Erick Purkhiser
Encyclopedia
Erick Lee Purkhiser better known as Lux Interior, was an American singer and a founding member of the garage punk
band The Cramps
from 1976 until his sudden death in February 2009 aged 62.
Born in Akron
, Ohio
, he grew up in its nearby suburb of Stow
and graduated from Stow High School
. He met his wife Kristy Wallace, better known as Poison Ivy, a.k.a. Ivy Rorschach, in Sacramento in 1972, when he and a friend picked her up when she was hitchhiking. The couple founded the band and moved from California to Ohio in 1973 and then to New York in 1975 where they became part of the flourishing punk scene.
Lux Interior's name came "from an old car commercial", having previously flirted with the names Vip Vop and Raven Beauty, while his wife's name change was inspired by "a vision she received in a dream". The couple called their musical style psychobilly
, originally claiming it to have been inspired by a Johnny Cash
song, "One Piece at a Time
", and later saying that they were just using the phrase as "carny terms to drum up business."
Interior was known for a frenetic and provocative stage show that included high heels, near-nudity and sexually suggestive movements. The Cramps gave their last show in November 2006. When asked why he continued to play live well into his middle age, he told the LA Times:
In 2002 Lux Interior performed the voice of a character on SpongeBob SquarePants
- the lead singer of an all-bird rock band called the Bird Brains. SpongeBob voice Tom Kenny
attended his memorial ceremony.
Interior was also a visual artist: in particular he was a 3D camera
collector and enthusiast with which he created artworks and collages.
Lux Interior died at 4:30 a.m. on February 4, 2009, in Glendale, California
. The cause of death was aortic dissection
. He is survived by his wife Ivy and two brothers, Michael Purkhiser and Ronald "Skip" Purkhiser. The memorial service for Lux was held on February 21 at the Windmill Chapel of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine
. /> Lux's brother, Mike, also provided insight into his relationship with Lux in a newspaper article.
Garage punk
Garage punk is a fusion of garage rock and punk rock. It is fast-paced lo-fi music characterized by a dirty, choppy guitar sound—usually played by bands who are on independent record labels or who are unsigned...
band The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
from 1976 until his sudden death in February 2009 aged 62.
Born in Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, he grew up in its nearby suburb of Stow
Stow, Ohio
Stow is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 32,139 at the 2000 census and 33,899 as of 2008. It is a suburban community that is part of the Akron metropolitan area. Stow is located adjacent to several other suburban communities in Summit and Portage Counties...
and graduated from Stow High School
Stow-Munroe Falls High School
Stow-Munroe Falls High School — often referred to as Stow High School — is a public high school located in Stow, Ohio, a suburb of Akron in Northeast Ohio. With an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students and a staff of more than 160, it is the only high school in the Stow-Munroe Falls City School...
. He met his wife Kristy Wallace, better known as Poison Ivy, a.k.a. Ivy Rorschach, in Sacramento in 1972, when he and a friend picked her up when she was hitchhiking. The couple founded the band and moved from California to Ohio in 1973 and then to New York in 1975 where they became part of the flourishing punk scene.
Lux Interior's name came "from an old car commercial", having previously flirted with the names Vip Vop and Raven Beauty, while his wife's name change was inspired by "a vision she received in a dream". The couple called their musical style psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
, originally claiming it to have been inspired by a Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
song, "One Piece at a Time
One Piece at a Time
"One Piece at a Time" is a humorous rockabilly song written by Wayne Kemp and recorded by Johnny Cash in 1976. It would be the last song performed by Cash to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.-Chart performance:-Plot:...
", and later saying that they were just using the phrase as "carny terms to drum up business."
Interior was known for a frenetic and provocative stage show that included high heels, near-nudity and sexually suggestive movements. The Cramps gave their last show in November 2006. When asked why he continued to play live well into his middle age, he told the LA Times:
- "It's a little bit like asking a junkie how he's been able to keep on dope all these years, It's just so much fun. You pull into one town and people scream, 'I love you, I love you, I love you.' And you go to a bar and have a great rock 'n' roll show and go to the next town and people scream, 'I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.' It's hard to walk away from all that."
In 2002 Lux Interior performed the voice of a character on SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
- the lead singer of an all-bird rock band called the Bird Brains. SpongeBob voice Tom Kenny
Tom Kenny
Thomas James "Tom" Kenny is an American actor, voice actor and comedian. He is especially known for his long-running-role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the television series of the same name, as well as the live-action character Patchy the Pirate, Gary the Snail and the French narrator based on...
attended his memorial ceremony.
Interior was also a visual artist: in particular he was a 3D camera
Stereo camera
A stereo camera is a type of camera with two or more lenses with a separate image sensor or film frame for each lens. This allows the camera to simulate human binocular vision, and therefore gives it the ability to capture three-dimensional images, a process known as stereo photography. Stereo...
collector and enthusiast with which he created artworks and collages.
Lux Interior died at 4:30 a.m. on February 4, 2009, in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
. The cause of death was aortic dissection
Aortic dissection
Aortic dissection occurs when a tear in the inner wall of the aorta causes blood to flow between the layers of the wall of the aorta and force the layers apart. The dissection typically extends anterograde, but can extend retrograde from the site of the intimal tear. Aortic dissection is a medical...
. He is survived by his wife Ivy and two brothers, Michael Purkhiser and Ronald "Skip" Purkhiser. The memorial service for Lux was held on February 21 at the Windmill Chapel of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine
Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine
The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine lies a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean, on Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, California. It was founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, on August 20, 1950 and is owned by the Self-Realization Fellowship...
. /> Lux's brother, Mike, also provided insight into his relationship with Lux in a newspaper article.