The Vinyl District

Author Archives: Jeff Krulik

A DC monument: The Cramps’ classic Bad music for bad people LP cover has its origins in the old 9:30 basement

By Jeff Krulik | Published: August 21, 2017

Beginning in the late 1970s, The Cramps developed a large cult fan base in Washington, DC for a variety of reasons: our proximity to NYC, true champions in the music press (Joe Sasfy, Howard Wuelfing), regular college radio play at WGTB and WMUC, simpatico bands to play with (Slickee Boys, Tex Rubinowitz), but most notably, a series of unforgettable performances at the LBJ Club, Psyche Delly, Ontario Theater, and the Hall of Nations at Georgetown University. The Cramps became one of our own, and to this day are credited with altering the musical paths of many lives, including yours truly. (Outrageous Music Festival at Warner Theater in May 1979, Root Boy Slim didn’t have a chance).

The Cramps also launched concert promotion company I.M.P. as the first headliner they ever booked on May 29, 1980. Unfortunately, the band never showed up (and you can read about it here under “What happened when Sam gave up the Ontario?”) But 37 years ago today they did make it back, on a four band show that included Teen Idles, soon to spawn Minor Threat.

Another local who had the Cramps change his life is Steve Blickenstaff of Frederick, MD, the artist behind one of the most iconic album covers ever, The Cramps’ compilation Bad Music for Bad People released in 1984. And his story takes place at the hallowed ground known as 930 F Street. Here’s the story, in Steve’s own words.

So you’re Cramps fan from Frederick, MD?

Exactly. I grew up here. I remember the first album that was released was actually the Gravest Hits which wasn’t even a full album, it was sort of like an EP. That was the first thing that was released on IRS Records and as soon as I heard that I was immediately a fan.

Were you always a cartoonist?

Ever since I can remember I was always drawing cartoons and monsters and different kinds of illustrations, and pretty much out of high school I started doing stuff for fanzines—not really comic books, but t-shirt designs for bands, local friends’ bands, and things like that. And I kind of got more and more into it as time went on.

I still work for the school system in Frederick as a graphic designer, but I do a lot of freelance art on the side, so I do a lot of stuff for bands and things like that these days.

You were a fan of the Cramps and you started bringing them artwork when they would appear in DC?

Right, in fact, any time I saw them even outside of the city. I saw them in Pittsburgh, I’ve seen them in different places, but I would always give them artwork at every show.

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Did The Stooges really play Falls Church, VA… with photos to prove it?

By Jeff Krulik | Published: February 16, 2017

Filmmaker and archivist Jeff Krulik investigates.

“When making my documentary Led Zeppelin Played Here, one of the great challenges was finding photographs of any bands playing on stage at nearby youth centers. There was simply very little documentation of either local bands or those that were on tour. Somehow I still managed to pull off a feature documentary that was not just talking heads.

So imagine my excitement when Richard Taylor finally located his snapshots of Iggy and the Stooges on stage at the Falls Church Community Center. We were able to feature some in the closing credits, but I always wanted to know how these came to be in an era when there was little-to-no documentation of bands in performance, unlike today when people are documenting their experiences endlessly. It just didn’t happen in 1970.

Richard has already posted one image on Facebook, prompting loads of responses, but there was typically no context for how it came to be—so I called him up.”

Jeff: Richard how many times did you see The Stooges?

Richard: So I saw them at the Wheaton Youth Center and then the next night in Falls Church…then I saw them, I’m pretty sure they opened for the Ramones at the Baltimore Civic Center.

Jeff: But the first time you saw the Stooges was where?

Richard: The Wheaton Youth Center.

Jeff: How did you first discover them? And what was the impetus for seeing them there?

Richard: In the late ‘60s…during the ‘60s, I liked garage rock and I liked the Stones and I liked the Beatles. Toward the end of the ‘60s things started going towards country rock which I wasn’t a fan of, so we had to search far and wide to find new sources of garage rock, basic, you know, good old rock and roll. So a friend of ours won the MC5 album Kick Out The Jams, he said “look at this album I got.” So we listened to it, and we loved it. It’s what we craved, basic rock and roll. This was like the late ‘60s, so we followed the MC5 in magazines like Rolling Stone or Creem, anything we could find.

Of course there was no internet in those days but in articles we learned that the MC5 were signed by Danny Fields, and at the time and he also signed the Stooges who were also from the Ann Arbor / Detroit area. So we said “That’s interesting, what are those guys like?” We liked the MC5 so that led us into the Stooges. Then I saw Iggy at the Cincinnati Pop Festival where he was in the crowd and then on the crowd. And he smeared peanut butter on himself.