Dexter Romweber - "Two Headed Cow" DVD

This excellent documentary was begun over 18 years ago as a look at life on the road with indie/garage rockabilly act the Flat Duo Jets. In their prime, the Flat Duo Jets toured with the Cramps, and were a part of the thriving Athens, Georgia indie rock scene of the late 80s alongside R.E.M. Their influence can be felt most prominently with Jack White (who is interviewed here), as well as fans and friends Cat Power and Neko Case, among others (who are also featured here). As time elapsed, and the band crumbled due to a variety of issues (including alcoholism, depression, and paranoia), this film was put on the back burner.

Now, with full participation of prime songwriter Romweber, this tale can be told, now focusing on the perils and lifestyles of a touring musician and a band on the verge of stardom.

Compiling original black-and-white footage of a young Romweber with drummer/Flat Duo Jets partner Crow Smith, this film is both historical document and fascinating look into the mind and career of one of America's most unique songwriters and characters. Recent footage puts everything in perspective, as Romweber today tours with his new group, the Dexter Romweber Duo. He's much more level-headed and balanced, and he tells candidly of the destructive lifestyle he's thankfully left behind. "Two Headed Cow" gives me a new appreciation of the Flat Duo Jets, and this is a superb documentary for anyone interested in the life and times of an indie artist who's survived. (Cape Fear Filmworks/MVD Visual)

Flat Duo Jetspace (likely not official)

Cramps - "Live (At The Lokerse Festival, Belgium, August 7, 2006)" DVD

The world lost one of rock's most charismatic and iconic frontmen last year when Cramps singer Lux Interior passed away. And while it's a shame that there still isn't a comprehensive CD collection of the band's greatest through the years, this audio-visual document of their later years is fiery enough to tide over fans like me. "Live At Lokerse" is a 17-song, pro-shot concert as filmed at a huge outdoor festival in daylight. Perhaps not the best venue for the band, but that didn't seem to dampen or tame the band's incendiary and swaggering rock and roll spirit.

Into their 4th decade, the Cramps, with Lux's wife and longtime musical partner Poison Ivy on guitar, were antecedents of the modern '"psychobilly" scene, and an indispensable and essential component of the early American punk scene. Taking their blueprints from the old 50's rock-and-roll acts, the Cramps added their own vision, complete with sassy references to B-grade horror and plenty of outward sexual innuendo. On this DVD, the band's sleazy, spooky, and tongue-in-cheek trash-rock was as intense as ever, as Lux, ever the showman, was clad in his usual form-fitting leather pants and heels. Being a later-period show, some of their classics weren't played, but plenty of other great tunes were, like "The Way I Walk", "Let's Get Fucked Up", and "TV Set". A must-see for fans, "Live" is a worthy document of an amazing band that will continue to inspire. (MVD Visual)

Cramps website

Thank you Lux Interior.

When I was just finding myself amongst the rogue/punk/skater kids at my high school, a friend gave me a copy of 'Bad Music For Bad People' by the Cramps. Having only experienced some of the better-known punk and college radio/alternative acts of the era, this wild collision of unhinged rockabilly with a fixation on trashy Americana, B-horror movies, and kinky sexual references ('What's Inside A Girl?', Can Your Pussy Do The Dog', 'Hot Pearl Snatch') immediately appealed.

Frontman Lux Interior's out-of-control onstage madness was instantly cool. Here was a band who did what they wanted, and worked far outside the confines of any scene. They roped in the punks (who apparently recognized the primitive renegade spirit of Lux, wife Poison Ivy, and the rest of the band), and the goths (the graveyard appeal of Lux himself was obvious enough). I followed the band through their major label days (even seeing them all over MTV at some point with their 'hit' 'Bikini Girls With Machine Guns').

It's even strange (though not surprising) to see the whole 'psychobilly' scene evolving out of what I perceive to be a Cramps obsession. Yes, if not for the wonderful, trashy, darkly humorous B-movie weirdness of the Cramps, I doubt that scene could even exist. They were the first, and, to me, the only name that mattered. The Cramps were legends, and true rock icons, and will remain so forever more as they continue to inspire bands and artists both young and old.

On February 4, 2009, Lux Interior (aka Erick Purkhiser) passed away of a pre-existing heart condition. He was 62 (though his actual age has been debated). May he rest in peace.

Here's a rare but excellent set of 1979-80 demos from a vinyl bootleg, called 'All Tore Up'.

Cramps official website

And here's the band's infamous 1981 performance of 'Tear It Up', from the film 'Urgh! A Music War'...