STUDIO: Greenwich Entertainment | DIRECTOR: Scott Crawford
RELEASE DATE: Aug. 7, 2020
SPECS: NR | 75 min. | DocumentaryRATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie
Fondly remembered although it hasn’t been in print since 1989, Creem Magazine was a renegade rock-and-roll magazine that harvested great, innovative writing and a devil-may-care attitude congruous to the music it covered. Born in Detroit by publisher Barry Kramer when he was in his late teenage years, Creem, with its trademark logo of a fake beer called Boy Howdy! designed by cartoonist R, Crumb, had a down-and-dirty attitude appropriate to its music coverage, which accented heavy metal, glam-rock, Motown and, later, punk rock, often in the same issue.
In Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine, writer-director Scott Crawford, best known for his 2014 doc Salad Days about Washington, D.C.’s punk scene, crams a lot of info and interviews into a brisk 75-minute running time, expertly mixes an impressive array of new interviews, archival footage and samples from the magazine to cover the publication’s rollercoaster history.
The staff of Creem Magazine in their glory days.
Along with Kramer, who committed suicide at the age of 37, the film elicits commentary from those who were around during the ‘zine’s heyday and those who were so heavily impacted by the magazine’s style that they became rock and rollers themselves.
Writers and editors such as Dave Marsh, Dave DeMartino, Robert Christgau, Greil Marcus, Ed Ward and others offer humorous and often outrageous anecdotes about contributing to Creem, which in its infancy was housed above a head shop on one of the most dangerous corners of the Motor City. Most notable among them is Marsh, a former editor who worked for Rolling Stone after leaving Creem because of his battles with his publisher and their ace writer Lester Bangs, whose unpredictable, drug-and-alcohol-fueled manner caused issues for everyone around him.
Among the roster of rockers interviewed here are Peter Wolf, Suzi Quatro, REM’s Michael Stipe, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss, Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith Group, Chris Stein from Blondie, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Kirk Hammet of Metallica and members of Sonic Youth, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many punk bands.
Adding important anecdotes and insight are writer-director Cameron Crowe, who wrote for Creem; editor Jann Uhelszki, who also co-wrote this doc, and had to tussle with most of the colorful characters we’re introduced to here; and Kramer’s wife, who shared a drug problem with her husband, and son, who actually inherited the magazine when he was 4 ½-years-old.
Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine should satisfy both those familiar with the ‘zine as well as pop culture junkies who may have only heard of its name, which, we’re told was intended as a tribute to publisher Kramer’s favorite band, Cream. The film, which was crowd-funded, received raves at the 2019 South by Southwest Festival, is now streaming on virtual cinemas and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in September.
After viewing it, you may want a swig of Boy Howdy! yourself.
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