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Infatueighties #55: Rapture

As a blond bombshell and a culture vulture (I say that in the nicest way possible), Deborah Harry directly set the tone for artists like Madonna and Gwen Stefani, who borrowed (and still borrow) from every subculture possible and transformed them into their own unique stew. Blondie, the band Harry fronted, was a new-wave band at heart, but the band’s hits ranged from four-on-the-floor disco (“Heart of Glass”) to reggae (“The Tide is High”). With 1980’s “Rapture”, however, Blondie became the first mainstream band to dip a pinky-toe in the burgeoning hip-hop phenomenon. With a shout out to a then-unknown party promoter named Fab Five Freddie and some endearingly clunky rhyming by Harry, “Rapture” bridged the gap between the downtown new wavers and the utpown B-girls and B-boys to become the very definition of a successful crossover. Nearly thirty years later, few songs have merged genres so respectfully and effectively.

February 9, 2009
Lux Redux

I can’t remember the last B-list rock star death that garnered as much publicity as Lux Interior’s did. It started out as a posting on one blog on Wednesday, and that was enough to start the internet buzz going. Once it was confirmed, it sent shockwaves through hipster land.

But the press couldn’t even get the details right. He was listed as being 60, 61 and 62 years old at the time of his death, depending on which story you read. Which was it?? (answer: he was 62)So much for research!

Lux formed The Cramps in 1972, and they were still active at the time of his death. How many bands can claim that they’ve been around for 37 years? The band’s heyday had come & gone many years ago; they had pretty much stopped recording (their last CD of new material was five years ago), but they still toured every year.

It seems like every time I saw The Cramps, something messed up ALWAYS happened. It was complete bedlam on stage, with the crowd joining in on the chaos. The first time I saw them, a guy jumped on stage at the very end of the show, stole two jungle spears that were displayed in front of Nick Knox’s drum kit, and ran out the front door of the club with them (with a roadie chasing after him). The second time I saw them, Lux came out for the encore naked, and proceeded to climb up to the balcony of The Ritz and started making out with a woman up there. The last time I saw them, my friend & I got VERY drunk beforehand, and somehow came up with the bright idea of sneaking into the side door of the Peppermint Lounge (when it had moved downtown on Fifth Avenue), and got physically thrown out right after we got inside (undaunted, we picked ourselves up, went around to the front door, & paid our way in).

Once the spotlight fades, a lot of musicians will hang it up & form other bands, or go into other lines of work. At a certain point, if you haven’t reached a level of commercial success that affords you the opportunity to live comfortably & to throttle back on recording & touring, your average rock musician will throw in the towel & head into the “straight” world. John Maher of the original Buzzcocks line-up went on to open a Volkswagen performance tune-up shop; Bryan Gregory, a member of The Cramps original lineup, ended up running a porn store in LA.

Lux & his wife of 37 years, Cramps guitarist Poison Ivy, left the straight world in 1972 and never looked back. They are one of the few bands from the original punk era of the mid-70’s who never quit, never gave up. They may have uprooted & moved to LA, and spent quite a bit of time buying & selling cool funky stuff, but they were the real deal. I guess at a certain point Lux & Ivy looked in the mirror & said “hey, what the hell else are we gonna do?” Lux lived to a ripe old age (as far as rock stars go, at least) living his rock ‘n’ roll dream, with his long-time wife right beside him on stage every night.

Good for him. And even better for us. They were a band almost without peers. Thanks for a bunch of great records, some amazing live shows, and a whole lotta good memories.

February 9, 2009
51st Grammy Awards Play By Play – I May Need A Caffeine IV
Money Mike and Paul live blogged the Grammy Awards earlier today. I’m on the West Coast so I get to watch the show on the dreaded tape delay. And just to make sure we have that West Coast point of view on the show, I’m going to give you the play by play as well.

The last few years that I’ve blogged this show, I’ve mentioned the need for coffee. Last year I made it all the way through without coffee. I’m going for two years in a row. But I may need toothpicks to hold my eye lids open by the end of this thing.

What’s this story that’s out about Chris Brown and Rihanna in a domestic dispute? I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but if any of this is true, it just shows that he has more in common with Papa Joe Jackson than Michael Jackson.
- U2 opens up the show and I think Fat Albert should sue for gimmick infringement. Hey, hey, hey.
- Whitty Houton is the first presenter for Best R&B Album and she has those boobs pushed up just about as far as they can go.
- Jennifer Hudson won the award for her very bland debut album. I think people forgot that And I’m Telling You… was actually on the Dreamgirls album first.
- There’s no better hype man than the Rock. I was waiting for him to say, “Uh huh, yeah!”
- I wonder if in 1992, Boyz II Men would’ve thought they’d be relegated to singing back up for Rev Al Green and Justin Timberlake in 2009? Well, maybe Wanya.
- The only thing I got out of that Chris Martin/Jay-Z duet is that both of them dudes need haircuts. Since when was fuzzy in?
- There was a Diddy sighting! I think he said, “Uh huh yeah!”
- Carrie Underwood is performing Last Name and for some reason, she didn’t know his last name. Uh, sweetie, his last name was Romo.
- I think she’s also decided to get even skinnier for this performance as a last second dig at Jessica Simpson. Word to Jess – don’t wear high waist jeans.
- LeAnn Rimes’s cheeks are so sunken in, she could be the third Olsen twin.
- I wonder if when Al Green saw Duffy while waiting to present with her said, “So that’s what Duffy looks like.”
Duffy at Hovefestivalen 2008
- Viva La Vida won for Song Of The Year, which is deserving even though I liked nearly every other song on the list better. They were all pretty decent songs.
- Hey, Kid Rock’s here. Wait, I thought he was directing Ice Cube movies. Whoops! That’s Fred Durst. Sorry.
- Taylor Swift! Miley Cyrus! Together for the first time! When Average Happens!
- Miley slanted her eyes for the song, but only because she was trying to hit some notes and had to squint.
- Even though the song was entirely bland, Jennifer Hudson pulled through. With all that she’s been through, she definitely has a ton of charisma and is going to stick around. That Dreamgirls thing was no fluke y’all. She’s the real deal.
- Wait, was that Stevie Wonder with the Jonas Brothers? So my favorite artist of all time with my kids’ favorite band? Only in America.
- I think if the hip hop heads knew how much I was enjoying this, I’d get my card taken away.
- Ok, I didn’t enjoy the Jonas’ doing Stevie’s Superstition as much as I enjoyed him doing Burnin’ Up.
- Also, what’s the over/under on how many times Stevie’s performed this song at the Grammys or American Music Awards? 25?
- Speaking of over/unders – where do we set how many more albums Katy Perry records that anyone ever listens to? One?
- Since when did Kanye West get the same haircut as Apollo Creed from Rocky III? If the back was a little juicy, I’d have said the dude from Full Force.
- Is it me or does Estelle look like Venus Williams? I bet she hits a helluva forehead. I mean forehand.
- I want to apologize to Kenny Chesney for fast forwarding through his performance. I’m trying to catch up to live TV. I’ll get you next time Ken.
- Diddy, Herbie Hancock, and Natalie Cole are together on screen to present for Record Of The Year. Hancock doesn’t look too happy. I think Diddy just told him he was going to remix Rock It.
- Alison Krauss’ cleavage and Robert Plant won for I’ve Never Heard This Song In My Life.
- I’m very uncertain about the Swagga Like Us performance. I think I need like an entire book to state my thoughts. From M.I.A. performing with that basketball underneath her sheer outfit to the black and white look, to T.I. eating the mic, to Jay-Z looking old enough to be everyone’s dad except for Kanye. I’m just really confused right now.
- “Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements?” That is the question.
- Gwen Paltrow is much better spokeswoman for the no food and diuretics diet than Whitty Houton.
- I’m unsure how I feel about Jamie Foxx, Smokedog Robinson, and Ne-Yo being a part of the Four Tops. Would any of the Four Tops have made a song with Adina Howard called T-Shirt & Panties?
- I know, I haven’t written anything in the last 20 minutes. John Mayer, B.B. King, Neil Diamond, and Gary Sinese. They do all the crazy stuff early in the show.
- The only way Robin Thicke gets on the Grammys is as a hook singer? Well, it is a helluva hook.
- Jeez Lil’ Wayne is short. I guess that’s just not a clever name.
- Who is that sitting next to T.I.? Wait, that’s the light skinded chick from Xscape. Is that one of his baby mamas?
  Xscape publicity shot
- I bet you the last thing you thought you’d see in a 2009 Grammy Awards post was a picture of Xscape.
- Alison Krauss’ corset and Robert Plant just won Album Of The Year.
- Wait, this is it? They’re not going an hour over like usual? Well, they just said Stevie Wonder is going to end the show. Steve might go for a half hour himself if they let him.
- By the way, my favorite album and performer of the year, Ne-Yo was shut out of the big categories. I think they docked him for having that terrible thin mustache.
- If I was too harsh, I apologize, and you can blame Money Mike. It’s his site. Ha!
February 9, 2009