TS: The Smiths v the Cramps

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Secret histories made flesh

― dave q, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Smiths cult transcended cult-cult so they win tho Cramps had better gtrst

― dave q, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If the Cramps had vanished into the Bermuda Triangle after "A Date With Elvis" (or even "Smell of Female") it'd be the Cramps no contest - Bryan Gregory's defecting-Satanist schtick beats any legendary aspect of the Smiths' backstory, "Human Fly" from "Gravest Hits" out-introverts Mozz at his most innervisionary, and "The Most Exalted Potentate of Love" might as well be a Smiths song - sing it yourself in your best faux-Mozz and you're in for a big surprise. What to speak of "I Ain't Nothin' But a Gorehound," Lux Interior's Bacchant response to Morrissey & Marr's career-long project of elevating the Appollonian and deferring the Dionysian ("How Soon Is Now"=mission statement). But the Cramps didn't break up -- they just kept crankin' 'em out, which is the very opposite of the total flare-up with their purported overseer Bacchus calls for. M & M did the right thing thereby recontextualizing all the songs in a properly youth-deifying Dionysiac light. Winner: the Smiths.

― John Darnielle, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"WHICH" Bacchus calls for, not "with"

it's early yet

― John Darnielle, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If the Cramps had broken up after "A Date With Elvis", we wouldn't have gotten the divine "Ultra Twist", which makes me go berserk every time I hear it. They had better fashion sense too.

― Sean, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I disagree with Mr. Darnielle's position completely. It is Lux and Ivy's now apparent eternal youth which makes their whole undead zombie from the crypt schtick much better now than it was when they were young. cuz it's beginning to look like it might be true. They are lurex Dorian Grays, degenerate Dick Clarks, the rightful heirs to Rufus Thomas' "world's oldest teenager(s)" title. They were never of the time they were trapped in anyway, so why would they age or die or change to keep up with the times?
The Smiths seem pretty cool though I never listen to 'em. They probably make as much sense over here as the Cramps do over there. I don't know how well kitsch travels.

― fritz, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

fritz you said the magic word....

― di, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

five years pass...

The Smiths inspired a lot less shitty bands/fashion aesthetics.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:16 (eighteen years ago)

Are you sure?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:17 (eighteen years ago)

100% positive

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:18 (eighteen years ago)

I've gotten to the point where I'd rather listen to shitty lout indie over a bunch of failed hipsters shitting half-arsed surf guitar riffs while dressed like effette greasers.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:19 (eighteen years ago)

Who are these people?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:20 (eighteen years ago)

Apart from all of Camden of course?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:23 (eighteen years ago)

Well, you just answered your own question there.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:24 (eighteen years ago)

Curses! I'm not sure how many of them have ever listened to the Cramps tho.

― Tom D., Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:25 (eighteen years ago)

I'm guessing surprisingly few, tbh, although I do blame The Cramps for influencing them all, because I'm pretty sure these people aren't taking fashion cues from old pictures of Brian Setzer

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 09:27 (eighteen years ago)

This is like comparing lawn mower to a leaf blower.

― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 13:58 (eighteen years ago)

The Smiths inspired a lot less shitty bands/fashion aesthetics

This is laughable.

― everything, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 18:17 (eighteen years ago)

This is ~~laughable.~~dead-on

Fixed

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 18:25 (eighteen years ago)

shockabilly is pretty bogus.

i would feel cooler if i said i like the cramps better but it's the smiths for me.

cramps are great early on though

― M@tt He1ges0n, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 18:27 (eighteen years ago)

dom, is there some other titan of western culture you can judge based on what people who have more fun that you wear.

― gff, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 18:28 (eighteen years ago)

I've gotten to the point where I'd rather listen to shitty lout indie over a bunch of failed hipsters shitting half-arsed surf guitar riffs while dressed like effette greasers.

-- Dom Passantino, Tuesday, October 23, 2007 2:19 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Link

You should check out this Paul Weller guy. Nice hair AND he can play his guitar quite well.

― everything, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 18:45 (eighteen years ago)

social d acolytes are way more irritating than cramps acolytes.

― get bent, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 00:16 (eighteen years ago)

rejected stevem screennames

― Curt1s Stephens, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 00:21 (eighteen years ago)

this is pretty much a draw for me, I listne to both in equal measures - altho JohnD's greek mythos-analysis upthread is great. The bands definitely do completely different things very very well.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 00:29 (eighteen years ago)

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