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October 29th, 2026 · 12:00am GMT
Since the late 1990s, Josh Homme has been a rock icon. With his abundance of hair, his distinct falsetto, and his meaty guitar skills, he is the consummate frontman.
And as a co-founder and the only continuous member of Queens of the Stone Age, he knows a thing or two about maintaining success in the often fickle, hazardous arena that is the music industry. So, when Homme divulges who he believes are the best bands of all time, it’s worth listening to.
In a video interview with Consequence, Homme starts off by exalting Jimi Hendrix, calling him an “alien who can only be mimicked, but cannot be bested”. He also cites the importance of Iggy and the Stooges. But Homme’s admiration for one outfit in particular stands out: The Cramps. He describes the band, which is credited as being the progenitor of the preposterously named ‘psychobilly’ subgenre, as having “bridged punk rock in its truest form when it’s about being an individual”.
He gushes about frontman Lux Interior and his “vinyl pants with three-inch pumps, breaking mic stands and drinking wine and breaking bottles.” He goes on to call guitarist Poison Ivy “a strong female personality… a woman who never smiled and probably endured so much stuff in that time frame. Such a badass. And seemed almost impervious to critique.”
The Cramps first formed in 1976, and quickly gained a reputation for their high-octane performances, alarmingly tight trousers, and provocative onstage energy. (Lux’s particular speciality was microphone fellatio.) The band’s line-up rotated frequently over the decades, with Lux Interior and Poison Ivy being the only constant members. The two first met while attending Sacramento State College in their early twenties. They moved to New York together and cut their teeth in the city’s flourishing punk scene, alongside the likes of Patti Smith, the Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads.
Homme mentions another member: guitarist Bryan Gregory, “with his pocked face and perma-cigarette and hard-cut hair and his pumps and his vinyl pants.”
He clearly has great respect for the members’ strong sense of individuality, saying, “You think to yourself, the things you endure in order to be who you believe you are are difficult but of great value.”
Further reading: From The Vault
“And frankly,” he says, “The Cramps played so many covers of bands you’ve never heard of that compilations have been released about Songs the Cramps Taught Us. So for me, The Cramps are one of the greatest bands of all time… and are largely overlooked.”
The band split in 2009, after Interior died at 62 from an aortic dissection. He and Ivy were together for 37 years, until his death. The Cramps have been cited as a major influence by numerous other artists, including My Bloody Valentine and The White Stripes. Alex Chilton of Big Star once called them “the greatest rock band in the world.”
Homme so revered the Cramps that he even covered one of their songs: ‘Thee Most Exalted Potentate of Love’. The cover was first featured on the CD version of the ‘First It Giveth’ single, and later appeared on the Stone Age Complication EP. With his cover and his vocal admiration of the band, Homme continues to fight the good fight: bringing some much-needed awareness to the singular musicality of The Cramps.
