Katt Williams: 9 Lives [DVD] [2010]

Without question one of the strangest concerts ever caught on camera, the Cramps' free performance for the patients of the Napa State Mental Hospital has been circulating on bootleg underground tapes for years. Now, thanks to the folks at Target Video, Cramps fans can finally own a legitimate DVD of the show in its entirety. Presented in 1.33:1 full-frame, the image is in extremely poor shape, but given that the concert was videotaped in June 1978, that should come as no surprise. The image is blurry and desaturated to near black-and-white, and the camera work is amateurish at best. The sound is equally muddied, though fans will likely attest that these audio/video quirks only add to the charm of this presentation. One certainly can't expect perfection for a concert that was videotaped on a handheld camcorder more than two decades earlier, so those lamenting the lack of a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix are best advised to put aside any stellar expectations. As far as extras, Target has seen fit to include some truly great vintage punk rock footage. Existing entirely of footage taken from legendary video releases from 1978-1984, aging punk rockers hungering for the days of old will find comfort in rare footage of Flipper, Mark Pauline, and Survival Research Laboratories, MDC, Throbbing Gristle, and Target founder John Rees. This is a must-have for any true punk rocker.