Creem magazine
Creem Magazine is back. After an 8-year hiatus, the classic rock rag that launched the career of editor/author/Springsteen-worshipper Dave Marsh, elevated Lester Bangs to rockcrit boddhisatva status, and introduced Americans to the Velvet Underground and the Stooges is online and ready to roll the presses once more. Will they give a much-needed kick in the ass to a moribund field of journalism? --http://www.creemmedia.com
Profile
CREEM, "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication started in 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1988. The late Lester Bangs, who is generally considered to be "America's Greatest Rock Critic," was one of CREEM's original editors. The term "punk rock" was coined by this magazine in 1971. The term "heavy metal" was also first used in its pages.
The magazine was based in Detroit, Michigan, and its separation from the centers of tastemaking and the entertainment industry in the United States encouraged a certain irreverent, deprecatory tone that permeated the magazine. Its location also encouraged it to be amongst the first national publications to cover local artists such as Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent and Parliament-Funkadelic and other Midwesterners such as Cheap Trick and The Raspberries in great depth. CREEM picked up on the punk rock and New Wave movements early on, years before other magazines like Rolling Stone finally woke up. It gave massive exposure to artists like Lou Reed, Bowie and the New York Dolls years before the mainstream press.
The famous "Boy Howdy" beer-bottle logo was drawn by artist R. Crumb, He was paid $50 for the soon-to-be iconic image.
Writers for CREEM included Richard Meltzer, Dave DiMartino, Penny Valentine, Richard Riegel, Rick Johnson, Dave Marsh, Greil Marcus, Patti Smith, Nick Tosches, Cameron Crowe, J. Kordosh, and Bill Holdship, who became the final editor of CREEM in the mid-1980s. The magazine moved its base of operations to Los Angeles shortly before its demise.
ADDENDUM:
"Although Bill Holdship was indeed involved with CREEM in the move to Los Angeles, both he and J. Kordosh had already left the magazine before its move to NYC and its demise. Steve Peters and David Sprague, both fine and able CREEM writers, were the last men standing in the original editorial chain that went back to 1969."Robert Matheu, a regular CREEM photographer since 1978, heads up the current online insurrection resurrection with a talented new staff that includes Editor-in-Chief Brian J. Bowe and veteran CREEM alumnus Jeffrey Morgan, who serves as Canadian Editor."
Boy Howdy! --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creem [Mar 2006]
Profile
This legendary rock publication was founded and published by Barry Kramer in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Creem set out to cover the music and cultural scene with style and distinction. It succeeded. Creem certainly had the cream of the country's rock writers: Robert Christgau (who pioneered rating records with A to F ratings, like school report cards), Greil Marcus and Dave Marsh (respected authors, both of Rolling Stone fame), and of course probably the funniest and most prolific rock 'n' roll writer of our time, the late Lester Bangs (if you haven't read his collection of writings, Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, you really should). With all this talent under one banner, Creem really covered the cultural bases. It did in-depth articles on the hottest bands, and star interviews, of course. But there were also penetrating book reviews, record reviews, movie reviews, and "think" pieces. In its later years, two of the more fun features were the one-page Creem profile and Creem Dream. Up and coming artists done in a fun tongue-in-cheek (ripoff of liquor ads) style, including the legendary Boy-Howdy trademark Barry Kramer published Creem until his death in 1981. Kramer had a real sense of humor, and the magazine reported that it killed him. Allegedly, he died in a car with a friend from over inhalation of nitrous oxide (laughing gas). In 1982, it was sold to another company in Los Angeles. It continued to be a fine magazine, , but was never quite the same again. In 1988, Creem ceased publication. It was revived for about 18 months by a new company, Alternative Media, in August of 1990. Over the years, Creem put out scores of special issues and spinoffs, including: Creem Close-Up, Creem Presents, Creem Special Edition, and Creem Rock Shots. Creem -- 1968-88 and 1990-94