December 1970
The firesign theatre is bigger and better than Ralph Williams
Michael Ross
It’s one of those brooding days in Hollywood, where smog and early morning fog vie for attention, and it’s important not to let go, not to give in to the gloom. I watched television all last night, and the car commercials were the most sanity I’ve found in a week, a kind of litany — “buy” — a hum — “Buy” — a primitive om - “BUY” - and on this smoky-colored day, on this head-shaped hill, covered with shabby leaves and a few isolated homes, I’m going to talk to the four players in Firesign Theatre, and just before knocking on the door, I remember that tomorrow’s Halloween.
Dear CREEM: I always knew there was someone you could creem on but I didn't know there was always someone you could shit on.
ROCK AND ROLL NEWS
Presley Flops
LOS ANGELES - Elvis Presley, formerly the king of rock ‘n’ roll has run out of gas. He did two concerts here at the Forum in November and was only a small disappointment at best. The two Saturday concerts grossed an unbelievable $330,000.00 Amerikan greenies.
Cut Yer Hair, Boy!
BESSEMER, Mich. - Gordon Mills, 17, goes to high school every three days, gets his assignments, hands in his homework and then gets thrown out again. It’s been that way since November 10th, simply because Gordon wears his hair a couple inches too long.
No Tommy Film
LONDON — The Who have scrapped plans for the new album they’ve been working on, preferring instead to work towards something that Pete Townshend says others will view as a sequel to Tommy. Four tracks from an album that the band had previously been working on, before producer Kit Lambert came up with the new idea, will probably be out as singles — “Water”, “I Don’t Even Know Myself”, “Postcard” by John Entwhistle and “Now I’m a Farmer”.
Taste Sours
LONDON — Taste has split over bread hassles. Bassist Richie McCracken and drummer John Wilson have refused to work with leader Rory Gallagher, who wished to pay each of them a salary. The split came, “Wilson said, “just before the start of last month’s tour, when Rory demanded that he be given all tour earnings, so he could pay us — seemingly what he felt like paying us.”
Miami Bans Rev., Mother
Woodstock Causes Riot in Greece
ATHENS, Greece — The festival film, Woodstock, precipitated a riot here when it was shown for the first time November 28th. Thousands of youths crowded the street in front of the Palace Theatre, just off Constitution Square (center of the city) ... it was unclear, however, whether, they were trying to jam into the 2,000 capacity filmhouse or whether the incident was a demonstration.
Mime Troupe Seizes Time
DETROIT — Cold fresh breezes of incisive political analyzation have once again blown through muddied movement minds; the San Francisco Mime Troupe has returned. Not a cultural revolution, but the furthering of revolution in the form of culture seems to be their “most important product”.
26 Years Is Not A Long Time
Thiele Center For Jams Set
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — The Robert Thiele Center for Popular Amerikan Music has been set up at the Lawrenceville School here. The center, named for noted record producer and Flying Dutchman owner Bob Thiele (who, at Impulse/ABC produced records with John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, Alice Coltrane, Albert Ayler and others of the most important movers in the field of Black Music in the sixties and has continued with Flying Dutchman) will be a “comprehensive repository and research archive” for data and recordings relevant to all kinds of Amerikan pop music.
Co-op Cooption
TORONTO — Vinny Fusco, who is manager of Lighthouse and Catfish, among others, and partner Larry Magid have formed their own record label, Rock and Roll Records. The label will actually be owned by the artists who record for it, with Fusco and Magid as administrators.
Philly Rock Club Down
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Electric Factory, long this city’s prime outlet for rock and roll entertainment, has shut its doors, for the age-old reasons of legal hassles and dwindling profits. The demise of the Factory leaves Philly with only the Spectrum, a sports arena, for large concerts.
Tucson Ruins Rock Fests
Miami One Sentenced
Danny Sugarman
Jim Morrison was sentenced October 30. It was expected that Jim would receive the maximum sentencing, but the Judge got goodhearted and whacked off 2 months and sentenced Jim to 6 months with a $500.00 fine. But Jim won’t be serving his time for a while yet.
SRC Open Studio
YPSILANTI, Mich. — The legendary SRC (formerly the Scot Richard Case, among other things) have at last opened their recording studio for public use. Morgan Sound is equipped for four track demos only at present though the set-up will eventually include sixteen track capability.
Army Radio Flips Out
FRANKFORT, West Germany — Steve J. Oreskovich, a Spec. 5, had done a one - hour midnight show, “Underground”, which featured progressive rock music for his last year in the Army. But when he was discharged he left behind a final pre-recorded show that aired what has been called "unconventional, anti-military, anti-Viet Nam" remarks.
Sinclair In The Hole
JACKSON, Mich. — John Sinclair, noted dopeo-revolutionary and former rock whiz, has been thrown into the “hole” at Southern Michigan Prison here, allegedly for masterminding a strike which did not begin until he had already been separated from the prison population for a week.
BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS
Evergreen TV
NEW YORK — Evergreen Magazine is the first of the big-time publishers to move into the video-cassette field. The magazine itself, owned by Grove Press, should give an idea of what to expect — hardly the usual video fare. Grove president Barney Rosset says that the video-mag may be as much as five years away but he’s already engaged in talks with major video-cassette manufacturers.
Sly Stone NEVER Cancels!
DETROIT — Sly was due in for a concert November 15th and the word was out that he was gonna show. Not an unusual word, to be sure, save in the case of one Sylvester Stewart. But Sly and The Family Stone, notoriously late and no-show, are always in doubt up to the moment their dynamic presence is felt ... on the stage.
Death Threats to Jackson 5
BUFFAFO, New York — The Jackson Five were forced to cancel a show here on November 27th because of death threats to their lead singer, ten year-old Michael Jackson. Buffalo police said that the threats came from “young gang members” and were phoned into the brother’s hotel room on Thanksgiving evening.
Quicksilver Popped
SAN FRANCISCO — Three members of Quicksilver Messenger Service were busted on possession of dope here recently. It started when The anti-skyjacking device flashed as George Benney walked past it. His first reaction was to split but alas, that was to no avail.
Beach Boys Kick Out The Jams
Jeff Sherwood
LOS ANGELES — The Whiskey A-Go-Go can be the biggest pain in the ass this side of hell, as loud music has seen people resort to the use of ear-plugs. Once in a while, however, loud music is replaced by exceptionally good music and a fine time is had by all.
Carl Wilson vs. The S.S.
LOS ANGELES — A three judge panel is reviewing Beach Boy Carl Wilson’s claim as a conscientious objector. The panel is to rule whether Wilson will serve as a bedpan orderly or perform in U.S. installations, hospitals and prisons over a period of two years “ten days a month”.
Beefheart Beyond Belief
LOS ANGELES — Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band have taken the city by storm and the people don’t know what to do. The Captain and his group played at the Bitter End West early in December and proved once again that the public isn’t ready for their style of entertainment.
Country Joe Cheers Up
PHOENIX — Country Joe has been fined $5000 for leading his “FUCK” Cheer here. The cheer has been de rigeur at C.J. concerts since the appearance of the Woodstock movie. The performance occured at the Phoenix Coliseum, which has an “anti-obscenity” clause which prohibits “the uttering of obscenities or causing others to do so.”
Burdon Curbs the Clap
LOS ANGELES — Eric Burdon, who records for MGM, whose president is Mike Curb, who recently began an anti-drug campaign by announcing that he was dropping eighteen “drug oriented” acts, has begun to evidence his social concern as well. Burdon is out to stamp out the “number one sickness in the world today — VD.”
A Battle of the Bands?
LOS ANGELES — Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids, a group specializing in 1950’s rock ‘n’ roll have challenged Sha Na Na to a battle of the bands. Flash does their music straight, not as a put on, and claim to be real greasers. Flash and group have also composed a rock opera to be called “Tommy Who.”
Panthers Prepare Plea
ANN ARBOR-The three White Panthers charged with bombing the secret CIA offices in Ann Arbor come to rial January 26th. The three (WPP Chairman John Sinclair, Deputy Minister of Education (Detroit Chapter) Jack Forrest, and Minister of Defense Pun Plamondon) are charged with dynamiting an office that they “were not even aware existed before the bombings occurred” according to the WPP.
The Good Reverend Would Have Been Proud
Lisa Robinson
Like Vince Aletti said once when referring to one of his favorite groups, this is going to sound like a fan letter. But I can’t help it. When Aretha Franklin is at her best, and let’s face it — that hasn’t happened a whole lot lately, I cannot imagine that anyone could be better.
In More Ways Than One
Aretha Franklin has surprised almost everyone by taking a vehement stand in the support of Black Panther prisoner of war Angela Davis. Sister Davis is presently fighting extradition from New York to California where she is wanted as an accessory to a murder.
John Sebastian Tied and Dyed
Jeff Sherwood
San Francisco finally ended the group’s existence in 1967. The bust included all of the Spoonful except for John. The guys who were arrested traded names for freedom and things were never the same. In 1967, San Francisco was the place to be and not the place to cop out and they got put down pretty badly.
Features
CREEM INTERVIEW: GRATEFUL DEAD
GRATEFUL DEAD
Like their music, the opinions of the members of the Grateful Dead are both highly individualistic and yet part of a harmonious whole.
Looney Toons
Dave Marsh
What if somebody asked you what CREEM was, I thought...that would make just as good a column as anything else. And I always leave this for the last possible moment so it can be as irrelevant and otherworldly as possible. What I’d like it to be not what it really is, sort of like CREEM itself.
ROCK DIARY
Richard Robinson
Some San Francisco groups grew-up sad, some grew-up glad. Some groups wanted to grow-up to be The Lovin’ Spoonful. The rest, the sad ones, wanted to grow-up to be something strange. Some San Francisco groups grew-up liking the feature film.
We Are Normal And We Want Our Freedom
John Mendelsohn
And Roy is going to write a song about that now. And at six o’clock in the morning after the last session where Richard Olsen was engineer (you play Tom Corbitt this time and I’ll play the space monster but tomorrow I get to play Tom Corbitt and use the ray gun) and Cyril and I in his little Walt Disney sized Volkswagon with Mickey Mouse movies in the door pouches.
SPORTS
R. Meltzer
Could a Dylan comeback matter? Could a Beatle comeback matter? Could a Who comeback matter? Could an Elvis comeback matter? Could a, could a, could a. So aside from a Brian Jones comeback the only one that could matter would be a Cassius Clay (a.k.a. Muhammad Ali) comeback, well he came back (the latter did): Muhammad Ali came back, all the way back for all intents and purposes but not in the record book, and the book counts, but he’s back.
C'EST LA T-VIE
Audie Murphy Jr.
Thanksgiving and Xmas television thrills are at a new low point. You’ve gotta be less than 4 years old in order not to have seen the show at least 2 or 3 times before. Even if you were only 2 the first time it was on it was not past your bedtime cause it was on at 1 o’clock in the afternoon.
FILM
WUSA clearly means to be a big, steaming slice of America 70’s style, a vivid anti-fascism in America melodrama in the tradition of All The King’s Men and A Face in the Crowd. Unfortunately, due to Robert Stone’s wildly slanted script, Stuart Rosenberg’s gaudy direction, and a cast of characters which includes both a heart of gold whore and a crippled newsdealer, what emerges is considerably less distinguished: another big-budget, hate the South movie reminiscent of Sweet Bird of Youth and The Chase.
Dues paying members of the Jazz Crusade We paid OUR Dues.
John Kane
The Lickerish Quartet is the latest film by director Radley Metzger, the man responsible for I, A Woman, Therese and Isabelle, and Camille 2,000. The script for the film is self-consciously earnest and serious, as all pornography must be, but Metzger’s camera movements, his use of color, sound and decor — indeed, his mise-en-scene — is enough to make the mouth of any auteur critic water.
Features
POP AND PIES AND FUN: PART TWO
Lester Bangs
A Program For Mass Liberation in the Form of a Stooges Review Or, Who’s the Fool?
Records
RECORDS
michael ross
JOHN LENNON — PLASTIC ONO BAND — APPLE SW-3372 John: guitar, piano, vocals/Yoko: wind/ Ringo: drums/Klaus Voorman: bass. Produced by John & Yoko and Phil Spector. you just have to feel it, i suppose, the pain in life, that living may just be a dream.