Creem to crush trees once again:

When Creem relaunches on newsstands next year, the rock magazine hopes to bring back the sarcastic wit and intelligent, observant voice that Creem CEO/publisher Robert Matheu says has been lost in much of today's national consumer music magazines.

In an exclusive interview with Billboard.com, Matheu revealed details of the relaunch of Creem, which is expected to publish about 10 issues per year.

"We're probably going to get a lot of abuse," laughed Matheu when talking about bringing back the humorously irreverent attitude that Creem was known for in its heyday. "Some publicists and record company people may not like what we have to say about some artists, but those are the people who won't get what Creem is all about."

Creem has undergone several incarnations: The magazine launched in 1969, went out of business in 1988, was revived in 1990 and published until 1994. It became an Internet-only publication in 2001.

....During the 1970s, the magazine was responsible for nurturing the careers of notable rock writers such as Lester Bangs and Cameron Crowe (news) and photographers like Neal Preston and Ebet Roberts. Crowe's experiences with Bangs and Creem were featured in Crowe's Oscar-winning 2000 movie "Almost Famous."

Creem also was a pioneer in giving many artists early coverage in a U.S. national consumer magazine. Those acts include Kiss, Led Zeppelin, the Clash, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith (news - web sites), the Stooges, Van Halen, the Ramones and Ted Nugent (news). Matheu was part of Creem's history as a writer and photographer, and he vows to keep the spirit of the old Creem alive in the new incarnation. [Billboard]

I loved Creem in my youth, but I loved Rolling Stone too. My super cool friend Jaan Uhelszki was an editor there in the '70s - her onstage with KISS story is classic. I'll have to talk to her about all this. Can Detroit be "Rock City" once again? Can time warp? I'm getting a headache.