October 1978

MAIL

THE MINNOW WOULD BE LOST After careful study and investigation, I have come to the conclusion THAT, Mrs. Howell (a.k.a. "Lovey" from fave T.V. show Gilligan's Island) is in real life...Blondie's mother (a.k.a. Debbie Harry)!!!! While drinking a six-pack and watching T.V. the other day, "Lovey" was singing "You Need Us" with Ginger and Mary Ann as back-ups.

CHRISTGAU CONSUMER GUIDE

Robert Christgau

THE ALPHA BAND: "The Statue Makers Of Hollywood" (Arista):: I'm told that my man J. H. Burnett is a born-again Christian, which must be why he feels so strongly about money changers and temples. Nonbelievers consider him shrill, but I find something sweet and reflective right beneath his cool, caustic self-righteousness.

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Backstage at the London theatre where E vita is playing: Ingrid Bergman, who popped in to see her fave David Essen, (Dave's appearing as Che Guevara). Also ligging it in the dressing room: Dylan. Still another "rock" flick to watch for: The Illustrated George Carlin, which will feature taped concert footage, animated segments and brief vignettes filmed in the studio.

THE BEAT GOES ON

DALLAS, TX—July One in the Cotton Bowl. Hotter'n the devil's bowels after a fire-storm meal of 4-alarm chili spiked with jalapeno peppers. In excess (appropriately) of 75,000 gathered at the Texxas World Music Festival for 15 hours of predominantly metal-tinged acts: Van Halen, Walter Egan, Eddie Money, Head East, Journey, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Heart, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, and Mahogany Rush.

Creem Profiles

JOURNEY

(Pronounced “Boy Howdy!”)

STARSHIP DISASTER!

Andy McConnell

The Starship arrived in Germany, by train, on Friday, June 16. Behind them stood a successful five-week U.S. tour and a chart-riding album. Their first European tour in eight years had opened positively with a well-received show in Amsterdam.

Features

TODD RUNDGREN MEETS CAPTAIN VIDEO

Kevin Doyle

It's been a good summer for Todd Rundgren.

STONES GET MOSSED!

Rick Johnson

Letter From Britain

Diary Of A Nobody

Simon Frith

Well I certainly was wrong about this one.

Features

LAWDAMERCY, SPRINGSTEEN SAVES!

Robert Duncan

You can’t save everybody but you gotta try.

Rewire Yourself

Basement Basic: The Home Studio

Bill Kanner

Within the last few years a new classification has been born in the audio field—semi-pro.

THE KINKS LIVE FROM SURVIVAL CENTRAL

Michael Davis

Well, they've survived another one. Another tour. How many does that make? I dunno—forgot to ask 'em that. Enough. Forget the late 60's when they couldn't cross the Atlantic for various obscure reasons. In the 70's, they've criss-crossed these 50 states enough times to get their points across.

TRAMPING THE CELT BELT WITH THIN LIZZY

Richard Riegel

So I've journeyed 4000 miles across the sea, made my pilgrimage to the cradle of the modern rock 'n' roll era, just to come home to . . . America?

Extension Chords

The NAMM Report

Allen Hester

Each summer, amid the heat and clamor of Chicago's convention center, McCormick Place, the National Association of Music Merchants [NAMM] holds its annual showing of wares.

Eleganza

Let My People Dance

Susan Whitall

The week started badly when Mitch Ryder, visiting to distract us from deadline, opined over his beer that James Brown had created disco years ago.

Stars Cars

GEORGE CLINTON

Creemedia

The Genes You Save May Be Your Own

Dave Newberger

The following is a verbatim transcript of our patient Meadow Girl's reaction to the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

DRIVE-IN SATURDAY

Edouard Dauphin

In The Swarm, zillions of killer bees try to wipe out the entire state of Texas—a worthy project if I ever heard one. The bees specialize in stinging people to a horrible death and they hail from Africa. That Idi Amin—what a kidder. The Swarm comes to us from the people who brought us The Towering Inferno and then apparently forgot how to make a movie.

Confession of a FILM FOX

While we Northerners are busy raking up the leaves, Robert Stigwood continues to rake in the dough from Grease and his latest talent showcase (and we use the word with great caution) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Generous Mr. S. spared no expense to fly in the press corps for a gawdy ('scuse us—gala) premier weekend, which included parties, press conferences, parties, special screenings and parties.

BROTHER ZIM’S TRAVELING SALVATION SHOW

j. m. bridgewater

Some several years ago, during a period after New Morning and before Nixon's second election, a Mexican-Irish tattoo artist and fragile backroad belle who was difficult to define and harder to look at became lovers of a strange and severe degree.

THE CARTERS SHALL RISE AGAIN

MAD PECK

ROCK • A • RAMA

Billy Altman

LORI LIEBERMAN—Letting Go (Millenium):: The big number here is "Jingle," which chronicles Lori's failed audition to become the voice that sings the Burger King anthem. She doesn't get the job because she can't imitate any famous singers, and it's pretty ironic that she found this strange.

Backstage

BACKSTAGE

Where the Stars Tank Up & Let Their Imaqes Down

CONTENTS