LETTERS

LETTERS

Mail Dept., CREEM Magazine, P.O. Box 131869, Los Angeles, CA 90093

GUY CANT WRITE EITHER

I just read the review of the soundtrack album from the film Athens, GAI Inside-Out. As producer of both the film and the album I have read many reviews of both running the gamut from very positive to extremely negative (with around 80% being positive and 20% negative). This is, however, the first review that really pissed me off.

I have learned to live with the fact that the world is full of both moronic and negative individuals (and that many of them head for careers as critics, ironically enough) but rarely have I come across someone whose writing was so mean-spirited.

Richard Riegel spent most of his print space attacking one band out of the eight that were on the album and one small paragraph explaining that he enjoyed four other bands very much.

Not only that, he points out that he never liked the featured band on the album (R.E.M.), which makes me wonder what kind of idiot editor gave this guy the album in the first place. What next, Lawrence Welk reviews by someone who loves Megadeth and vice versa?

A review like this one is also very scary since it gives the junior Hitlers of the world another argument for forced sterilization of certain members of society (critics, lawyers, French people). Then again, maybe this isn’t such a bad idea.

Very Truly Yours,

William Cody Los Angeles, CA

(However, it’s more important to be nice—Ed.)

THIS CHARMING COVER

Well, you finally did it. You forced me to admit something I never thought I would: CREEM is the hippest, bravest and most indisputably wonderful magazine since the demise of Trouser Press\ Why, it seems only a couple of years ago me and my friends used to amuse ourselves by writing vicious letters of hatred regarding your disturbing tendency to glorify no-talent heavy metal bands and their ilk while ignoring the bands that really mattered. We never actually sent the letters because we thought that you, like radio and Rolling Stone, were immutably stuck in the mire of public opinion. Lately, however, reading CREEM has been absolute blissl I never thought CREEM would put Robert Smith or that most wonderful of songwriters, Robyn Hitchcock, on the cover.

After the mammoth shock of seeing Mr. Hitchcock on the cover I told my friend, “Just wait—they’ll put Morrissey on the cover in a few months.” She just scoffed at the suggestion, so you can imagine my ill-disguised delight when I showed her the cover of the July issue with that most handsome and charming of lead singers and his wonderful cohort, Johnny Marr, of the greatest band in the world. Now she’s a believer too!

Keep up the wonderful work! Continue to make me feel guilty for those letters never sent! Give me something to live for! By the way, I promise to subscribe as soon as I find myself a job.

Angie Larson

Marysville, CA

THIS ONE NEEDS A HEAD!

A cover story on the Smiths?! Old Satan must be freezing his ass off, and it’s about time. Congratulations on a smart move.

Your magazine has surprised me a couple of times but this one’s definitely the best one yet. I’ve been a Smiths fan since early ’85 and been disapointed with the coverage of the group, but this one is great. I hope to see ’em again, soon and more frequently in the future. Maybe some other people will begin to take notice of them—maybe even “the charts’’ (though Billboard and the like have never had very good taste!) will too.

Dave Stalhuth

Millville, NJ

PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIAL I was wondering if you little sweetpeas (Bill ’n’ J.) would do me a favor. See, your mag has introduced me to such groovy artists as R.E.M., the Replacements, Peter Case and Robyn Hitchcock, and I’ve liked what I read about them enough to buy some of their albums (I’ve got every R.E.M. and Mats record, by the way). Anyway, I’ve also read about other people in CREEM, like the Velvet Underground, the Byrds and Big Star. Unfortunately, I’m practically broke (guess I’ll have to get another job someday), so I can’t go out and buy a bunch of albums by all these groups. Here’s where the favor comes in: would you two print what you feel are the best records those three groups released? I know it’s probably hard to choose, but go ahead and try, won’t you? You’ll probably get a kick out of deciding if the Velvet Underground And Nico beats out White Light/White Heat or whatever. Laurel

St. Louis, MO

(It’s a good question. Try these for starters: the Byrds, either the Greatest Hits LPs or Sweetheart Of The Rodeo; the Velvet Underground, Loaded or White Light/White Heat; and Big Star, either Big Star 3 or Pleased To Meet Me.—Ed.)

GILBERT O’SULLIVAN NEWS WITHHELD

For the last three years, you have omitted Brian Wilson’s birthdate from your June calendar.

I hope you-will correct this glaring oversight. Now that you are based in California, you will need to* know this important date: June 20, 1942.

Claire

Harrisburg, PA

THIRD BULL RUN

Tom Petty sounds like a real douchebag. First he criticizes R.E.M. because they said he was an asshole for using the Confederate flag. Then he says after he saw the KKK using it, he decided it wasn’t so cool after all. So what he’s saying is that R.E.M. was right, right? Listen, Tom, you may not mean anything racist by using a Confederate flag, but to someone black that comes off looking pretty fucking distasteful. Just like some heavy metal punk might think he’s being cool by wearing a swastika—I don’t think if his relatives got gassed by the Nazis he’d still think so. Anyway, Petty, if you don’t want people to think you’re a redneck asshole, stop acting like one. Besides, R.E.M.’s not only 10 times better than Tom Petty and his hacks could ever hope to be, they’re smart enough to know that the South doesn’t have to perpetuate its redneck image with Confederate flags. And one more thing, Petty: if you don’t drive, why’d you have to fix the brakes on your car?

Bruce Dammers

Westfield, NJ

YOO WHO?

I have liked Gene Loves Jezebel for an extremely long time and for them to say “We are rational heterosexuals” (to that effect) as quoted in your June issue had me rolling on the floor in a fit of hilarious laughing! Please! These two sing about sleeping with their mother (“Upstairs” from their Promise LP) and their own incestuous relationships. Heterosexual? Please don’t make me regurgitate my spinach lasagna.

Sheila Greene

New York City, NY (What about our sacred oath?—Ed.)

CAPTION OF YORE FINALLY PAYS OFF!

I used to buy CREEM Magazine back in the early-to-mid-’70s when I was an Elton John fanatic. I always thought you fellows were funny, if a bit harsh in your reviews in an effort to be cute. Well, the fanaticism died (there were real guys in college that had hairy chests and made me crazy) and I eventually dumped my shitload of Elton John stuff into the dumpster. (I had no idea that there were people out there who would’ve paid me money for that stuff!)

Anyway, it gets to be 1987, and I’m a truly crazed “collector” of the Stray Cats, and I start stumbling across clippings on the Stray Cats in their heyday. And the ones from CREEM absolutely kill me! The photo captions are my favorite in general—and there is one that is truly inspired!! It’s a picture of Brian Setzer onstage and the caption reads: “Throw that tasty fish already! We seals be hungry!” Of course, you’d have to see the picture that goes with it to understand why that’s funny, but I thought it was hysterical! I chuckle to myself even now, thinking about it.

So, I may be almost 29 years old, but I’m certainly not mature (thank God) and I want to subscribe to CREEM. You fellows tickle my funny bone. Here’s my $22 for a year.

Lisa Kemper

Buffalo Grove, IL

P.S.: The thing that makes you good is that when you insult the people I like,

I still think it’s funny!

P.P.S.: Why don’t you say “America’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll Magazine” anymore?

I remember that one from the ’70s! Say hey to Boy Howdy for me!