This weekend - August 7 and 8 is the weekend of East Nashville’s annual Tomato Art Festival. Of its many components and festivities is an art show, and when I moved to East Nashville in 2008, I entered the most popular, iconic image I made, customized with a tomato theme plus my go-to: Andy Warhol.
The Cramps and I have served one another well over the decades, and it is sad that Ivy is the only one from these photos who is still with us.
If you are a fan of the Cramps, I highly recommend picking up the current issue of Shindig Magazine. They’re on the cover and that’s my photo. There is a robust feature inside the magazine, with four band portraits (my photos) as well as photos from my friend from NYC, David Godlis. You can’t take a bad photo of this band.
The Cramps are on the cover of Shindig and they’ve been featured in so many publications because there has been a reckoning - the bootlegged records and merchandise never benefitted the band, and ownership of their image and output is safely back in Ivy’s hands.
You can read about it in this New York Times feature - it’s a gift link. No paywall. The feature was written by Mark Yarm, who is on Substack, but he hasn’t posted in a while it appears.
From August 8, 2025:
This image of The Cramps in their classic 1978 lineup has been one of my claims-to-fame since I shot it. Location? Lux and Ivy’s room at the Tropicana in West Hollywood.
Lux, on a recommendation from Mumps’ Kristian Hoffman, rang up Pleasant one day and said, “Kristian Hoffman gave me your phone number and said you were the coolest girl in LA and we should get together.” OF COURSE she was delighted and we immediately started to roll out the Lobotomy fanzine red carpet treatment for them. We took them thrift shopping and late night dining; we saw all their shows, AND we shot a lot of photos for the feature we’d been publishing in the next issue of Lobotomy.
Pleasant and I expected them to have a few cool outfits to wear, but wow, we were not expecting the depth and breadth of their props! Pleasant and Lux art-directed all the shots. This lighting was achieved by fashioning a spotlight out of a work lamp, like those found in the garage workshops in suburban homes.
I placed it on one of the beds in the room and it cast the shadows I wanted. I was able to take so many wonderful spooky pictures.
There were many group shots, and a portrait session with each band member. The band was generous with their time, and I think everyone was having a good time - especially Pleasant, as Lux and Ivy had so many props, toys, and trinkets for us to use in the pictures; their suitcases were like an evil carney’s candy store. And then Nick Knox mentioned oh so casually that the bedspread was on fire.
Ivy matter-of-factly went to the bathroom, ran water over some towels and then dropped them over the flaming bedspread. I think pyromania was not foreign to The Cramps - how else could they be so calm about FIRE? I certainly was embarrassed to have caused damage to the bedspread but then Pleasant reminded us all that it wasn’t so long ago that the Trop used to let rooms out by the hour, so what’s a little burn in the bedclothes ?
If you have been following along, yes, I finally unpacked a new scanner (purchased a year ago!) this summer and have been scanning all my work in 4K to make exhibition prints and to include in my memoir. I have so many Cramps Voodoo Lounge pictures that they are going to get their own volume! Until I make that book, I made a little 24-page softcover photozine featuring favorite and never-before-seen images that I am offering. The link is below the photo. (AND YES - as of 2026, STILL AVAILABLE)
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