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

SO WHERE’S OUR ROYALTIES?

That’s right: in January, PolyGram will be re-issuing The Velvet Underground And Nico, White Light/White Heat, and The Velvet Underground in newly remastered form, and a new collection of Velvets rarities. And, in a very real (tho not legally binding) sense, it’s all your fault.

GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Cap’n KouRAGEIess

Springfield, VA

RICHIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

CREEM magazine and writer Richard Riegel were actually mentioned by Casey Kasem on American Top 40, aired on December 2 (about a Pat Benatar article awhile back)! And to think that only two months ago Richard put ol’ Casey down in “Media Cool.”

Archie

Memphis, TN

NO MORE STYX TRYX!

I am a Styx fan and I hate rock critics. If I had a gun I’d go out and shoot every single one of them, but I don’t have a gun so I have to use my fingernails.

I was extremely surprised and pleased when I began to read Dave DiMartino’s (what a dumb name) review of their live video. Although I must admit I was beginning to believe he was getting a bit carried away. Everything was going fine until I got to that last sentence. The one that said, “Incidentally, have I told you that I’m mentally retarded?” To say the very least, I was pissed off. I wouldn’t have cared too much if you had just said they suck right off. As a Styx fan I’m used to that shit from rock critics. But you had to go and make fools out of Styx and all their fans. You’ll be sorry.

Incidentally, Mr. DiMartino, have I told you that you’re on my hit list (or should I say “scratch list”)?

Kristy G. (a.k.a. “The Finger”)

Avilla, IN

ANOTHER D0KKEN LETTER!

I have been disappointed in “CREEM!” You haven’t featured very much on “Van Halen” in the past six issues. I hope you’ll feature them more, especially since I just started a subscription and they’re my favorite group.

I hope you’ll have a feature story on them, especially “Eddie Van Halen.” He is the best guitarist and I wish you’d stop putting “Valerie” down as an actress! She’s a terrific actress!

They’re the #1 band. Stop wasting space on no-talents like “Twisted Sister” and “Motley Crue.” I know they have fans, too, and want to read about them, but stop ignoring the best band around—“VAN HALEN.” They have more talent than all the other bands put together.

Susan Bone

Somerville, IN

(OK, but can we quote “you"?—Ed.)

GETTING OUR TWO CENTS IN

Here I sit, idly watching my little brother eat his crayons and lo and behold, I glance over at the MTV Countdown and it has Survivor on. Big wow, huh? Well, what makes this almost interesting is that in this video they are in a bookstore and there are three guys, see, and one is reading some magazine called Hardcore, the second is reading CREEM and the third is looking at a centerfold. What next? But the real question is: how much did you pay them?

Sex Person

Antville, Forbidden Zone

HE’P!

I would like to introduce “SecondWind,” the cleaning and deodorizing product designed especially for athletic shoes.

Athletic shoes are used under more severe conditions than regular shoes and should be cleaned periodically to keep them fresh and help prevent the possibility of foot odor or athlete’s foot.

SecondWind’s scientifically designed formula kills harmful bacterial build up and removes packed-in dirt yet is gentle to shoe materials.

It is the first athletic shoe cleaner that has been specially formulated to safely clean the entire shoe, inside and out, including the laces and sidewalls plus it deodorizes shoes.

Because of the above, any mention you give this new product in your editorial section would be appreciated.

Thank you.

W.A. Blythe Pico Rivera, CA

LETTER OF IMPORT!

...yes, it’s a letter from Colombia (not Columbia). I write especially to say that Colombia is not a country full of pot; we are nice people and you are responsibles [sic] of our situation. In regard to music I like the Clash, the Alarm, Simple Minds, Payolas and U2. Here in Colombia, heavy metal is a passion (I hate it) and groups like Ratt, Motley Crue, Accept, Judas Priest and AC/DC are worshipped. Hey! That’s not so different than USA. I like the sense of humor in your magazine and I always try to get it, even if it’s very hard and very expensive (five dollars or more).

Martin Diaz

Bucaramanga, Santander

Colombia

South America

(At least it’s a switch for a Colombian to be complaining about the price of America’s finest.—Ed.)

WELL, IT’S LIKE THIS...

An honest-to-God article on the dB’s! Almost a feature article, even! Far freaking out!

I know you guys are cool enough to like the dB’s, but I was beginning to think I was NEVER gonna see anything more than album reviews. One question, though—howcum their name was way down at the bottom of the cover, in the little type usually reserved for album reviews and CREEM s Profiles? You ve got the guts to write about ’em, why not give ’em some of that precious cover space normally reserved for Motley Crue or David Bowie? They didn’t even warrent an exclamation mark!?!

Oh well—you did the article, so I guess that’s what counts. Now how about more undeservedly obscure pop people? A Mitch Easter retrospective, maybe, or something on the Scottish pop scene (the Bluebells haven’t made it past Rock-a-Rama yet). Fit it in between Billy Squier updates and making fun of Loverboy, maybe.

Enough for now, but give us more issues like January (Springsteen interview and Patty Smyth pix; what more could a red-blooded Canajan boy ask for?).

A regular reader keepin’ the faith in the North,

Doug J. Brown

Vancouver, B.C.

Canada

CHECKERED FLAG FOR THE SOAP BOX DERBY?

In view of certain recent events involving Vince Neil (kneel) Wharton of Motley Crue, I was wondering if you had any plans to run an updated “Cars of the Stars” item on him. You know, something that graphically depicts the logical results of some heavy metal theory when applied to the public at large.

It doesn’t really concern me that Vince or anybody else has to get fucked-up to have a good time. I think that should be everybody's right. It does concern me that he, like many other people, thinks that it’s OK to drive around in that condition. We’re no longer talking about his rights, we’re talking about everybody’s right NOT to have him driving around like that.

I suppose his late passenger made some sort of decision that it was OK to ride with Vince; at least he had some choice. The passenger in the oncoming car made no such choice. She’s in a coma.

I don’t mean to imply that this is in any way limited to heavy metal bands, polka bands or any other group, but I do hope that some of the metalheads who look up to Vince Neil can now see the connection between stupid behavior and tragic results.

OK, so he’ll have to live with the results of his mistake, but somebody else had to die, and somebody else is in a coma.

I hope you at CREEM will take the opportunity to do a bit of anti-drunk-driving propaganda. The readers you save may be your own.

I don’t really expect you to print this, but if you do, feel free to delete “fucked-up” from paragraph two and substitute the euphemism of your choice. I’ll pack up my soap box and leave quietly.

Robert Marker

Santa Monica, CA

AR0THER LEFT-HANDED RASTA COMPLIMENT

Whilst perusing your January 1985 ish, I took notice of a photograph on page 20 showing Mr. Springsteen playing his guitar left-handed and— on the very next page—a snapshot of the aforementioned minstrel strumming his instrument right-handed.

Boy, oh boy. That Springsteen is one talented guy.

Warren Kinsella

Calgary, Alberta

Canada