August 1980
Creem Profiles
BOB SEGER
(Pronounced “Boy Howdy!”)
Creem CONTENTS
Since CREEM is the last rock magazine I would expect to say anything good about Linda Ronstadt (not that other rock rags, like The New York Rolling Stone, are that crazy about her), I approached your review of her Mad Love LP with more-than-a-little dread.
CHRISTGAU CONSUMER GUIDE
Robert Christgau
At around the time of “Mother Popcorn” in 1969, James Brown began to concern himself more and more exclusively with rhythmic distinctions, thus leaving himself ever more open to the all-sounds the-same complaints he’d always been subject to.
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL NEWS
Unbelievable but true: famed Christian Bobby Dylan has pulled out all the stops for his next LP, according to recent concert reports. Not only Burning Bush-head’s new one be called Saved (for what, you ask?)featured tracks will resportedly include the soon-to-be-a-standard “Ain’t Gonna Go To Hell For Nobody,” in which, we presume, the fervent feister responds to critical suggestions as to where he should do more recording.
Angels From Down Under
Rick Johnson
NEW YORK-Wham, bam, thank you ma’am! Angel City grind out the kind of classic rock ’n’ roll set that leaves one shaking at New York’s Great Gildersleeves, a bar whare drunken surburban longhairs and neighborhood bikers usually soak up their nightly dosage of crotch-banging local heavymetal acts.
THE LORD GIVETH WHILE THE CRAMPS TAKETH AWAY
John Mendelssohn
Just up from the shore of every port city in the English-speaking world, there is a movie house that shows horror films around the clock. Drunken sailors on their last few hours of shore leave stagger into it, over the supine, often unconscious forms of local derelicts, winos and general reprobates, in hopes of being frightened back into something resembling sobriety before they return to their ships.
JOE PERRY PROJECT TAKES OFF
Dave Zimmer
Heaven may not look anything like the darkened, seedy, cement-floored Keystone nightclub in Berkeley, California, but Joe Perry, former lead guitarist and writing force in Aerosmith, isn’t complaining. Slouching down next to his striking wife, Elissa, on a plastic-covered couch in the sparsely furnished Keystone dressing room, Joe peers out from behind long curtains of black hair and there isn’t a trace of the patented Aerosmith scowl or lip pout.
Features
THE PUBLIC IMAGE HAS CRACKED
Jeff Hays
Just before John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) flew off to the USA for his recent set of dates with Public Image Ltd. (PiL), I had a chance to visit him at his flat, near punk’s old stomping ground, the Kings Road area of London.
GANG OF FOUR FACE THE CAPITALIST THREAT
Dave DiMartino
It seems funny now that I thought the Gang Of Four might be an “unpleasant” interview.
IRON COOKIES FROM ISLAND NATIONS
Penny Valentine
My friend Nigel looked at the queue winding its way two blocks round the Rainbow Theatre and made his pronouncement: “Bored punks who never got into real New Wave, lost rockers and new young hippies.” The crowd—over 80% male, looked pretty ordinary to me.
WARREN ZEVON: LIFE IN THE MENTAL COMBAT ZONE
Toby Goldstein
“This is a .44 magnum revolver...do I have five or six bullets left...Are you feelin’ lucky tonight, PUNK?”
Rock ‘n’ Roll Calendar
CALENDAR
WHEN WORSE COMES TO WORST
Edouard Dauphin
Late March. The Dauphin is sitting around the office of Nick D., film distributor. Just another afternoon on Eighth Avenue. The Dauph’s red-rimmed eyes travel the walls of the neatly appointed room, taking in posters of the movies Nick has foistered upon an unsuspecting public.
Reasons To Be Fearful, Part Two
Edouard Dauphin
Do you suffer from triskaidekaphobia? No, you dope, that doesn’t mean you’re afraid of hors d’oeuvre crackers—it means you’ve got an irrational fear of the number 13 and if that’s the case, you’d better steer clear of Sean Cunningham’s Friday The 13th, a new horror film that not only tries to shock you but may actually cause physical damage to your person.
Confessions of a FILM FOX
Greetings all you celluloid junkies and welcome back to the show that never bends... Dustin Hoffman will marry Lisa Gottsegen, 24, this summer. Aren’t you excited? We’re sure ole Dusty is, because his fiance is 18 years his junior... Dopes in Rio de Janeiro shelled out $55 apiece at a carnival just to look at the lovely Bianca Jagger?
Life In The Slow Lane And Fun In The Food Chain
J. Kordosh
Summertime’s in full swing, and there’s no reason you should be denied your barbeque fun this season. Barbequeing is relatively safe, cheap, and easy...in other words, it’s the antithesis of America’s other fun activity, taking drugs. So put those hypnotics back in the medicine cabinet and let’s gear up for a grilling good time!
Features
THE PRETENDERS STOP OUR SOBBING
Susan Whitall
Chrissie don’t ya talk so loud.
Extension Chords
THE VK-1: A VOLCANO ERUPTS
Allen Hester
I have decided after careful deliberation to call this organ the volcano in tribute to the incredible sound of the bass register of this instrument.
CREEM DREEM
PAUL McCARTNEY
AUTHORIZED SERVICE SWINDLES
Richard Robinson
Scenario A: At your local audio store you buy a stereo amplifier. When you get it home and plug it in, it doesn’t work. You take it back to the store, where the salesman tells you it isn’t his problem, that you must return your new broken amp to the manufacturer who will, no doubt, fix it free of charge in a month or two.
MOVING STARES
Richard C. Walls
I suppose Graham Parker’s gonna break through this year. It’s pretty inevitable. Following three years of critical acclaim and public obscurity on Mercury Records, he debuted last year on Arista with Squeezing Out Sparks, garnering more critical raves and making a healthy if brief apppearance on the charts.
ROCK A RAMA
Richard Riegel, Billy Altman, and Richard C. Walls.
THE STRAND (Island)::When pop groups function as little more than fifth columns for the tired ideals of their old-technology producers, the benefits are decidedly mixed. I suppose the Knack can be seen as Mike Chapman’s revenge on America for not embracing his Sweet, Mud, etc., way back when, but at least the Knack sound good on the radio.
Backstage
BACKSTAGE
Where the Stars Tank Up & Let Their Images Down