Welcome to the world of The Cramps, a world populated by strippers, bikers, drug addicts, and all forms of deviant life. It's a world that was birthed with rock and roll in the 1950's; an underground world forgotten when the industry began packaging music for mainstream acceptance. The Cramps never cared much for popular acceptance. Instead, they willingly burrowed into their underground world, occasionally causing tremors in the mainstream. Over the past eighteen years leather-clad vocalist Lux Interior, his sexy soulmate, guitarist Poison Ivy, and their ever changing rhythm section have created eleven albums of twisted, often humorous rockabilly. Their live shows are legendary, thanks especially to Lux's bughouse stage antics, which include his sticking microphones down his throat and climbing atop PA systems in a leather g-string and black pumps.

The band's latest effort, Flamejob, is one of their best to date. And with a new record label backing them (Medicine), they're poised to convert the next generation of fans. Melvin spoke with Lux from his and Ivy's home in Los Angeles just before their current U.S. tour.