New Creem Documentary Tells Story Of Cass Corridor’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Bible

In Detroit’s Cass Corridor in 1969, a magazine was born that would rattle the foundations of music journalism at the time.

In Detroit’s Cass Corridor in 1969, a magazine was born that would rattle the foundations of music journalism at the time.

“Barry was known for being a capitalist. He ran a head shop and record store in Detroit’s Cass Corridor, that’s where Creem was born.” — Jerilyn Jordan, Metro Times

Creem was founded by Barry Kramer and counts rock legend, Lester Bangs, as one of its founding writers.

“Barry was known for being a capitalist,” writer Jerilyn Jordan says. “He ran a head shop and record store in Detroit’s Cass Corridor, that’s where Creem was born.”

Jordan wrote about the magazine’s nearly mythological history for this week’s Metro Times.

The magazine challenged accepted traditions of writing about music and interviewing rock’s biggest stars. It’s also credited with helping change rock music with how it brought artists like Alice Cooper and the MC5 to national attention.

Last year the documentary “Boy Howdy” premiered at the Freep Film Fest, but a new revisioning of the film is being released this Friday online, produced by JJ Kramer, Barry Kramer’s son, directed by Scott Crawford, and co-written by original Creem writer Jaan Uhelszki. The film contains new interviews and a new edit.

Click on the player above to Metro Times Jerilyn Jordan on Creem and it’s legacy in music journalism.


Watch: “Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘N Roll Magazine” Official Trailer

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Author

  • Amanda LeClaire
    Amanda LeClaire is an award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. She’s a founding producer of WDET’s flagship news talk show Detroit Today, and a former host/reporter for Arizona Public Media. Amanda is also an artist, certified intuitive and energy healer, and professional tarot reader.