If you're in a band and were thinking about places to play, in all likelihood the state mental institution would probably never have crossed your mind. Well, for whatever reason, the Cramps thought it would be a good idea to not only play it, but bring along the Target Video film crew as well to document it. In June of 1978, they made the trip from New York to play the California State Mental Hospital in Napa, CA. What unfolds is truly one of the most bizzarre scenes ever. But then again, this is the Cramps we're talking about, so maybe it shouldn't be all that surprising. Despite the rudimentary stage setup and equipment, the band comes off tight and professional. The set is only 20 minutes, but they manage to play such classics as "The Way I Walk," "Human Fly" "Domino" and "TV Set." Poison Ivy is cool and calm as always and guitarist Bryan Gregory is obviously getting a kick out of the whole thing.
The video and audio quality is what it is -- footage from 1978 filmed with a ½-inch Sony port-a-pak black and white camera so don't expect too much. Nonetheless, the film has held up over the years. It's certainly not unwatchable and actually pretty decent towards the latter parts of the set....stay sick
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