Boy Howdy, indeed! A documentary about the legendarily raucous Detroit-born rock ‘n’ roll magazine Creem will open the sixth annual Freep Film Festival.…
Boy Howdy, indeed!
A documentary about the legendarily raucous Detroit-born rock ‘n’ roll magazine Creem will open the sixth annual Freep Film Festival. “Boy Howdy! The Story of Creem Magazine” will make its Michigan premiere on April 10 at the Fillmore Detroit.
An irreverent competitor to magazines like Rolling Stone, Creem was born in Detroit’s Cass Corridor in the late ’60s and became a booming voice by the mid-’70s with its gritty, biting and often humorous approach to covering acts like Kiss, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Bob Seger, Patti Smith and many more.
Directed by Scott Crawford and produced by JJ Kramer (the son of magazine founder Barry Kramer), the film features vintage footage and photographs and contemporary interviews with stars the magazine covered (Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Peter Wolf) and musicians who were influenced by its approach (Michael Stipe of R. E. M., Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers). It’s a story rich with influential journalism (writers like Dave Marsh, Lester Bangs and Jaan Uhelszki), office backbiting, excessive partying and ultimately tragedy. Uhelszki is also a writer and producer on the film, and Wayne Kramer (MC5) composed original music for it.
