A to Z, December 22, 2008
May the Creepy Crawl Rest in Peace
Thanks for the memories: Grand Center will surely crumble now ["The Creepy Crawl is Closing," Annie Zaleski]. I guess it sucks that it is closing, but honestly, who gave a fuck after it moved? Nothing got booked anymore, and it was sterilized. This is not Mississippi Nights closing. I used to long for Mississippi Nights to reopen, but venues are a time and a place, not a name. Creepy Crawl 1.0 was great, this place was not.
Some memorable shows I saw at Creepy Crawl 1.0: Eagles of Death Metal with the Giraffes; Kasabian, with a stadium light show; Serena Maneesh; the Burning Brides. RIP Creepy Crawl.
Pete E. Parisi, via the Internet
Hamburger helper: Yeah, I've got a lot of Creepy Crawl 1 memories: Guitar Wolf; (International) Noise Conspiracy; the Strike/Odd Numbers; the Briefs; Moral Crux; Nomeansno and Dillinger Four's Paddy doing a headstand in a vomit-and-piss-filled toilet; and exactly one Creepy Crawl 2 memory: Neil Hamburger.
Jason Toon, via the Internet
Closing was inevitable: I think everyone kind of assumed it was just a matter of time after the move happened. Standout shows I saw at the old Crawl: Guitar Wolf; Shonen Knife; Greenhornes (the last show with Brian Olive, featuring an onstage brawl and everything!); Captured by Robots; Dillinger Four (I was also there for Paddy's filthy-toilet headstand); Shattermask.
Matt Picker, via the Internet
Creepy No. 2 was no Creepy No. 1: Creepy Crawl 2.0 wasn't what it could have been. It's a shame because Jeff's totally a swell dude. A bunch of 1.0, but a few 2.0 mammories: the Dirtbombs; the Detroit Cobras; the Von Bondies; the Riverboat Gamblers.
But I guess those bands would have been impressive anywhere they played.
Jason Potter, via the Internet
Fond memories of toothless hoosiers: It's obvious that the old location, of course, had a different vibe than the new place. The layers of flyers and grime each told a story about a bit of time and fun. Creepy managed to create a real word-of-mouth equal to that of the Outhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, as the place to play in the Midwest for touring bands. Once the name was ripped from that building it really never could be the same. I'm not sure that any attempt was made to make it the same, other than the bands that were booked there after the move. I had a lot of fun at Creepy, even when the shows blew beyond belief, as toothless hoosiers growled from the stage about Satan and Busch beer. The second floor was the scene of a lot of fun, too, but those are other stories. The best shows there off the top of my head would be discovering Grade, Wretch Like Me and Dead Lazlo's Place over a couple of months in late 1998. Beyond that, the best shows were: The Dragons, Hot Water Music, UK Subs (Come on, I have to list that one, right?), Chargers St. Gang, Riverboat Gamblers, Bad Brains, GBH — and that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure I could think of ten more if I tried. Anyway, it's a shame to see it go but I'm afraid it had already gone.
Tim, via the Internet
Cutting the Mustard: Ahh, what the heck, I'll chime in about CC 1.0. I never even went inside CC 2.0, sadly (or...not?). I'll always be grateful to Jeff for giving Mustardfish a chance, and letting me set up shows here and there, when nobody else gave a darn! Memorable times at Creepy Crawl 1.0 — keeping in mind I never went there before, say, the year 2000 — included: Erase Errata, Arab on Radar, Lightning Bolt, the Flying Luttenbachers and the Locust. For what it's worth, to this day I've probably played there as much as or more than anyplace else, with various outfits. RIP!
Pancake Master, via the Internet
Same as it ever was: Reading many of the above comments, I wonder if one contributing factor to the Creepy Crawl's demise is that the new place "wasn't the same" as the old one. Forced nostalgia can't be the only reason for the Creepy Crawl's closure, since it appears to be following in the footsteps of other musical venues closing shop. But if there's so much of a cry for how great the old Creepy Crawl was, that may mean that the new one was never given a chance.
Stannate, via the Internet
