MAIL

MAIL

Please send letters to:

MAIL Dept., CREEM Magazine P.O. Box P-1064, Birmingham, MI 48012

DEAR CREEM

Thank you, Vince Aletti. It’s about time somebody finally put it in plain black and white. Stevie Wonder recorded the two best albums of 1972! Altogether, it was the most pleasing Top Ten list I’ve read anywhere. Cookies, and candy, and the woofer for Mr. Aletti.

Beanbag Lester El Paso, Texas

ALICE VS. GLEASON

This letter is for Billie Marie Gross.. I’m writing it because I was an Alice Cooper fan back when people said “Alice Cooper, who’s she?” I continued to be an Alice Cooper fan through the difficult times when people no longer said “who’s she” but more likely responded with something like “Hey Jake, fetch a rope, we all got us one a them snake lovin purr-verts here.” Even today, despite the fact that I had to kick my way through masses of Donny Osmond graduates to buy Billion Dollar Babies I still enjoy Cooper’s music. I don’t know exactly what has inspired your frenzied hatred of this person, perhaps it’s because you haven’t seen any of his albums reviewed in Reader's Digest. But there is one thing I do know. Despite the fact that you consider A. Cooper to be on a first name basis with rats, when the all-knowing-greatand-wise-god-like Ralph Gleason is long dead, gone, buried and forgotten millions (yes, millions) of people will still be listening to and enjoying A. Cooper, and not giving half a damn whether Mi. Gleason was a so called expert on rock music or a Bolivian goat farmer.

With all the respect you deserve, Doug Devin Edmonton, Alberta

P.S. Just in case this character comes back with a bunch of replies I’ve sent in an order fpr a CREEM subscription, after all I’ll have to know what nasty things are being said about me.

CREEM is the greatest magazine, but I have one question. Why the hell 75 cents? But I have a great idea. If you drop a few of your writers like Lester Bangs, R. Christgau, B. Edmonds, B. Wilson, E. Ward, well to make it shortfall the people listed under STAFF, then maybe you could lower the price.

Penniless Bum Westfield, N. J.

Thank you for being one of the few, if not the only, “Rock” magazines in existence that believe in, or even believe that there are any bands that make less than $10,000 a night. Believe it or not, Rolling Stone, there are some that are talented.

Gary Richrath R.E.O. Speedwagon

MARC VS. MARK

After seeing the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar, which was/ is a neato movie, I gotta tell you the guy who played Herod was a shabby imitation of Mark Volman; the original would’ve been a gas. Speaking of imitations, Marc Bolan also does a pretty fair Mark Volman on stage.

Fang Warren, Mich.

I just got done laughing all the way through July’s issue, and I just gotta say, Lester’s done it again. Your article on Lou Reed was great. As for that nine year old, kick ’im one in the ass for me, Bangs! He sounds too much like my little brother.

Love ’n’ Peace, George Dearborn, Mi.

P.S. Today my mom picked your rag up and looked at it. She told me not to buy it, but I’m gonna anyway.

REED KEED

Lou Reed is about the slickest he-chick in the business and he even puts on his lipstick evenly. Big deal if Lovely Lou dribbles and dabbles' his way through some of his lyrics? Halzey, Desouza and Dharma break up the monotony with their orgasmic boogie-beat drumming making Buddy Rich sound like one of those Teddy bears that when wound up start tapping on a little tom-tomr

Mike Ronson and his sexy Thunder Thighs gives the guy with the erection on the back cover all the more reason and let’s not forget David Bowie’s voluptuous vocal backings. (My what a pleasant surprise!)

As we all know, Ravishing Reed is Mother Nature’s son just Takin’ a Walk on the Wild Side. Oh by the way, if Lou’s a “mama’s boy,” mama is probably just as glad as me that ol’ Lou baby is out of his closet — once and for all.

Debbi Bayside, N.Y.

DEAF MOOT

For all its absurdity, the world and its arrangement is a cabaret; Lou Reed, therefore, advocates apathy and pessimism. If you listen to his words, you may catch something you don’t want to hear. Lou reaches the Id that Freud only conjectured about. He’ll shoot for your mainline and make you feel guilty with the awareness that life becomes real and oftentimes dull when you decide to face yourself. Lou Reed is the deaf-mute in the telephone booth observing the patterns and symmetry of the traditional weekender’s life and that of the drag-queen’s, and then words to convey to his audience the real words to donvey to his audience the real nature of their perverted neuroses and psychoses, the latter being what the American Psychological Association terms “normal.” His lack of communication with jnost results from the audience’s former brainwashing and conditioning to believe only what they are told and not what they see for themselves or experience through others. -

Lou, himself, houses a myriad 'of paradoxes; he makes use of all the angles and false identities in life, only to later recostume himself in the realization of mourning black, when all the nonsense has been discarded. His lethargy is a result of an acquired knowledge of what the world is like as a planned script. It’s too insane to refine oneself to enter a world of animal etiquette, so Lou walks right through you and talks to no one. The world is a parody on itself and he is a parody on the concept of Lou Reed: Rock Star, trying to make it.

The irony and sardonic humour in his leather fantasy frame against a backdrop of faceless white light-white heati gives one the impression of a new Satan who knows better, or at least more. Lou Reed is like a black-out, an eclipse that turns the light out on “The Blissfully Normal Heterosuburbanite Weekender On His Own.” Lou is tired of Lou for giving in, just a little, to the Arrangement. And aren’t you a little tired of yourself? As a psychological frontiersman, he will create for you a savagely objective vision of yourself and allow you to walk into its shadow, shuttering all the while from the effects of his frighteningly familiar introspection. For what it’s worth, Lou Reed baits you, and you go for it. And yet you won t admit that he reaches you and, unfortunately, you have to learn from a fool. Well. . . zzzzZZZZzzzz. . . Bang Bang Lester, Bang Bang. Huh.

Alison R. Sundgren Smith College Northampton, Mass.

WHY LOU'S FAT

Any old deaf mute can tell you that the only reason Lou. Reed’s let his figure go is. that he intends to step into the wrestling boots of the tragically suspended Killer Karl Kox. Whatta patriot the tunester is! He could call himself “Rock” Reed, in deference to his old profession. He could wear his usual leather, so no expensive outlay there. And Bowie and the Hemingway of rock ’n’ roll could be a tag team. 01* Ernie himself was considered overweight and past it but he showed ’em, writing a prime, novel at a ripe old age... You oughta get Edgar Cayce to do an article dealing with whether the spirit of Ernest Hemingway has possessed Lou Reed. We’ll know for sure if Lou takes up bullfighting. But I doubt he’s gonna come out with an album about fishing as who fishes in N.Y. and who’d buy it except Hemingway and he’s dead but he shot himself, he didn’t do it with a fish hook. So Lou oughta do an album about hunting.

Ypur friend, Waldo Jeffers Durham, N.C.

CALE FAN FLIPS

WITH GRACIOUS TENACITY THIS LEAF IS CALLED UPON TO EMBRUE WHAT MY SAGACIOUS PEN HATH SUFFERED FORTH. BLESS YOU AND BLESS YOU

SOME MORE FOR THE ENIGMATICALLY SOIGNE “BEIRUT.”

Catherine Nemeth N.Y., N.Y.

P.S. When shall those in preparation be readily tangible?

OSMONDOBENDO

I don’t think this' is fair!!! In 16 magazine they don’t say anything bad about Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath or anything like that. But in CREEM they say the Osmonds are fags! It’s not TRUE!!!! I don’t think that is FAHU

Your enemy, A.D.

P.S. It’s not FAIR!!!

(Look, if it was good enough for William Shakespeare. .. Ed.)

KNEELS TO CASSIDY

This is in reference to your “Letter From Britain - June 1973.” Simon Frith is full of crap. He says that David Cassidy is “plainvoiced, no range of tone or emotion - just sings too loud and too close to the mike.” For your damn information, David sings with great tone/better than Mick Jagger, on his solo albums, and he sings with a lot of emotion. Try listening to “Ricky’s Tune” on the “Cherish” album, or “Song for a Rainy Day” and “2 Time Loser” on the “Rock Me Baby” album. You’ll find that his solo music is pretty damn good.

Also, your Mr. Frith insinuates that David is some kind of farce foisted on the public by some middle aged moneymakers, and that he’s really weird or strange. But he isn’t as lame as some people think, believe me, I know, and I think Simon Frith should take a long look at himself, before he starts criticising others. And I ain’t no 17 year old teenybopper either. I like other superstars too, like Alice Cooper and Elton John, but I really, really dig David Cassidy. And if people don’t like that, tough on them.

Toni White walker Roselle, N.J.

P.S. David ain’t anything like Donny Osmond, either.

WHIT?.IS MITE r -

Twice in the last five months you have featured albinos on your cover. It’s not that I don’t find albinos delightful. (In fact, albinos are never wrong - they’re always white.) I’m just sick of looking at them.

It’s too bad that the noted songwriter/ singer Paul (The Dwarf) Williams isn’t an albino, he’d be on the cover too - I’ll bet lots of people could get off on a good picture of ah albino dwarf.

Steve Klein Tucson, Ariz.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

I have a very serious thing to ask you. Your answer will either kill me or put an ease on my heart and mind, depending on the answer.

I recently flew from Shreveport to Baton Rouge to New Orleans on to Puerto Rico. When we boarded the jet at New Orleans, a guy sat next to me and he looked EXACTLY like Edgar Winter. His hair was to his shoulders and he had a beard. I started to ask him if he was Edgar Winter but I chickened out cause I though Edgar had long hair like Johnny. Then I saw a pic of Edgar in an issue of CREEM and he had shoulder length hair (like the guy).

What I would like to know is, did Edgar Winter fly from New Orleans, La., to San Juan, P.R. on a Delta flight on June 3?

If the answer is yes, I may kill myself for not speaking to him, and if it is no, I will be half glad and half sad.

Jackie Mewborn Donee, Puerto Rico 1

(Edgar never had a beard, but Nick Gravenites was on that flight. - Ed.)

You know the pictures of Alice Cooper in the June ’73 issue in the article about Alice’s New Show? I saw Alice in Madison Square Garden June 3 and even though I had kind of bad teats it looked like those pictures came from that concert. Were they? Alice is outrageous live.

Mad Lisa Edison, New Jersey

P.S. Is it true that Alice Cooper changed his name because he is Lester Bangs’ brother? '

(1. Yep, it was Madison Square; 2. Nope, Alice changed his name because it sounded better than Murray Nagel. - Ed.)

FOUR SEASONS EAT OUT

Two things yoy left out of your excellent article on the Four Seasons. First — the flip of “Rag Doll” is the most maudlin song ever recorded It’s called “No Surfin’ Today” and it’s this guy telling everyone how his surfer girl wiped out yesterday and her dead body is probably still lurking just under the surface, so therefore - no surfin’ today.

The other thing was the restaurant thing. I grew up in Old Tappan, New Jersey (a middle-to-upper suburb) and in 1967 or thereabouts, the Four Seasons bought and opened a restaurant there. It went under so fast some people in town didn’t even know it had been there. But the boys remodeled it and opened it again with a Polynesian decor and food. This time it did a little better but folded after some months. Old Tappan was successfully supporting two other restaurants at the time and still is. So the reason had to be that the upright citizens figured these four greasy Italian rock ’n’ rollers had to have Mafioso connections and there was an unspoken boycott going on.

Love, Carolyn Chicago, Ill.

GREGSHAWVINISM

Quick, quick. Ask your fashion and trend editor, Greg “Dash” Shaw what this week’s musical trend is. Some friends have a band that practices every Saturday afternoon in Levkovitz’s garage, and they’ll sure like to get in on “what’s happening now.” And “Dash” Shaw listens to so many 45’s each week, he’ll just have to know.

Frankly I can’t believe that Shaw’s so hung up on transient trends. I’ll meet him on the other side when he realizes that “Little Willie” by Sweet is useless, and-the Raspberries will go out as fast as they came in. Greg, gimme a call when ya crash. You can come over, and. we’ll listen to some Dead and some Weather Report. Be sure and call me now.

Your friend, Cary Baker Chicago, Ill.

END OF AN ERA

Thanx to the value now placed on punk-rock, a copy of The Seeds Live now costs 75 cents at the local 2nd hand bin where “Pushin’ Too Hard” was going for 25 cents just a half a year ago. What is this? Is nothing worthless? We can’t go on like this. Are you to blame?

Behind the djrt, Ginger Snaps Dugout, S.D.

P.S. Is that a quick fart cut at rh£ end of Sparks’ “Wonder Girl”?

JEALOUS?

While reading your July issue, I realized what a bunch of crap this whole Rock & Roll set up is. It’s just as much a farce as anything else. Who CARES, for God sakes, what Marc' Bolan’s philosophy of life is or what Lou Reed has to say about music or what Alice Cooper wore to. some ego trip party? Don’t you think it’s kind of futile to try and base a whole magazine on that kind of stuff? Van Morrison and Taj Mahal are the only legitimate musicians in the field. So what’s the need of messing around with all these other schmucks? One more thing - tell your hip readers to keep sending in those funny letters. They’re really getting inventive with their fellatio jokes.

Extremely sincerely, The Creature from 20,000 Fathoms Texas

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14.

MAIL CHAUVINISM

yer letters part of the magazine is the only worthwhile part so why don’t you expand it until it covers almost the whole issue... if music is for the people anyway, why not let the people have a full issue, excepting ads and mastheads and other things that make the paper run, to bask in and reflect upon their glory. Coz long live the record buying public say I, only a pen and one year - more or less - in school education systems separates them from the like of you and me.

Mike Friederman

Los Angeles, Calif.

MELTZER M.R.?

Recently, we were forwarded a copy of a paragraph from a column entitled “Wide World of Spuzz” by R. Meltzer, found in Volume 4, No. 10.

Our instant outrage upon reading this column gradually turned to one of sincere pity. Mr. Meltzer is obviously living in abysmal ignorance about individuals who are mentally retarded.

It is hard to believe that in this day and age anyone with a scrap of intelligence would still be referring to the mentally handicapped in such archaic terms.

We Ure sure that Mr. Meltzer meant no malice in his remarks about the Special Olympic Program which has helped so many of our youngsters find some joy in competetive achievement.

We in the field of retardation have been trying to erase such terminology as applied to the retarded for years. We hope that Mr. Meltzer will try to help us by remembering when he writes about the retarded in the future that they are people too, and have feelings the same as everyone else.

Nathalie Lawler DiBella

New Jersey State Director

Special Olympics

Raritan Valley Unit

New Jersey Association for Retarded Children, Inc.