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Punk Business Manager

Category Archives: Dead Rock N’ Rollers

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Lux Interior R.I.P.

While crusing around on the internet, I happened upon the Crypt Records homepage and saw the sad news that Lux Interior (nee Erick Lee Purkhiser) died this Wednesday, February 4th, of a heart attack at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California.  While I was not a Cramps fanatic, they were truly one of a kind and there will never be another band like them, nor another frontman quite like Lux.  The mere sight of Lux and Ivy Rorschach (nee Kristy Wallace) in just a posed picture was always memorable and just dripped attitude.  Damn, this is such a bummer.

I found out a few things from reading a few online obituaries- first, the fact that Lux and Ivy were married for 37 years.  I knew they were a couple for more than 30 years but, wow, they’ve been married as long as I’ve been alive.  Now I knew he was born in Ohio (lovely Stow to be exact, about 40 miles Southeast of Cleveland and a little North of Akron), but I did not know that he was born on October 21, 1948 which made him 62 years old.  I also did not know that he had a pre-existing heart condition prior to his death.  So while you and I complain about being tired after surfing the internet or flipping through dollar bins at record stores, Lux had more legitimate health complaints AND he still found time to writhe around on stage like a madman for years and years.

First Ron Asheton, then Lux- what icon is next to die in 2009?  Shit, we’re only 5 weeks into the new year.  And I am still very bummed that Rudy Ray Moore another legendary Ohioan (via Fort Smith, Arkansas) died last October.

I think I am going to make a contribution to Glendale Hospital in memory of Lux, and I think you all should too.

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Ron Asheton of Stooges, RIP

What sad news I discovered today (albeit a week late) that 60 year old Ron Asheton of The Stooges was found dead in his Ann Arbor, Michigan house on Tuesday, January 6th.  The New York Times did a nice writeup- go here for their January 8th article.

I also found out through the power of the information superhighway that this Saturday the 17th there will be a tribute held at The Music Hall Center For The Performing Arts located at 350 Madison Street in Detroit- The Detroit Free Press has more info and an article here.  Me, the Mrs. and the kids usually go to Detroit to see family King Day weekend but cannot this year… damn.

While I was not some kind of Stooges fanatic, I was a big fan of most of their classic ditties.  I will never forget being floored the first time I heard Mr. Asheton’s amazing guitar noise on “I Wanna Be Your Dog” many years back as a young and impressionable teenager.  That was the first Stooges song I heard, followed by the equally amazing “No Fun”, then “T.V. Eye” and the list goes on.