Am I the only one old enough to remember Creem Magazine? (A rock saga)
Back in the day of Rolling Stone and National Lampoon there was one magazine I never did without. By 1972 Creem was the bastard stepbrother of RR and ran strictly rock and roll articles, interviews, and rock humor. I still have a couple issues laying around somewhere.
It's an interesting back story how the founder died of a drug overdose in '79 and left the magazine to his 4 year old preschool son. As guardian and self appointed CFO his widow sold the title in 1981. The son swore he'd get the magazine back one day... and he did..
That means it's back in print after 30+ years, but one has to subscribe at $79 for a year. No news stands (what's that?) or single issues That's four issues. Four. $20 each for a magazine about something fewer people care about anymore.
I'd have to be an idiot to pay that, even for the best rock & roll magazine ever. I'd have to be ridiculously starved for the nostalgia of an era when rock ruled and we was cool. It would take a complete disregard for the value of a dollar to cough up that much money for a format long ago put to rest.
I should be getting the first issue in a couple days, but I'm not lending them out anymore like I did with the last ones. I even got the tee shirt.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Creem, which billed itself as “America’s only rock ‘n’ roll magazine” during two decades of existence that ended in 1989, is being revived this month.
The return is a remarkable story of persistence by J.J. Kramer, who was bequeathed the magazine at age 4 upon the death of his father, founder Barry Kramer. It will reappear during far different times, with a marketing plan that the late writer Lester Bangs or makers of the fake “Boy Howdy” beer could hardly conceive of.
The first new issue, a glossy quarterly, is due out in September and only available to people who spend $79 for a subscription.
Founded in Detroit, Creem was the impish, slightly rude younger brother of Rolling Stone. The name was an intentional misspelling of the rock band Cream, one of the first editor’s favorites.
Though known best for Motown soul, Detroit was also a rock ‘n’ roll hotbed with artists like MC5, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Mitch Ryder and Bob Seger. Hard rocking bands, and then the onslaught of punk, provided the magazine’s backbone in its 1970s heyday.
Creem was an incubator of writing talent like Dave Marsh, Robert Christgau, Lisa Robinson, Cameron Crowe and Greil Marcus.
Continued here:
https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-7e7957cd5253549fb03569e67e62eb22?fbclid=IwAR0xzXcpSGcQfQRrxHLte4VmZqeapydS8sx7O4Z60nZdGFvadgJvQd6TsKI
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However I don't think I ever saw CREEM on the newstand. It must have been a regional thing.
Of course, there was no internet then. If you couldn't buy the printed version, you were out of luck.
I also remember reading Greil Marcus' many awesome articles. I was in my early 20s then, and it was the first time I ever got interested in political commentaries/essays. It's probably what started me down the liberal path in those days.
Never had any subscriptions but they were easy to find in a big city when they had enough articles w bands I loved, or one majorly dedicated to one of several favorite bands.
Unlike maybe some of you (or not) I believe there is great music in every decade.
But then in '74/'75 I started hearing about CBGB's, all the punk bands through several great DJs, and The Village Voice. Besides Punk Magazine there was my favorite...
New York Rocker
of which I am proud to say I contributed 2 major illustrations (B&W drawings). One was printed very small, but it was my own photo of the artist that I drew from. The other 🥰 ran a half page!
I did a few more small little doodles. And 1 photo for sure.
So I was in and out of their office a bunch of times between '79 - '81 or so.
And I won the Rock Photo Contest for Rock Scene Mag back in ?77 or so.
With a great photo of The Who at the end of their Forest Hills Tennis Stdm 7/31/71 WN Tour concert. 👍
Some fabulous, great times!
Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels was the first band me, my sis, and my cousin [plus my mom who took us - we were 12, 13 (my cuz), 8 (my sis) ] who were the openers for The Animals.
Before we even saw The Beatles.