Creem

Creem
Title	Creem
Frequency	Monthly
Category	Music magazine
Firstdate	1969
Finaldate	1989
Country	United States
Based	Detroit, Michigan
Language	English

Creem Creem was an American music magazine founded in 1969 in Detroit that became influential in rock journalism, punk reportage, and pop culture commentary. The publication was noted for irreverent tone, extensive coverage of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Iggy Pop and regional music scenes including Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City. With ties to figures from Motown sessions to punk venues like CBGB, Creem helped shape perceptions of artists ranging from Bruce Springsteen to The Stooges and Patti Smith.

History

Creem was launched by writers and editors linked to Detroit's music milieu, emerging alongside institutions such as Ann Arbor's festival circuit and labels like Chess Records and Motown Records. Early coverage intersected with the careers of performers who recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. and producers from Atlantic Records and Capitol Records. In the 1970s the magazine expanded its reach to national scenes, covering tours by The Who, festivals like Monterey Pop Festival alumni reunions, and the rise of new acts influenced by MC5, Bob Seger, and Grand Funk Railroad. Ownership disputes and moves to cities including New York City influenced editorial direction, while legal and financial challenges echoed cases involving magazines such as Rolling Stone and publishers tied to New York Magazine. By the late 1980s shifting advertising models, competition from publications like NME and transformations in the music industry around MTV precipitated declines culminating in a cessation of regular print issues.

Editorial and Contributors

Creem's masthead featured a mix of regional critics, record producers, radio personalities, and cultural commentators. Contributors included writers who also worked with Rolling Stone, Spin, and regional outlets in Detroit Free Press and The Village Voice. Notable voices covered artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Carlos Santana, Tom Petty, The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Clash, Sex Pistols, and Blondie. Editors cultivated relationships with managers from Swan Song Records and publicists associated with Columbia Records and Warner Bros. Records. Photographers and illustrators contributed imagery linked to tours at venues like Madison Square Garden and Fillmore East, while interviews often included producers like Phil Spector and session musicians who recorded at studios such as Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.

Music Coverage and Influence

Creem covered mainstream and underground currents, profiling acts from Queen to Black Sabbath and championing proto-punk artists like The Stooges and The MC5. The magazine chronicled movements including glam rock associated with Marc Bolan and T. Rex, hard rock led by Aerosmith and Kiss, punk scenes in London and New York City featuring The Damned and Television', and emerging alternative bands later associated with Grunge figures such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Features often connected live performances at Isle of Wight Festival, studio breakthroughs at Abbey Road Studios, and industry shifts driven by executives at CBS Records and EMI. Creem's reviews, columns, and campaign-style pieces influenced DJs at stations like WNEW-FM and WBCN, record-store proprietors in Seattle and Chicago, and tastemakers at record labels including Sub Pop and Sire Records.

Design and Visual Style

Creem's pages combined bold typography, irreverent cartoons, and candid photography documenting backstage scenes, recording sessions, and live concerts. Visual contributors included photographers who also shot album covers for artists such as Fleetwood Mac and The Doors and illustrators whose work paralleled layouts found in Mad and National Lampoon. The magazine's aesthetic connected to poster art from promoters like Bill Graham and merchandise sold at venues like The Roxy Theatre. Issues often featured striking covers with photography reminiscent of sessions at Sun Studio and art direction referencing pop-art movements tied to galleries in Chelsea, Manhattan.

Controversies and Criticism

Creem's provocative tone and satirical pieces sparked disputes with artists, managers, and record labels including conflicts analogous to public spats involving Prince and media outlets, or legal fights reminiscent of those faced by Rolling Stone over defamation claims. The magazine published candid, sometimes caustic profiles of stars such as Mick Jagger and David Bowie that provoked public rebuttals and contractual pushback from promoters at venues like Madison Square Garden. Internal controversies included disagreements among founders and ownership battles paralleling corporate disputes at publications like Time Inc. and Condé Nast. Critics accused Creem of sensationalism in features about scenes like punk in London and hardcore in Los Angeles, while defenders cited investigative pieces that exposed backstage realities involving tour managers and label executives at companies like Arista Records.

Legacy and Cultural Impact

Creem's legacy appears in later publications, documentaries, and anthologies that examine rock history and music journalism. The magazine influenced cultural narratives about artists from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Iggy Pop and Patti Smith, and its style informed writers who later authored books on figures such as John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Bruce Springsteen, and Prince. Archive material has been cited in exhibits at institutions like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museums focused on 20th-century American culture and has been used in oral histories featuring managers and promoters from SRO Productions to independent labels like Rough Trade. Creem's impact endures in podcasts, college courses on journalism at universities including University of Michigan and New York University, and retrospectives that draw connections to contemporary music criticism across outlets from Pitchfork to The Guardian.

Category:Music magazines