It isn't just an ownership issue.
The Creem book falsifies the magazine's history; most of the key figures, including me, appear as incidental while a bizarre rewriting favors marginal figures. Jeffrey Morgan, presented as an editor writing a memoir, in fact was a freelancer, who never lived in Michigan or worked in the Creem office.
Matheu skulked around trying to get "Friendly" with me last spring, claiming no ulterior purpose. He never mentioned a book. In the end, never even consulted the people who made the magazine (I suppose, IF he owns the rights, he has the right to do that with work for hire, though it's obviously a dumb move considering who he's dealing with--we're not people who are reluctant to wage a fight to its finish), he didn't clear permissions with freelancers and others whose work Creem owned only on a print and first re-use basis (the first re-use mostly used up long, long ago), the articles are poorly selected...the book is a catastrophe unless you're interested in obliterating the truth. And not only is Matheu remiss, but Harper Collins utter failure to do anything like due diligence is also infuriating. Had they done the least bit of work, all this including the ownership issue would have come clear and what should have happened would have happened: No book by these clowns.
Anyone who has read the briefs of both side would reasonably expect that this is a summary judgment case, not in the current proprietor's favor.
Please do not buy this book. Getting it out of print is the only way to get a good book published. It'll still take years, probably.-- Dave Marsh
It isn't just an ownership issue.
The Creem book falsifies the magazine's history; most of the key figures, including me, appear as incidental while a bizarre rewriting favors marginal figures. Jeffrey Morgan, presented as an editor writing a memoir, in fact was a freelancer, who never lived in Michigan or worked in the Creem office.
Matheu skulked around trying to get "Friendly" with me last spring, claiming no ulterior purpose. He never mentioned a book. In the end, never even consulted the people who made the magazine (I suppose, IF he owns the rights, he has the right to do that with work for hire, though it's obviously a dumb move considering who he's dealing with--we're not people who are reluctant to wage a fight to its finish), he didn't clear permissions with freelancers and others whose work Creem owned only on a print and first re-use basis (the first re-use mostly used up long, long ago), the articles are poorly selected...the book is a catastrophe unless you're interested in obliterating the truth. And not only is Matheu remiss, but Harper Collins utter failure to do anything like due diligence is also infuriating. Had they done the least bit of work, all this including the ownership issue would have come clear and what should have happened would have happened: No book by these clowns.
Anyone who has read the briefs of both side would reasonably expect that this is a summary judgment case, not in the current proprietor's favor.
Please do not buy this book. Getting it out of print is the only way to get a good book published. It'll still take years, probably.-- Dave Marsh