More than three decades after it was last printed, this iconic rock ‘n’ roll magazine has been born again.
Launched in 1969 from an abandoned Detroit bank, CREEM made a name for itself as an underground editorial project that may have taken place before suspending production in 1989. Now, 33 years later, “America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine” is back with a single. Fresh print editions, as well as a newly available digital collection – and big plans to become your own entertainment company.
Revival is the passion product of JJ Kramer, son of the late Barry Kramer, the founder of the magazine.
“When CREEM ceased publication in 1989, it left a vast void that was never filled, although many people have tried,” JJ told The Post. “That’s why the return of Cream is so important; its unapologetic and wickedly funny sensibilities have been missed by fans and bands alike. As the news begins to spread, the reaction has been nothing short of overwhelming.”
Subscriptions for CREEM 2.0 launched online on June 1, with the first quarter expected to drop. The revived countercultural brand seeks to bring its readers’ content from “established writers and photographers to up-and-coming new voices, and even random meme lords found online” to its revived, subscription-only print magazines. promises, according to a press release.
For a digital collection of 228 issues and 69,000 photographs, it includes the “definitive” writings of the likes of Lester Bangs, Cameron Crowe, Patti Smith, Grael Marcus, Dave Marsh, Robert Christgau and Jan Uhelzki – all “first available” 30 Over the years.” The collection still embraces the magazine’s memorable mascot, “Boy Howdy!”—Designed by underground artist Robert Crumb.
The collection is publicly accessible with a 30-day free trial offer through August, after which it will go free with a print subscription.
And looking ahead, the brand has a comprehensive plan to start a media empire under its name, which includes concerts, podcasts and perhaps a TV show, the Detroit Free Press reported.
According to the release, the push to relaunch this year was heavily inspired by a 2020 documentary about the Detroit-born mag that, at its peak, had a circulation of more than 250,000—only country music for Rolling Stone. Second in publications.
“Cream was a place where I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself,” Cream’s editor Jan Uhelszky told Rolling Stone after news of the relaunch. “All of the early employees desperately finding their way to a three-story old bank building in downtown Detroit, like we were eligible in ‘The Close Encounters of the Third Kind,’ needed to come together to understand that we Why was making your mashed potatoes into lol on the cover of Led Zeppelin—being obsessed with the five-note musical sequence. Not the same.”
