It’s been more than 26 years since full-time freaks Lux Interior (a spastic contortionist with an Elvis-fixation) and Poison Ivy (a latex-chick from hell), unleashed their Addams Family on Speed-act on the world and basically nothing – save for some line-up changes – has been changed in the meantime. They still supply cool cats that have a craving for frenetic psychobilly with primal rock that smells of vaseline and brilliantine, while their live shows can still be categorized as demented sideshows and/or ecstatic voodoo. We sent the freaks a few answers by e-mail and - lo and behold! – received answers to some of ‘em (yes, they definitely knew which question to pick).

How's the current tour going?

The tour was great, almost 9 weeks, we blew everybody's minds, including our own.

Your latest album, 'Fiends of Dope Island' was released by your own label Vengeance records. Is that the same label that released "Human Fly" in 1978? If so, why the change?

It's the same label. The change is because we decided we wanted to have our own label again and control everything ourselves. Now we have only ourselves to blame.

How did Chopper Franklin become a member of a band? In what bands did he play before?

Chopper asked to be in our band back in 1999 (we already had chosen somebody else who ended up annoying us) and then we kept running into and hanging out with him at concerts and car shows. We became friends. He shares the same passions as we do and every time we ran into him he looked like he was ready to step on stage with the Cramps. He was in Mr. Badwrench and before that he was in the Maus Maus when he was a teenager.

The latest album has a really cool sound, especially the guitars (in "Big Black Witchcraft Rock" and "Color Me Black", for instance). Is there a secret to it, (is it special equipment?) because it's a sound you rarely hear…

The secret: We went to a crossroads and made a deal with the Devil. We combine that with our God-given talent.

How the hell do you succeed in staying so intense on stage? Apart from Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins, I saw few artists who pulled that off for such a long time.

Another deal with the Devil, plus we consume lots of coffee, vitamins, baby formula and pickles.

'Fiends' explicitly mentions the King in "Elvis Fucking Christ". Is that because you're really convinced he's the one true godfather or because he's seen as THE original white rock 'n’ roller?

The song is NOT about Elvis; it's about Lux, the true King of Rock ‘n' Roll. "Elvis Fucking Christ" is a metaphor - we're not as dumb as we look. Besides, what does race have to do with anything, that's ridiculous to even suggest, why do you even bring it up? Elvis wasn't really white, was he? Wasn't he Hawaiian?

Who came up with the idea of recording the tango-blues (?) of "Taboo," because it sounded really weird the first time, but really fits in after repeated listens.

We needed a b-side in a hurry on our last day of recording. Ivy had an instrumental idea to do "Taboo" as a hoodlum fuzz version, and she asked Lux to write some words in a hurry so they could record it that day. We called the rest of the band and told them we'd be one hour late to the studio, and then Lux went in a back room and came out 15 minutes later with the new lyric.

 

The last few years saw the rise of bands (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Reverend Horton Heat) that are clearly influenced by the stripped rock 'n roll of the Cramps, while the same minimal spirit infests releases by bands that are now suddenly considered hip (The White Stripes, The Kills, etc). Are you familiar with those bands and do you like them?

We like anything that's truly dangerous and rockin, which Reverend Horton Heat is very capable of being when they want to.

Your music is considered too "wicked" for mainstream success, yet I've seldom seen a band with so much hardcore fans that collect boots or dedicate a site to Ivy (Angels of Vengeance 666). Any idea what made this happen?

Most of our fans are as uncompromising as we are, similar to the "one percent" of motorcycle riders that belong to outlaw gangs.

Charlie Feathers or Dale Hawkins?

Unfair question! They're both amazing! Can't we have both?

"Rocket 88" or "Hound Dog"?

Unfair question again, but since "Rocket 88" was first, and therefore influential on everything after it, and also because Ike Turner was responsible for it and it was recorded in Memphis, that's the first choice.

© 2003 Dreun