MAIL

MAIL

IS MUSIC JOURNALISM DEAD?!

April 30, 2024

Hi CREEM Magazine,

Is music journalism dying? I'm a current journalism student worried I'm about to enter a jobless field. As of January 2024, Spotify, YouTube, Universal Music, Tidal, Bandcamp, and Amazon Music all announced layoffs. In addition, Pitchfork got merged with GQ and Soundcloud is up for sale. Please give me hope. What’s your take on the future of music? Is there a future? If it can’t be CREEM, where are the other flannel-wearing punks who wanna write flocking to?!

All the best,

Maxx Goodman

Considering that it took us a year to respond to this, we’d say music journalists are just very busy! —Ed.

CRUISE SHIP DECOR

Hello from Miami III

Lotsa cool CREEM with photos by Bob

Gruen III

TGIF

Bob Cat

Did we approve this? Someone get Little Steven’s Underground Garage Rock Cruise lawyer on the line! —Ed.

A GOOD PROMO IDEA

1984. I think I got the shirt free with a subscription.

Jessica Walker

The ice cream cone looks like a butt. —Ed.

DEPARTMENT OF SUBMISSIONS

Hello,

My name is Brier Whitley, and I am a 9th Grade student in New York. I would like to see if you would like to publish my article in your magazine. I’ve noticed that the magazine is more focused on Heavier Rock, but my article is about Meat Loaf, and I would just like to see if you guys would be interested.

Get back to me when you can.

Thanks,

Brier Whitley

Come on now, Brier, Meat Loaf IS on the heavier side of rock! —Ed.

CUNTRY & WESTERN MUSIC FUCKS

To all those posers talking shit on the country music issue:

If your noses weren’t so obtusely directed at the sky you’d take the time to listen to some real fine country and western music that could help you understand that there are beautiful songwriters in every genre.

See JJ. Cale, John Prine, Willie, Jerry Jeff, Waylon Jennings, et al. at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Double Peg Legy

UPDATE ON KAYLA’S HUSBAND’S CAR

Hello!

I’m just writing to let you all know I greatly appreciate the bumper sticker replacement mailed to me! For those who don’t know, I got a Honk If You Read CREEM bumper sticker, then promptly got in a fender bender, and it was the only sticker to get taken off, which broke my very spirit! However, my loving wife contacted CREEM and you all mailed me a replacement (and a replacement for the replacement, just in case haha). Thank you once more! Enclosed is a picture of my (repaired) car with the CREEM bumper sticker back where it belongs! Long live CREEM, and long live the CREEM-mobile™!!!

Your pal,

Robbie Papenfus

Robbie, stop lying to us. We have the receipts. Your Volcom, Sub Pop, Jenkem, and Razorcake stickers got taken off as well (see photo below), as did the Supreme sticker that was in the photo your wife sent us. —Ed.

Please send letters to: Mail Department CREEM Magazine 1525 N Alvarado St #261009 Los Angeles, CA 90026

Or, if you’re lazy: mail@creem.com

We’ll be seeing you and Iggy at CBGB Fest in September! —Ed.

TOKYO SCENE REPORT

Hi, I subscribed to your fabulous archive and am already laughing my head off.

In other news, I went off to see the honorable Ignatius Popoff at Tokyo Garden Theater this eve.

I say I say, that boy’s got ants in his pants or somethin’. Did he throw himself into the audience? Toss the mike stand across the stage? Shake his booty? Was he up there, let’s be honest — dying for our sins? Yes yes yes!

And unlike say, the circus of GNR or the Stones, it was just the band. Two guitars playing through Fender twins and one (1) extra cab, not a wall of fake Marshalls, a bassist with an Ampeg, drummer with one rack tom. And the two horn players and guy on keys were part of the band, notjust for display.

Even for Iggy, it was stripped down. No video screens. No retrospective photos. Just -the band.

And that guy with no shirt on up there barking, howling, and, yes, doing some mighty

fine singing too, fighting his own body, fighting nature with both fists.

So it was superfab on pretty much every level. Iggy delivers.

So maybe that’s why there was no encore. Maybe he just feels he’s let it all out.

But I dunno, Tokyo fans kinda just assume... the band will do an encore, like it’s part of the job. And the Igster feeds off the audience.

My only complaint is he didn't play longer, and while the band sounded hot, the songs could’ve been looser, more spontaneous. Iggy’s done some great recent shows where he just conducts the band like James Brown, stretching things out, carrying the crowd along with him.

That didn’t really happen this time. It was more bam bam bam -here’s the hits. But again, I suspect Tokyo may be to blame. See enough foreign acts come here and you notice a pattern: Lots just phone it in. Iggy didn’t do that, but, but. well...

Final diagnosis: Punk

-Mungo Dobbie, Tokyo, Japan

JAAN MAI

Young lady, I must say the new creem is the best rock magazine I’ve read in the last 10 years. Thanks for sending me the copy with my Maynard interview.

Gene Simmons

Were there even rock magazines 10 years ago? —Ed.

DISAPPOINTING THE SIZE QUEENS

I love your large size!

Don’t ever change the size of the magazine! I love the size of the articles and pictures are great! I think it’s perfect!

Vic

South Lake Tahoe California

CREEM folks,

Let me get this straight. Ed claims to be clumsy. Callye claims to be too weak to hold a big magazine, is cheap, and thinks the price is going down now. Miro needs more dietary fiber. So the rest of us, who have loved CREEM just as it is from the beginning (ok, I didn’t subscribe immediately, but two years ago - and I bought all the back issues), get less for our money. No more huge photos on a single page. Measurably less "stuff” (16 extra pages doesn’t make up for cutting the size so drastically).

How come so many decision makers only ever seem to listen to people who are conventional thinking grey suit killjoys? Here’s to rock ‘n’ roll, but maybe pay less attention to sticks in the mud.

With disappointment but not anger,

Matt

Matt, we appreciate you directing your ire to the appropriate parties. Did we mention there’s a box set for the first 10 issues? Available at creem.com. —Ed.