So sad to learn this morning that Erick Purhiser died yesterday.
Rock fans, including Dr. Rock, knew him as Lux Interior, the debauched singer of the Cramps, one of the land's longest-running psychobilly bands. Lux was a fantastic live performer; the Doctor caught him at Cleveland's Phantasy on a sweltering summer night during the "A Date With Elvis" tour. He was so commanding, so spellbinding and wild-eyed on stage that you couldn't take your eyes off him.
In today's rock world, when personalities seem to matter less and less, Lux was the polar opposite: A charismatic artist who played by his own reckless, chaotic rules.
The Doc would love to hear Lords of the Highway play a Cramps' song on Friday in Lux's honor. They play at Scully's Pub with the Tradesmen and the Assmen. Look for more on Lords on the Highway, by the way, in Friday's Weekender.
Grammy Awards have added a ton of new artists for Sunday's superstar-jammed show, including a reunited Blink 182, who'll present an award. (Can a reunion tour announcement be far behind?)
Radiohead, U2, and Coldplay will all perform, which is pretty miraculous, getting them together on the same stage. Soul legends Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson are on board; so are blues greats B.B. King and Buddy Guy, who'll team up with John Mayer and Keith Urban to salute Bo Diddley. Similarly, look for a salute to the Four Tops with that group's Duke Fakir, Jamie Foxx, and Ne-Yo.
Also added: Neil Diamond, M.I.A, Allen Toussaint, Robin Thicke, Terence Blanchard, Chris Brown, and Estelle with Kanye West.
They join previously announced performers Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I., and Kanye West (all together), as well as Kenny Chesney, Jennifer Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Kid Rock, Paul McCartney (with drummer Dave Grohl), Sugarland, Taylor Swift with Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood, and T.I. and Timberlake.
New presenters include Green Day, Leona Lewis, John Legend, LL Cool J, Jason Mraz, will.i.am., Diddy, Kate Beckinsale, Natalie Cole, Zooey Deschanel, Diddy, and Morgan Freeman.
Crawford County Fair has scheduled a Monday press conference to announce its big headliner; Presumably that will be Brad Paisley, who lists a Crawford fair date on his web site.