The fact that there is only "one good tire" suggests that the singer is living on borrowed time, but he is determined to make the most of it. The final line, "Just one good blow to the fissure of Rolando," is a fitting climax to the song - the Fissure of Rolando being a real-life geological formation where a single blow can cause a massive landslide. The singer is presented as a force of nature, capable of unleashing destruction on a grand scale.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a steel driver: railroad spike right in your ear
I am powerful like a railroad spike, and my influence is evident in everything around you.
I'm a hot rodder: with a greasy ballpeen hammer dear
I am rough like a mechanic, fixing things with brute force and grime.
As the eggheads rot in the sulphur pits of Hell
Smart people don't have what it takes to survive the harsh reality of existence.
You'll hear me laughin': ringin' death's doorbell
Life is short, so let's have some fun and take risks, even if it looks like we are tempting fate.
Your eyeballs extracted: exactly just so
I want to mess with your perception of reality and make you see things from my twisted perspective.
Fit to be tied: cross your beak in a pretty bow
I want to control you and make you conform to my will, like a groomer playing with a pet.
They found her body beautiful, but never found her head
Women are objectified in our society, and it's not surprising that some people only focus on the physical beauty, without caring or understanding about the person behind it.
Just a sweet goo and a nylon tricot thread
When death comes, we all turn into the same useless mush, no matter our social status or physical appearance.
Just one good tire on my Monte Carlo Alamo
I don't need luxury, as long as I have a reliable machine to carry me to my destination.
Just one good blow to the fissure of Rolando
Sometimes, all it takes is a bold move to shake things up and break free from conventions, like jumping off a cliff without knowing if there is water below.
Writer(s): Ivy Rorschach, Lux Interior Copyright: Hiss & Hearse Publishing
Contributed by Ian H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TOMLINBISH
I sure hope all of that audience realise how lucky they were to see such a unique and exciting band as The Cramps!
Roy Urquhart
Only really discovered the Cramps about three years ago, although I saw scores of Cramps T-shirts in my university union back in the mid 1980s. What can I say other than they must have been one of the most underrated bands around. I've been listening to their 2006 Norwegian concert almost solidly for a week or so now. Their other concert worth listening to on Utube is their 1982 gig at Astor Park Seattle. Lux and Ivy - thanks for everything.
craig smith
watch them on The Tube in the 80's , I seen that tour , it was amazing
Gregory Fortenberry
Sooo simple, sooo raw, sooo unpolished, soooooooooooooooo dam good
Denis O'Brien
Absolutely.....pure raw powerful rock and roll.....perfectly primal! This has to be one of the greatest rock songs ever.
Ronald Mcgrory
What a great sound, got into them about 30yer ago...but so many great sounds going around at the time ...I sort forgot about them but what a band MAGIC
The Infiltrator
I would have been up front for this one, for sure. One of the great rock 'n' roll bands, esp. live, that has existed to date. When Lux passed it was like the whole world changed, for me...
chicodepaula
muito bom
Stuart Wallace
The hottest band to ever have rocked'n'rolled
mavjimbo
Saw tgem live twice, they ABSOLUTELY rocked out