July 30, 2024 • 43 mins
For the third glorious time on this podcast, Brian sits down with his good friend, Creed Bratton. But this time, he’s not speaking to the actor, but to the rock star Creed, about touring across Africa, his first invitation to the Playboy Mansion, and his best album yet, Tao Pop - out this September.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
So cut to the next morning, and as God is
my witness, is exactly what happened. I'm at my pension
and I look up and there's my liver sitting in
a chair having a cup of coffee, waiting to get
back in my body. Oh God, so bad, so feeling
so horrible. And then I look over on the table
(00:22):
and there's the tablecloth from the night before and all
these names, Troy, whatever, lamps, things all crossed out, and
then there's it's a whole bunch of them. Then one
circled with little stars around it said Creed Bratton, and
I went, oh, that's my new name. Hi. I'm Creed
(00:46):
Bratton and I played Creed Bratton on the Office. I'm
also a lot of different names to creditors, but I
don't want to get into that right now.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Hi, there, foe. Welcome back to another episode of Off
the Beat. It's me Brian Baumgartner today. Well, my guest
is a very good friend of mine, as you just heard,
Creed Bratton back once again for his third time on
this podcast. But as ever, Creed has more to tell.
(01:21):
Creed has lived many, many, many lives, almost nine, but
not quite his first one. Well, he was a rock
star in the sixties, touring the world with his band
The Grassroots. Before you ever heard of him, in fact,
probably before you were even born, he already had multiple
(01:41):
Billboard Top ten hits and two gold records. Creed also
has a long solo career, with his tenth solo album
coming out this September. In fact, you've already heard some
of his music today are Theme, Bubble and Squeak, written
and performed by Creed Breton. And yeah, I forgot he
(02:03):
was also in the office with me as well, But
we already recorded two episodes where we talk about that
a lot. You can go back and listen to those,
in fact you should, But this time I wanted to
go deeper into his music career, learn how he managed
to become well a legend in both music and acting,
(02:23):
and hopefully hear more of his absolutely insane stories that
may or may not be true. Folks, if you have
never seen Creed Breton live on stage, I say only this,
do it. It's worth it. I have known the man
for twenty years and I have still barely cracked the surface.
(02:45):
Here he is one more hour for you listeners to
get to know the man. The myth, the legend, the
most interesting man in the world, the man who well,
here he is Creed Breton, Bubble and Squeak.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I love it, Bubble and Squeak. I know Bubble and Squeak.
I could get every month lift over from the ninetyople.
(03:30):
How's it going good, Buddy's good to see you.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
It's so good to see you. We communicated recently without
seeing each other. I thought that, uh, I, for those
of you listening, some of you may know I no
longer live in Los Angeles proper. And I was up
in Los Angeles doing some work for the new book
(03:54):
coming out, and someone suggested that I go into a
coffee shop. I'd never been there for it was delicious, yep.
So I walk in. The guy starts chatting with me,
and you know, I'm like, okay, well he knows who
I am. It's fine. And then he stops and goes,
you know, Creed comes in here every morning, and I
(04:14):
was like, what wait, what were you serious? And he goes, yeah,
Creed comes in every day, gets his coffee, sits and
reads the paper or whatever. And so I made the guy.
They they they had the old school post it notes
where they write down your coffee order. So I took
a post it note and I said, I'm gonna I'm
not going to contact Creed. I want you to give
(04:36):
him this post it note the next time he comes in.
Sure Enough, a day later, I get I get a
text message from Creed that he got my post it note.
That was so fun.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I loved that it was. It was a great grade.
Wasn't it really a prank? It was just a great
little bit. I walk in there and they're beaming. Uh,
it's his name, Raymond and Faye, they work in there,
and they said, they look at each other giddy. They said,
somebody came in yesterday and got something for you. Said,
what are you talking about? They look like for you
(05:06):
and they have at this little piece of paper, and
I started laughing. Oh my god, it was a great
great yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
You know what. It just occurred to me, Now, I
should have I should have at least bought your coffee.
I should have should at least I should have at
least pre bought your coffee. That would have been, That
would have been, that would have been nicer.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
You've done plenty of things. See who you are? Just
you know, when you just said he done. Steve's laugh
was enough for all all of humanity to make us
laugh for all time. Oh boy, Uh.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
It's great. It's great to see you. Now, you've been
here on the podcast before. Today we're going to talk.
We're going to talk music. I know you got a
new album coming out, new single just released on July nineteenth,
So I want to talk about your music career because look,
Creed is not just a television star. Creed is a
(06:03):
is a music musical star. What does that even mean?
He's a rock star, He's he was a star before
decades before you had you had ever seen him on
the office. You grew up in a in a small
town up there by Yosemite. Yes, but your your mom,
(06:26):
your grandparents, they were very musical, right, so did they
give you this, uh, the love of music? They introduced
you to music early on.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Absolutely. My my grandparents. My grandmother played drums, okay, and
my grandfather they had a band called the Happy Timers.
They were semi professional at Long Beach in the summer,
I go down and I spend the summer with them,
and I listened to them play all these country and
western the swing, mostly country swing, and but on I
grew up listening watching my mom play mandolin, and she
(06:58):
was gifted. She was gifted. She put her head back
and just whale. So I played trumpet from a young age.
I listened to a little Crystal set to b Mitchell
Reid from Los Angeles, and I knew somebody as would
come in depending on the weather and other times you
couldn't hear, but I'd hear all Fats Domino, Everly Brothers,
(07:20):
Jerry Lee Lewis, all the all the old fifties stuff,
you know, Eddie Cochran, and I just in Dwayne Eddie.
I love and I love this stuff. So I got
a guitar at a young age thirteen, which is some
people now are starting really really young, you know. But
but that was my first guitar. I played trumpet for
(07:41):
years through call, through high school and stuff, and then
by time seventeen, I'd figured out enough to start working
professionally at this band. And then I played played in
college at band it's dances and stuff on the weekends
to make money. And after college, after Europe with a
folk trio for over two years. That you know this story. Yeah,
(08:02):
Then the grassroots, the kids, their great grandparents will know
this band that I was in. We had Lift for
Today and Midnight Confessions to our two top ten songs.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
So but before all that I read that you you
I don't think I knew this that you actually went
to college for acting.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yes, yeah, and then I'm a major.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
So this is like, so we're going back and forth
here and this, I mean, this is the first time
we're going. So you wanted to be an actor, yes,
but you were you were working professionally as a musician
to help make money, yes, yes, And so why did
you choose the right path? Not the right path? But
you have two paths. You could go and continue pursuing
(08:49):
acting or music. Why why did you go toward music?
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I never picked one, Bryan. It was just whatever whatever
came it catches catch can. I played the music. I
acted when I could get in a play. Was in
LA and you know, it was doing stage stuff and
you know, then got an agent. That's how it started.
Like most people, you know, so he pick sees you
and put you in some stuff.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
When you when you were in the Young Californians how
old were you then, mid twenties, mid twenties, and so
how how did that? How did that group initially come together.
These were these were people that you knew.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Uh No, I had been well. I had a friend
of mine. I paid his boat ticket or we got
a freighter out of New Orleans, came into Venice, and
then he left because he he was couldn't he missed
his girlfriend. He was worried about that somebody else was
going to get her, so as the guys do, and
so he I was by myself, and my plan was
(09:46):
to go to uh enroll in the Good Institute in
Munich in German. Why I would learn German, Bryant. It
was one of the most hardiest artist language possible. Spanish
would be a French would have been easier, right, German.
So that's what I'm making it really rough on myself.
I'm coming one day and I was working the electronics factory,
waiting for the season to start, you know, the sessions
(10:08):
to start at school. And I was making money, and
I had some money put away there and I was
learnning a little German. And I came up to pick
up my mail at the America Express and there's two
guys there, Greg Fitzpatrick on acoustic guitar and Lee Zimmerman
on banjo, he's a banjo that he made himself, homemade banjo.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
He made a banjo.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
He made a banjo from scratch. You know, people can
people can do this, not me, not you, but people
can do this. So I heard them. They're playing Green Green,
Green Green, and it's the new Christy Minschel song and
uh and I went okay, and they said. They looked
at me, and I said, you know, can I show
you something? And I took the guitar and went, do
(10:47):
do do do? I played the riff for him, so
just just a free ratification. That's how I didn't say
that because I was too stupid to say that. But
then but I showed him, but they went, oh you
you play? I said, well yeah, and they said and
they told me we're going to go down to Africa
and hitch I can play and you know, make money
and do stuff like this. They were making money at
(11:08):
the Octoberfest. So I could have stayed on and done
the school, but I stayed away almost all night long
with this, in that eleventh hour of the soul kind
of thing, and I thought, no, this is what I
want to do. This is what I want to do.
So I went took the money out I bought it.
I didn't have a guitar. Brian, I bought a guitar.
(11:29):
I didn't have a guitar. Man I bought a guitar.
I bought some hiking boots, a rucksack, a big anorak,
a big park it with fur collar from the down
to their surplus store and this, and then I went
down there and there they were, and they went. I said,
let's go, guys. And then two and a half years later,
you know, I get back forty five pounds lighter to America,
(11:51):
you know, and I almost I was I'd been starving
at that time.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, because you weren't eating. Yeah, because it wasn't eating
because of money. Yeah, because yes, yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
I was stealing. I shouldn't. I was stealing the milk
off of people's portras. Yes, stay just stay alive. Yeah,
I'm not proud of that fact. But I'm starving.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
You're like Oliver twists pies. Wow, I didn't really, I
didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
I mean the fact is, the Young Californians did a
world tour. But this world tour wasn't finally curated. No, no, it.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Wasn't like there's Madonna or you know, you know John
may Or. No, it's guys going to the youth, the
youth hostel hostels and you're staying on a cot. And
then at night we go down to the major place,
the railway stations walk where it sounds the best, open
our guitar case to get money. But you when you
(12:59):
were when we were in Switzerland and Germany, we made
big money. We thought, oh my gosh, they throw these
big coins in where we were worth. They're a lot,
you know, right, they have dollars some of these things
where we're two and a half dollars these coins, right,
And then we end up in North Africa and we're
at a soup kitchen with people with you know, infantigo
and lionidis. They got these swollen arms and legs and
(13:22):
cataracts on their eyes. And we're eating the stuff hoping
we're I gonna die from this from the dog we're
eating oh yeah, oh yeah, And we and we that's
and then we hit shots across North Africa and we
played for the mobile oil. We were about five hundred
miles out in the Sahara desert playing for the oil
camps and stuff. But we made some of we made
good money, and then sometimes we start.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
What what was the decision behind? So you're making good
money once in a while in well, in western Europe.
So why so, I mean, is this just young? I
don't know? Even take like we're going to travel north Africa.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That was always the plan when they met. We said,
we're going to go down and go cross north there
to Egypt, down through the Sudan, continue on and go
all the way down through Africa. This is down to
the down to the other bottom of Africa. This is
the plan. We'll see lions and elephants and and I went, yes,
this is for me. It's exciting, you know, did you
(14:24):
did you know? We we got to the Sudan, they
were running guns. They were running guns. The Congolese were
running guns. They wouldn't let us in. So we we
went back and we got a boat to Bay Route.
Before Bay Route blew up, Bay Route was still the
Paris of the Mediterranean. And we played at a brothel.
(14:45):
We played at a brothel called the Kit Cat Club's
famous famous brothel.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
That is that true? Is that true? To God?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Truth?
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Truth is the kit Cat Club?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Like you can look it up. You can look it up,
but all the shakes, this was the Mid Eastern Shakes,
and all the movers and shakers, all the gold and
oil money would go to this place and we'd play
on the stage in the back. That guy would do
what they did in brothel.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Did they give you a cot there at least? Or no? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
No, we were disgusting infidels.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
You know, on this trip you became is that I
don't even know if that's the way to say it.
Either you you went from you transformed from William Charles
Shatner Schinzchneider, Schneider, Yeah, to Creed Bratton. Yes, why.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
I had been how do we see this? I worked
on a movie called cast a Giant Showder, my first film.
This is so this is nineteen sixty four sixty five,
and I fell in love with the director's daughter, Lynn Shavelson,
and we went off to the Greek Islands and had
this most marvelous time. And she mentioned that that Creed,
(16:01):
that Chuck rt Mode, which was my stepfather's name, which
I had taken on. I thought I was legally adopted
as Chuck ert Mode. I didn't know I was still
until I got my passport to leave for Europe. I
found I was still William George Schneider. So I'd used
chuck Ert mode and Brian. If you can imagine kids,
you know, going hey, oh, they put their finger down
(16:24):
their throat and they like pretend like they're throwing up,
And that was I had no self esteem.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
That's like Rain would do that still today.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
By the way, but yes, yes, because he would. Yes
he does it if he came. You know, wait, what
do you breaking do to me to humiliate me?
Speaker 2 (16:37):
He will.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
So she mentioned there wasn't an attractive name, and I
then I kind of put that thing and I knew
it wasn't. I knew it wasn't, but for someone that
I was in love with to mention, well, that name.
So she goes back to college and I'm in Athens
at a cafe knowing that I've got to go sign
up for the draft and I got to go. I
(17:00):
got to go do my physical in Berlin, and I'm
dreading this for the Vietnam War, sitting there and having
some I think it was uzzo or retina whatever, those
liquorice tasting things they have over there, their alcohol their
god off, Oh yeah, you know what you've had.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
I know what you're talking about. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Yeah. So I'm there and I meet this this couple
from Oregon and they're going to Crete, the Isle of
Crete to teach English, to teach English to the Cretanskay
cre And I told my story. I said, I've got
visions of me being a drama you know, blah blah blah.
I play music, but I want to go and be
(17:39):
an actor and playing music whatever I can, you know,
either one or the other. And they said, well, that
Chuck RTMO name, that's that's not very good. I said, oh,
I know, I know it's not a good name. Said, well,
you really need something besides Chuck Bert Mode. I said,
I agree about arguing with you. So cut to the
next morning, and as God is my witness, is exactly
(17:59):
what happened. I'm at my pension and I look up
and there's my liver sitting in a chair having a
cup of coffee, waiting to get back in my body.
Oh God, so bad, so feeling so horrible. And then
I look over on the table and there's the tablecloth
from the night before and all these names, Troy, whatever, lamps,
(18:24):
things all crossed out, and then there's it's a whole
bunch of them, and then one circled with little stars
around it said Creed Bratt and I went, oh, that's
my new name. Now I don't use Brian. I don't
use that name until almost two years later. It takes
me another year to get back, and then another year
(18:44):
with the Thirteenth Floor. So yeah, So two years later,
we're signing contracts for Dunhill Records, and I've been chuckered
and I start to sign as Chucker when I went, oh,
that's right. So I signed Preed Bratt and I said
what who who's this cream broad guy? And they said
that's me, and then they that From that moment on,
(19:04):
people started looking at me a little like, you know,
like like people on the show did. They're like, WHOA,
he's a little weird. This guy's a little weird.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
The thirteenth Floor. Tell me how you got involved with
the thirteenth Floor that then eventually became the Grassroots.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
I became the grassroots.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I met this guy named Warren Edner who has graduated
from UCLA, and uh, he had played in a band
with Phil.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Spector of All People back and was in college.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Really yeah, I got pictures of Warren with his Indian's
band with Phil Spector, you know, and uh, he came
to we were doing a folk festival and I think
he might have played there or I'm not sure if
he did or not. But anyway, he saw us play
at this folk festival in Tel Aviv. This is before
we got on the movie the cast Jihant Shadow, and
(20:15):
he came up and said, you play pretty good guitar.
I said, you wonder if you want to start a band?
He said, he gave me his number, Warren. So I
put that number. And I usually wouldn't pay much attention
to this movie, but this gun I felt right in
my gut. So I took the thing and I put
it under the cardboard bottom of my rocksack, so it
was down there. Any important numbers I put down under
(20:37):
this thing that it wouldn't move it. So I'm back
and I'm staying with my girlfriend who then became my wife, Joanna.
I just arrived. Within one week, I'm cleaning out my
rocksack and this paper flutters. I said, oh, Warren, I
call Warren And in one week we had a band
and we were playing at this topless joint in the
(20:58):
Salmon King Valley and Sabernana Valley and the very first
show I did in La there's a woman topless dancer
in a chair swinging like this, and if I'm playing
like this, I would have to move my body aside
from the michael so she wouldn't get me. So we swing,
swinging so close to this tiny stage, you know. And
(21:19):
at the same time she was doing it, she was
she had these little castles on her.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
They should be one.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
She'd get right tassel in the right breast to going,
you know, clockwise, and the left one counterclockwise. So she
come up. I don't know how she did. She was amazing,
you know. It was hard to concentrate and play music
and move and I get hit and watch the tassels
at the same time.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Well, you didn't play in those kind of places for
very long. Nope. Eventually ten or several top ten hits.
Four of your albums charted in the Billboard Top one hundred.
I mean you were a rock star.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Wes, Yes, well, I Phil Ambryant. I don't think you.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Don't know that. That's well, that's true. But for you
in the sixties in Los Angeles being a rock star,
who did you consider to be your peer at that time,
or your peers. There's a big music scene in Los Angeles.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
It's a huge music scene. We uh, we're off there.
You're working all at times, so you're not hanging much.
And we toured with the Doors, Yeah, and we got
t I got tight with the Doors. I John Densmill
was my best man at my wedding. We were close.
He was a good friend. The Young Rascals, we toured
with them a lot. We hung out with Gene Cornish,
the guys at Three Dog Nike, we played with, We
(22:36):
played with everyone because you know, Brian, we just toured
with with everybody at that time. I guess for the grassroots,
as we started out in folk rock, we would be
considered in that, in that Buffalo Springfield kind of genre,
you know, with that folks folk rocky stuff. You know,
they were a better band. They were a better band,
without a doubt. But we had we had We had
some good singers. Warren and Rob were really really good vocalists,
(22:59):
you know, and we had great producers and some really
good songs.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
So we had a good run. We had a good run.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
I guess what I'm I guess what I'm getting at
is so for me, when The Office begins to take
off and we start getting recognition, and I mean in
terms of the show and winning awards and were invited
to fancy parties and like, so for you had you
(23:27):
experienced do you feel like you had experienced that before
back in the sixties.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Like, no, No, that's the Office was the first rush
of that kind of stuff. And we went to in
New York and we stayed at the Four Seasons, and
we played the Tonight Show, the Johnny Carson Tonight Show,
and we did all this. We did the TV show, sure,
but as far as go people saying we'll come on
(23:53):
this show and hang with us, you know, or coming
to these parties and stuff. No, we didn't have that.
We I really felt that it would. You know. The
Office was a whole other animal. It's just yeah, that
that rarefied air. We just all of a sudden gasping
to get more.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Right. But in the sixties, you're invited to the Playboy Mansion.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I see, I was invited to
the Playboy Mansion. So you were in the you were
in the Toronto in the sixties, yeah, and then what
then forty years later I was I was invited only
(24:31):
forty years later than you were years later. But you've
experienced all of that sort of Hollywood and I'm putting
air quotes on thatchery well Los Angeles, Like how do
I say this? The kind of clubs and I don't
mean clubs, but I mean like where you you're only invited.
(24:56):
You can't go unless you're invited. You can't guess that's
the thing, right.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
When when you when some a lister brings up there
having a hot tub party and you're playing celebrity pud touch,
these are the only places that you can you're can
get invited.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
To, right, Yes, what what is I hope that was?
Speaker 1 (25:17):
You can cut that one.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
No, I enjoyed it for you. What is the what
is your favorite experience that you had during that time?
During that run, I mean you you were doing movies too.
I know you did a movie with Doris Day, Oh
my gosh.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
But I gotta say that with Brian Keith, he come
to the set, he wouldn't have any makeup on, you know,
he was like he was like Spencer Tracy. They put
makeup on, he would take it off. He hated it
and he just looked everybody else. They looked like thick,
like a mud, and he was just like gone, where
is he was? Right there? She had You've heard the
(25:57):
jokes about the door stay filters, all the filter in
front of the camera, right, yeah, there were they were
there with we. We said, what the hell? What are
all those things out fronts? I thoughts her filters, you know,
and you can cut. You can see George Carlin. This
is first movie with you know, he's George Carnes in
this movie. And theything click clicking, and all of a
sudden he comes boop, there's this mud, this dirty water
(26:21):
from the Doris and then everyone's clear again.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
But look young, what's your favorite experience that you had
during this time?
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (26:32):
I think from a musical point of view, our second
album Feelings, the band instead of using the Wrecking Crew
for for some of the stuff or the bass and
the drums, Warren and I played on a lot of stuff,
but we didn't use our bass player and our drummer.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
We did.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
We did though on this second album and they took
a shot with it and we had a song called
Feelings that our original Kenny Fukumoto wrote Boom boom boom,
feel It's me feel So we were at Oxnard and
we played uh Live for Today Midnight Confessions the crowd
(27:12):
where they love that, but we played Feelings, which was
our song. It was our song, but it was our
song that we'd played, you know, completely, and the crowd
went like just they started it started galvanizing ituse with
that kind of song, And at that moment I thought, Okay,
here we go. We're the band, we are the ship
were the rest of the real deal. It was short lived,
(27:34):
but that was a moment where I thought, Okay, this
is genuinely exciting stuff. That when that grout crowd is
there with you like that, joining you, and they's they're
moss mash pitting or whatever it is called. Yeah, you know,
they're bouncing up and going and stuff like that. Yeah,
it was great. That was That was a great moment.
There's all kinds of other things, but as far as
(27:55):
what I wanted, I wanted respect from from people for
the music. It wasn't anything else but their respect and
doing good art, good art.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Can you talk about why the band ended? Why you left?
Speaker 1 (28:07):
I had an epiphany after the Johnny Carson show. We
were heading back to the hotel and I listened to
the band music from Big Pink, and that was that
was a just a paradigm shift in my consciousness as
(28:28):
far as what you can accomplish. And that's not the
same that we could become the band. But I thought
that we had already done this. It wasn't. It didn't
wasn't as successful as the studio produced stuff. So the
ones they saw what it was, it wasn't didn't do
as go I on the charts. They went back to
the old formula. And I really wondered they should have
stayed with us a little longer and give us another
shot to stay longer. I mean, they gave us the
(28:50):
shot they did. I'll be fair about that, fair play.
And I've said I told him, I said, I think
we should go off in Woodshed. I think we should
come up with their own stuff because we're not gonna
have credibility. And they didn't want to do it. And
a lot of people think it's because I dropped acid
at the film or and it couldn't finish the show.
(29:11):
But it wasn't that at all. A lot there's a
lot that was another Friday for most rock bands. You know.
It was this thing that I wanted to do that.
So they said, if you're not happy, you can leave
and we'll give you a settlement nights.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
And I took it.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
You know, I left, and I've thought for a long
time maybe it was a bad move. But obviously, as
we know, it all worked out worse out.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Yeah, you left the grassroots in nineteen sixty nine, you
put out a solo album in two thousand and three. Yep,
now we know what you were up to in front
of the camera, if you will, musically, for you, what
changed or shifted or evolved for you during that time?
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Okay, I think the big that's a good question, Ryan,
that's a really good question. I uh, don't, don't get
deadly go to your head, just did I won't.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
I get one every month.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
I don't get any I don't get anything. I'm jealous,
just jealous to give that. I think what happened is
that at that time I had to go out and
with my guitar and play these little clubs, and uh,
I've did another kind of jokes, but I would go
play it. And so with my acoustic guitar, I had
to sing and I had to write songs. So I
(30:36):
started writing. I had been writing songs, but I started
writing more personal songs, and trust me, I wrote a
lot of really bad songs. I mean, you know, hundreds
of songs that were like oh people, oh God, and
you move on, you move on. Finally you get something
like all the Faces comes along, and then you start.
Then I guess you put enough time into it. The
muse says, well, you're worth it now you you've you've
(30:59):
paid your due. Is we're going to give you some
better material. And I think it was just because I
wasn't just playing lead guitar in a band. I had
to stand up with my hand, stand up and be counted,
write my songs, sing them myself. I had to serve
the songs with my voice. And as you sing in
clubs and tour, you get stronger, you get a stronger voice,
(31:19):
you know. And I think on this, the songs you've heard,
the voices, the voice is getting stronger. It's just getting better.
It's just the way it worked, the way it works.
So that was a good It was a good thing.
What are the uh the obstacles? Was Marcus Aurelius and
the stoics said, the obstacle, You know, obstacles the way
you get you get obstacles in your life. They're not
the end, they're not a problem. Just you just become
(31:41):
adaptable and you get stronger.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Because so earlier in your career when you were a kid,
(32:03):
did you consider yourself a singer? No.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
I always thought I would sing harmonies with the Torques,
the band I played when I was young, and I
would sing, But I never considered myself just a guitar
player mostly, and I'd sing harmonies and I staying some
leads with the grassroots, but they were you could hear that.
You could hear the early recordings. It's very tentative. It's
(32:29):
kind of a sweet voice, but it's not confident, certainly
not confident at all.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Yeah, you put out six solo albums with Kindred Records
in the two thousands. Was there something that happened for
you that enabled you to become really prolific in terms
of your writing and recording music during that time?
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Persistence and uh and also just uh. I it helped
a lot with the office. Right right off the bat,
I was able to go out and tour again. And
when we first when I first started touring, I didn't
have the bits. I didn't have the I had to
I've sat there just sweating bullets or trying to come
(33:11):
up with something to say in between the songs. Eventually
I wrote, I started writing material and started working and
people laughed. And then before the show was over, I
was doing tours and when we were on hiatus and stuff,
and people come up and so we came because you're
so funny, but we really love those songs. You know,
we're gonna go download these songs. These songs touch us emotionally.
(33:33):
And at that moment, Ryan I thought, Okay, okay, uh,
this is legit and I'm not just go and smoke
up my own ass. You know. It's uh, it's there's
are good songs. And then I started Then when when
you get the confidence to believe you're doing something good,
then you you you'll project more and you'll, uh, you'll
not only enthusiastic. I was definitely enthusiastic. I just had conviction, confidence, confidence.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Thank you guys, if you do you ever have the
opportunity to see this guy, if he's ever in your town,
let me tell you something. I was lucky enough to
go to a big concert that that Creed that was
at the Roxy, right, ye, yes, at the Roxy. The
historic Roxy Theater on Sunset Boulevard there in Los Angeles.
(34:22):
I'm telling you what, guys, he is a rock star. No,
there's no pretending, there is no like this. He is legit.
It is a show and I would guess that we
broke records for how many people were in the Roxy. Now,
maybe back in the sixties they jammed people in the fire.
Marshal wasn't looking at it, but I'm telling you it
(34:44):
was jam packed and a lot of fun and everybody
really enjoyed it. You started your own label, Alien Chicken
several years ago. Why'd you decide to do that?
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Well, first of let me say about the rock saying
it would have been a good show, but with you
there and Angela there, then that's that's where the people
came out because of the show. It was also charity
for the Australian Wildfire's Wildfires thing.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
You know.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Yeah, it's still the same thing. I was Kendrick's Music
as my publishing company. When it became my company, Alien Chicken,
I just changed. I just went over to just ok
as a matter of course, just change it over to
Alien Chicken.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Okay. Yeah, last time that I talked to you here
on the podcast. You'd put out an album slightly altered,
although some would argue it is morely significantly altered. But anyway,
it's your title. You get to do what you want. Now.
Right now as we speak, you're working on your tenth
(35:46):
so incredible album, dow Pop. It releases in the fall.
Talk to me just first. I know you have your
second song just out. I'll talk about that in a second.
What was your journey from Slightly Altered to dow Pop.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
We had more time, and we also had I wrote
a couple of songs we recorded just me and Dylan
O'Brien because of the COVID thing, and then when it
was over we get the band in there. We took
time and I was able to when I got back
touring again, I was able to sing these songs live
in front of the audience to find which ones worked,
which ones didn't work. So this is more of a
(36:23):
SELECTI process. Also, four of the songs, always Dreaming of You,
the one that you you have now, the second single
I wrote that with Dylan O'Brien, just out July nineteenth.
July nineteenth, and then Tuga Wore I wrote Dylan, Excuse Me,
Billy Harvey Turned the Corner of the Universe, which is
already out with Vance DeGeneres, Ellen's brother who ran Steve's company.
(36:48):
That's where I met him in the set one day
and it's got very funny, really good guy and I
write great stuff. And then my Jeff Pearlman, who's just
a great guitar play wrote this comm country song called
toy Bote and uh, it's we got We've got Dean
Parks on this album, Elliott Easton from the Cars, so
(37:09):
playing on a couple of songs. It's it's just the
it's by Brian's the best album, so proud of This
album really is a good one.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Is your this is you think this is the best album?
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Yeah, I'm sure of it. I'm sure of it. Yeah,
so I have That's why I'm going out of my
way to get a publicist and go through all of this. Suddencuse,
I really believe it warrants it.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
So when you're about to release an album, I've always
been curious about this do you have is it Is
it like a movie? Do you view it like that
where you have sort of an overarching story or an
idea from for this album from the get go, or
does it evolve and change as different songs and different
collaborations that you just mentioned feed into it too, and
(37:52):
and and make up the individual songs.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
That's a good wow, that's a really good question too.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
It's number two. That's not a roll, My man's a roll.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
The the theme of it is is the down pop
thing is on the picture is me talking to a
couple of alien robots. It says, uh, it's for that's
from chipping the Chip in my brain song no I wrote.
I wrote ten songs, six six by myself, four with
other people. Each song is indifferent, but when the the
Chip in my Brain came along, that kind of set
(38:29):
the tone for the album cover. So there's really no
rhyme or reason too. Uh, it's just ten really good
songs and the theme the theme. If there's a theme,
it's because it's the artwork theme that holds it together. Okay,
But my songs are always yearning spiritual growth, overcoming versity,
just me my life.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
You've continued to do that, Yes, Yes, that is a
that is a constant journey for us, all for all
of us. But you're very you're very open about that
for yourself, which I admire. About you.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
Oh, thank you man. I don't I feel obviously very
very lucky. And if not a day goes by that
I don't give gratitude for how my life is turned out.
It's astonished. I have to pinch myself. Really.
Speaker 2 (39:13):
Yeah, So that's it.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
So the album comes out September twenty seventh, as you
know you July and I think you said July nineteenth.
You know more about this thing than I do.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Yeah, is it done? Is the album done?
Speaker 1 (39:24):
The album's absolutely done, completely done.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
Why are you making us wait for it? Then? Well,
what is this? Let's just look look look oh oh
I'm looking at it right now, guys, dow Pop. What
a what a great picture that that artwork. We'll post
a picture of this. That artwork should win. And you're
(39:46):
going on tour of course.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
On tour and playing the Baked Potato with my friend
Tim Hawckenberry, Charlie Ferrager and Sebastian Lenz on the tenth okay,
and then well then where all the four of us
are going to go out in September and do a
California tour in a spreader that that will be so
people in California look for us we'll go. I'll be
coming through with the band in a spreader van, big one.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Are you going to stay in hostels?
Speaker 1 (40:14):
If I could find one, I would in California?
Speaker 2 (40:17):
All right, last question. You know, I don't reveal anyone's age,
but it occurred to me that you are of a
similar age as the two uh gentlemen, to put it nicely,
who are are running for president? Right now? Let me
ask you this here and now, for your fans and
(40:40):
for this nation, Creed, would you consider running for president.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
My fellow Americans? Uhh, that's really so rough, you kid. No, yeah, right,
That's what they need is Creed for president.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
That is Hey, listen, let me promise you this. You would,
You would get my vote and I and I suspect
Creed you would get a fair number of votes for
the presidency. You're always, as I said before, striving to
be a better person and to continue to work on
(41:24):
yourself to make the world a better place. And you
do that through well just who you are and also
your art. So I want to thank you for that.
I want to thank you for your friendship. I want
to wish you all the best on dow Pop and
uh yeah, next time, I'm going to be up there
(41:45):
and go to your coffee shop. I'm going to call
you in advance.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
Call me, call me, we'll call me in and we'll meet.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
We'll meet now now, I know. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
I love you, Brian.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
I love you too much.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
You are an inspiration to me too, because you're not
that character Kevin and He but ladies and gentlemen, he did.
He came to it and did it every day and
people I know believe he's but he's not that guy.
Far as far as the cooler, yes, yes, much smarter,
much muchmarter.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Creed, have a good summer, Creed. Great to talk to
you as always, and uh, well, next time I'll buy
you that coffee. Come back as many times as you like,
(42:36):
my friend, You are always welcome here with me. Listeners,
listen to his new single I'll always be dreaming of you,
and keep an eye out for Dow Pop coming out
in September and between now in September, you can fill
your ears by coming back here and listening to me.
(42:57):
It may not rhyme, it may not be melodious, but well,
we try to have fun. Until next time, everybody, have
a great week. Off The Beat is hosted and executive
(43:19):
produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Lang Lee.
Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Emily
Carr and Seth Olanski, and our talent producer is Ryan
Papa Zachary. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by
the one and Only Creed Bretton
So cut to the next morning, and as God is
my witness, is exactly what happened. I'm at my pension
and I look up and there's my liver sitting in
a chair having a cup of coffee, waiting to get
back in my body. Oh God, so bad, so feeling
so horrible. And then I look over on the table
(00:22):
and there's the tablecloth from the night before and all
these names, Troy, whatever, lamps, things all crossed out, and
then there's it's a whole bunch of them. Then one
circled with little stars around it said Creed Bratton, and
I went, oh, that's my new name. Hi. I'm Creed
(00:46):
Bratton and I played Creed Bratton on the Office. I'm
also a lot of different names to creditors, but I
don't want to get into that right now.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Hi, there, foe. Welcome back to another episode of Off
the Beat. It's me Brian Baumgartner today. Well, my guest
is a very good friend of mine, as you just heard,
Creed Bratton back once again for his third time on
this podcast. But as ever, Creed has more to tell.
(01:21):
Creed has lived many, many, many lives, almost nine, but
not quite his first one. Well, he was a rock
star in the sixties, touring the world with his band
The Grassroots. Before you ever heard of him, in fact,
probably before you were even born, he already had multiple
(01:41):
Billboard Top ten hits and two gold records. Creed also
has a long solo career, with his tenth solo album
coming out this September. In fact, you've already heard some
of his music today are Theme, Bubble and Squeak, written
and performed by Creed Breton. And yeah, I forgot he
(02:03):
was also in the office with me as well, But
we already recorded two episodes where we talk about that
a lot. You can go back and listen to those,
in fact you should, But this time I wanted to
go deeper into his music career, learn how he managed
to become well a legend in both music and acting,
(02:23):
and hopefully hear more of his absolutely insane stories that
may or may not be true. Folks, if you have
never seen Creed Breton live on stage, I say only this,
do it. It's worth it. I have known the man
for twenty years and I have still barely cracked the surface.
(02:45):
Here he is one more hour for you listeners to
get to know the man. The myth, the legend, the
most interesting man in the world, the man who well,
here he is Creed Breton, Bubble and Squeak.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I love it, Bubble and Squeak. I know Bubble and Squeak.
I could get every month lift over from the ninetyople.
(03:30):
How's it going good, Buddy's good to see you.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
It's so good to see you. We communicated recently without
seeing each other. I thought that, uh, I, for those
of you listening, some of you may know I no
longer live in Los Angeles proper. And I was up
in Los Angeles doing some work for the new book
(03:54):
coming out, and someone suggested that I go into a
coffee shop. I'd never been there for it was delicious, yep.
So I walk in. The guy starts chatting with me,
and you know, I'm like, okay, well he knows who
I am. It's fine. And then he stops and goes,
you know, Creed comes in here every morning, and I
(04:14):
was like, what wait, what were you serious? And he goes, yeah,
Creed comes in every day, gets his coffee, sits and
reads the paper or whatever. And so I made the guy.
They they they had the old school post it notes
where they write down your coffee order. So I took
a post it note and I said, I'm gonna I'm
not going to contact Creed. I want you to give
(04:36):
him this post it note the next time he comes in.
Sure Enough, a day later, I get I get a
text message from Creed that he got my post it note.
That was so fun.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I loved that it was. It was a great grade.
Wasn't it really a prank? It was just a great
little bit. I walk in there and they're beaming. Uh,
it's his name, Raymond and Faye, they work in there,
and they said, they look at each other giddy. They said,
somebody came in yesterday and got something for you. Said,
what are you talking about? They look like for you
(05:06):
and they have at this little piece of paper, and
I started laughing. Oh my god, it was a great
great yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
You know what. It just occurred to me, Now, I
should have I should have at least bought your coffee.
I should have should at least I should have at
least pre bought your coffee. That would have been, That
would have been, that would have been nicer.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
You've done plenty of things. See who you are? Just
you know, when you just said he done. Steve's laugh
was enough for all all of humanity to make us
laugh for all time. Oh boy, Uh.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
It's great. It's great to see you. Now, you've been
here on the podcast before. Today we're going to talk.
We're going to talk music. I know you got a
new album coming out, new single just released on July nineteenth,
So I want to talk about your music career because look,
Creed is not just a television star. Creed is a
(06:03):
is a music musical star. What does that even mean?
He's a rock star, He's he was a star before
decades before you had you had ever seen him on
the office. You grew up in a in a small
town up there by Yosemite. Yes, but your your mom,
(06:26):
your grandparents, they were very musical, right, so did they
give you this, uh, the love of music? They introduced
you to music early on.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Absolutely. My my grandparents. My grandmother played drums, okay, and
my grandfather they had a band called the Happy Timers.
They were semi professional at Long Beach in the summer,
I go down and I spend the summer with them,
and I listened to them play all these country and
western the swing, mostly country swing, and but on I
grew up listening watching my mom play mandolin, and she
(06:58):
was gifted. She was gifted. She put her head back
and just whale. So I played trumpet from a young age.
I listened to a little Crystal set to b Mitchell
Reid from Los Angeles, and I knew somebody as would
come in depending on the weather and other times you
couldn't hear, but I'd hear all Fats Domino, Everly Brothers,
(07:20):
Jerry Lee Lewis, all the all the old fifties stuff,
you know, Eddie Cochran, and I just in Dwayne Eddie.
I love and I love this stuff. So I got
a guitar at a young age thirteen, which is some
people now are starting really really young, you know. But
but that was my first guitar. I played trumpet for
(07:41):
years through call, through high school and stuff, and then
by time seventeen, I'd figured out enough to start working
professionally at this band. And then I played played in
college at band it's dances and stuff on the weekends
to make money. And after college, after Europe with a
folk trio for over two years. That you know this story. Yeah,
(08:02):
Then the grassroots, the kids, their great grandparents will know
this band that I was in. We had Lift for
Today and Midnight Confessions to our two top ten songs.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
So but before all that I read that you you
I don't think I knew this that you actually went
to college for acting.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yes, yeah, and then I'm a major.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
So this is like, so we're going back and forth
here and this, I mean, this is the first time
we're going. So you wanted to be an actor, yes,
but you were you were working professionally as a musician
to help make money, yes, yes, And so why did
you choose the right path? Not the right path? But
you have two paths. You could go and continue pursuing
(08:49):
acting or music. Why why did you go toward music?
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I never picked one, Bryan. It was just whatever whatever
came it catches catch can. I played the music. I
acted when I could get in a play. Was in
LA and you know, it was doing stage stuff and
you know, then got an agent. That's how it started.
Like most people, you know, so he pick sees you
and put you in some stuff.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
When you when you were in the Young Californians how
old were you then, mid twenties, mid twenties, and so
how how did that? How did that group initially come together.
These were these were people that you knew.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Uh No, I had been well. I had a friend
of mine. I paid his boat ticket or we got
a freighter out of New Orleans, came into Venice, and
then he left because he he was couldn't he missed
his girlfriend. He was worried about that somebody else was
going to get her, so as the guys do, and
so he I was by myself, and my plan was
(09:46):
to go to uh enroll in the Good Institute in
Munich in German. Why I would learn German, Bryant. It
was one of the most hardiest artist language possible. Spanish
would be a French would have been easier, right, German.
So that's what I'm making it really rough on myself.
I'm coming one day and I was working the electronics factory,
waiting for the season to start, you know, the sessions
(10:08):
to start at school. And I was making money, and
I had some money put away there and I was
learnning a little German. And I came up to pick
up my mail at the America Express and there's two
guys there, Greg Fitzpatrick on acoustic guitar and Lee Zimmerman
on banjo, he's a banjo that he made himself, homemade banjo.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
He made a banjo.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
He made a banjo from scratch. You know, people can
people can do this, not me, not you, but people
can do this. So I heard them. They're playing Green Green,
Green Green, and it's the new Christy Minschel song and
uh and I went okay, and they said. They looked
at me, and I said, you know, can I show
you something? And I took the guitar and went, do
(10:47):
do do do? I played the riff for him, so
just just a free ratification. That's how I didn't say
that because I was too stupid to say that. But
then but I showed him, but they went, oh you
you play? I said, well yeah, and they said and
they told me we're going to go down to Africa
and hitch I can play and you know, make money
and do stuff like this. They were making money at
(11:08):
the Octoberfest. So I could have stayed on and done
the school, but I stayed away almost all night long
with this, in that eleventh hour of the soul kind
of thing, and I thought, no, this is what I
want to do. This is what I want to do.
So I went took the money out I bought it.
I didn't have a guitar. Brian, I bought a guitar.
(11:29):
I didn't have a guitar. Man I bought a guitar.
I bought some hiking boots, a rucksack, a big anorak,
a big park it with fur collar from the down
to their surplus store and this, and then I went
down there and there they were, and they went. I said,
let's go, guys. And then two and a half years later,
you know, I get back forty five pounds lighter to America,
(11:51):
you know, and I almost I was I'd been starving
at that time.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, because you weren't eating. Yeah, because it wasn't eating
because of money. Yeah, because yes, yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
I was stealing. I shouldn't. I was stealing the milk
off of people's portras. Yes, stay just stay alive. Yeah,
I'm not proud of that fact. But I'm starving.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
You're like Oliver twists pies. Wow, I didn't really, I
didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
I mean the fact is, the Young Californians did a
world tour. But this world tour wasn't finally curated. No, no, it.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Wasn't like there's Madonna or you know, you know John
may Or. No, it's guys going to the youth, the
youth hostel hostels and you're staying on a cot. And
then at night we go down to the major place,
the railway stations walk where it sounds the best, open
our guitar case to get money. But you when you
(12:59):
were when we were in Switzerland and Germany, we made
big money. We thought, oh my gosh, they throw these
big coins in where we were worth. They're a lot,
you know, right, they have dollars some of these things
where we're two and a half dollars these coins, right,
And then we end up in North Africa and we're
at a soup kitchen with people with you know, infantigo
and lionidis. They got these swollen arms and legs and
(13:22):
cataracts on their eyes. And we're eating the stuff hoping
we're I gonna die from this from the dog we're
eating oh yeah, oh yeah, And we and we that's
and then we hit shots across North Africa and we
played for the mobile oil. We were about five hundred
miles out in the Sahara desert playing for the oil
camps and stuff. But we made some of we made
good money, and then sometimes we start.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
What what was the decision behind? So you're making good
money once in a while in well, in western Europe.
So why so, I mean, is this just young? I
don't know? Even take like we're going to travel north Africa.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That was always the plan when they met. We said,
we're going to go down and go cross north there
to Egypt, down through the Sudan, continue on and go
all the way down through Africa. This is down to
the down to the other bottom of Africa. This is
the plan. We'll see lions and elephants and and I went, yes,
this is for me. It's exciting, you know, did you
(14:24):
did you know? We we got to the Sudan, they
were running guns. They were running guns. The Congolese were
running guns. They wouldn't let us in. So we we
went back and we got a boat to Bay Route.
Before Bay Route blew up, Bay Route was still the
Paris of the Mediterranean. And we played at a brothel.
(14:45):
We played at a brothel called the Kit Cat Club's
famous famous brothel.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
That is that true? Is that true? To God?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Truth?
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Truth is the kit Cat Club?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Like you can look it up. You can look it up,
but all the shakes, this was the Mid Eastern Shakes,
and all the movers and shakers, all the gold and
oil money would go to this place and we'd play
on the stage in the back. That guy would do
what they did in brothel.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Did they give you a cot there at least? Or no? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
No, we were disgusting infidels.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
You know, on this trip you became is that I
don't even know if that's the way to say it.
Either you you went from you transformed from William Charles
Shatner Schinzchneider, Schneider, Yeah, to Creed Bratton. Yes, why.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
I had been how do we see this? I worked
on a movie called cast a Giant Showder, my first film.
This is so this is nineteen sixty four sixty five,
and I fell in love with the director's daughter, Lynn Shavelson,
and we went off to the Greek Islands and had
this most marvelous time. And she mentioned that that Creed,
(16:01):
that Chuck rt Mode, which was my stepfather's name, which
I had taken on. I thought I was legally adopted
as Chuck ert Mode. I didn't know I was still
until I got my passport to leave for Europe. I
found I was still William George Schneider. So I'd used
chuck Ert mode and Brian. If you can imagine kids,
you know, going hey, oh, they put their finger down
(16:24):
their throat and they like pretend like they're throwing up,
And that was I had no self esteem.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
That's like Rain would do that still today.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
By the way, but yes, yes, because he would. Yes
he does it if he came. You know, wait, what
do you breaking do to me to humiliate me?
Speaker 2 (16:37):
He will.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
So she mentioned there wasn't an attractive name, and I
then I kind of put that thing and I knew
it wasn't. I knew it wasn't, but for someone that
I was in love with to mention, well, that name.
So she goes back to college and I'm in Athens
at a cafe knowing that I've got to go sign
up for the draft and I got to go. I
(17:00):
got to go do my physical in Berlin, and I'm
dreading this for the Vietnam War, sitting there and having
some I think it was uzzo or retina whatever, those
liquorice tasting things they have over there, their alcohol their
god off, Oh yeah, you know what you've had.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
I know what you're talking about. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Yeah. So I'm there and I meet this this couple
from Oregon and they're going to Crete, the Isle of
Crete to teach English, to teach English to the Cretanskay
cre And I told my story. I said, I've got
visions of me being a drama you know, blah blah blah.
I play music, but I want to go and be
(17:39):
an actor and playing music whatever I can, you know,
either one or the other. And they said, well, that
Chuck RTMO name, that's that's not very good. I said, oh,
I know, I know it's not a good name. Said, well,
you really need something besides Chuck Bert Mode. I said,
I agree about arguing with you. So cut to the
next morning, and as God is my witness, is exactly
(17:59):
what happened. I'm at my pension and I look up
and there's my liver sitting in a chair having a
cup of coffee, waiting to get back in my body.
Oh God, so bad, so feeling so horrible. And then
I look over on the table and there's the tablecloth
from the night before and all these names, Troy, whatever, lamps,
(18:24):
things all crossed out, and then there's it's a whole
bunch of them, and then one circled with little stars
around it said Creed Bratt and I went, oh, that's
my new name. Now I don't use Brian. I don't
use that name until almost two years later. It takes
me another year to get back, and then another year
(18:44):
with the Thirteenth Floor. So yeah, So two years later,
we're signing contracts for Dunhill Records, and I've been chuckered
and I start to sign as Chucker when I went, oh,
that's right. So I signed Preed Bratt and I said
what who who's this cream broad guy? And they said
that's me, and then they that From that moment on,
(19:04):
people started looking at me a little like, you know,
like like people on the show did. They're like, WHOA,
he's a little weird. This guy's a little weird.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
The thirteenth Floor. Tell me how you got involved with
the thirteenth Floor that then eventually became the Grassroots.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
I became the grassroots.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I met this guy named Warren Edner who has graduated
from UCLA, and uh, he had played in a band
with Phil.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Spector of All People back and was in college.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Really yeah, I got pictures of Warren with his Indian's
band with Phil Spector, you know, and uh, he came
to we were doing a folk festival and I think
he might have played there or I'm not sure if
he did or not. But anyway, he saw us play
at this folk festival in Tel Aviv. This is before
we got on the movie the cast Jihant Shadow, and
(20:15):
he came up and said, you play pretty good guitar.
I said, you wonder if you want to start a band?
He said, he gave me his number, Warren. So I
put that number. And I usually wouldn't pay much attention
to this movie, but this gun I felt right in
my gut. So I took the thing and I put
it under the cardboard bottom of my rocksack, so it
was down there. Any important numbers I put down under
(20:37):
this thing that it wouldn't move it. So I'm back
and I'm staying with my girlfriend who then became my wife, Joanna.
I just arrived. Within one week, I'm cleaning out my
rocksack and this paper flutters. I said, oh, Warren, I
call Warren And in one week we had a band
and we were playing at this topless joint in the
(20:58):
Salmon King Valley and Sabernana Valley and the very first
show I did in La there's a woman topless dancer
in a chair swinging like this, and if I'm playing
like this, I would have to move my body aside
from the michael so she wouldn't get me. So we swing,
swinging so close to this tiny stage, you know. And
(21:19):
at the same time she was doing it, she was
she had these little castles on her.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
They should be one.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
She'd get right tassel in the right breast to going,
you know, clockwise, and the left one counterclockwise. So she
come up. I don't know how she did. She was amazing,
you know. It was hard to concentrate and play music
and move and I get hit and watch the tassels
at the same time.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Well, you didn't play in those kind of places for
very long. Nope. Eventually ten or several top ten hits.
Four of your albums charted in the Billboard Top one hundred.
I mean you were a rock star.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Wes, Yes, well, I Phil Ambryant. I don't think you.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Don't know that. That's well, that's true. But for you
in the sixties in Los Angeles being a rock star,
who did you consider to be your peer at that time,
or your peers. There's a big music scene in Los Angeles.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
It's a huge music scene. We uh, we're off there.
You're working all at times, so you're not hanging much.
And we toured with the Doors, Yeah, and we got
t I got tight with the Doors. I John Densmill
was my best man at my wedding. We were close.
He was a good friend. The Young Rascals, we toured
with them a lot. We hung out with Gene Cornish,
the guys at Three Dog Nike, we played with, We
(22:36):
played with everyone because you know, Brian, we just toured
with with everybody at that time. I guess for the grassroots,
as we started out in folk rock, we would be
considered in that, in that Buffalo Springfield kind of genre,
you know, with that folks folk rocky stuff. You know,
they were a better band. They were a better band,
without a doubt. But we had we had We had
some good singers. Warren and Rob were really really good vocalists,
(22:59):
you know, and we had great producers and some really
good songs.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
So we had a good run. We had a good run.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
I guess what I'm I guess what I'm getting at
is so for me, when The Office begins to take
off and we start getting recognition, and I mean in
terms of the show and winning awards and were invited
to fancy parties and like, so for you had you
(23:27):
experienced do you feel like you had experienced that before
back in the sixties.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Like, no, No, that's the Office was the first rush
of that kind of stuff. And we went to in
New York and we stayed at the Four Seasons, and
we played the Tonight Show, the Johnny Carson Tonight Show,
and we did all this. We did the TV show, sure,
but as far as go people saying we'll come on
(23:53):
this show and hang with us, you know, or coming
to these parties and stuff. No, we didn't have that.
We I really felt that it would. You know. The
Office was a whole other animal. It's just yeah, that
that rarefied air. We just all of a sudden gasping
to get more.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Right. But in the sixties, you're invited to the Playboy Mansion.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I see, I was invited to
the Playboy Mansion. So you were in the you were
in the Toronto in the sixties, yeah, and then what
then forty years later I was I was invited only
(24:31):
forty years later than you were years later. But you've
experienced all of that sort of Hollywood and I'm putting
air quotes on thatchery well Los Angeles, Like how do
I say this? The kind of clubs and I don't
mean clubs, but I mean like where you you're only invited.
(24:56):
You can't go unless you're invited. You can't guess that's
the thing, right.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
When when you when some a lister brings up there
having a hot tub party and you're playing celebrity pud touch,
these are the only places that you can you're can
get invited.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
To, right, Yes, what what is I hope that was?
Speaker 1 (25:17):
You can cut that one.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
No, I enjoyed it for you. What is the what
is your favorite experience that you had during that time?
During that run, I mean you you were doing movies too.
I know you did a movie with Doris Day, Oh
my gosh.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
But I gotta say that with Brian Keith, he come
to the set, he wouldn't have any makeup on, you know,
he was like he was like Spencer Tracy. They put
makeup on, he would take it off. He hated it
and he just looked everybody else. They looked like thick,
like a mud, and he was just like gone, where
is he was? Right there? She had You've heard the
(25:57):
jokes about the door stay filters, all the filter in
front of the camera, right, yeah, there were they were
there with we. We said, what the hell? What are
all those things out fronts? I thoughts her filters, you know,
and you can cut. You can see George Carlin. This
is first movie with you know, he's George Carnes in
this movie. And theything click clicking, and all of a
sudden he comes boop, there's this mud, this dirty water
(26:21):
from the Doris and then everyone's clear again.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
But look young, what's your favorite experience that you had
during this time?
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (26:32):
I think from a musical point of view, our second
album Feelings, the band instead of using the Wrecking Crew
for for some of the stuff or the bass and
the drums, Warren and I played on a lot of stuff,
but we didn't use our bass player and our drummer.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
We did.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
We did though on this second album and they took
a shot with it and we had a song called
Feelings that our original Kenny Fukumoto wrote Boom boom boom,
feel It's me feel So we were at Oxnard and
we played uh Live for Today Midnight Confessions the crowd
(27:12):
where they love that, but we played Feelings, which was
our song. It was our song, but it was our
song that we'd played, you know, completely, and the crowd
went like just they started it started galvanizing ituse with
that kind of song, And at that moment I thought, Okay,
here we go. We're the band, we are the ship
were the rest of the real deal. It was short lived,
(27:34):
but that was a moment where I thought, Okay, this
is genuinely exciting stuff. That when that grout crowd is
there with you like that, joining you, and they's they're
moss mash pitting or whatever it is called. Yeah, you know,
they're bouncing up and going and stuff like that. Yeah,
it was great. That was That was a great moment.
There's all kinds of other things, but as far as
(27:55):
what I wanted, I wanted respect from from people for
the music. It wasn't anything else but their respect and
doing good art, good art.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Can you talk about why the band ended? Why you left?
Speaker 1 (28:07):
I had an epiphany after the Johnny Carson show. We
were heading back to the hotel and I listened to
the band music from Big Pink, and that was that
was a just a paradigm shift in my consciousness as
(28:28):
far as what you can accomplish. And that's not the
same that we could become the band. But I thought
that we had already done this. It wasn't. It didn't
wasn't as successful as the studio produced stuff. So the
ones they saw what it was, it wasn't didn't do
as go I on the charts. They went back to
the old formula. And I really wondered they should have
stayed with us a little longer and give us another
shot to stay longer. I mean, they gave us the
(28:50):
shot they did. I'll be fair about that, fair play.
And I've said I told him, I said, I think
we should go off in Woodshed. I think we should
come up with their own stuff because we're not gonna
have credibility. And they didn't want to do it. And
a lot of people think it's because I dropped acid
at the film or and it couldn't finish the show.
(29:11):
But it wasn't that at all. A lot there's a
lot that was another Friday for most rock bands. You know.
It was this thing that I wanted to do that.
So they said, if you're not happy, you can leave
and we'll give you a settlement nights.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
And I took it.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
You know, I left, and I've thought for a long
time maybe it was a bad move. But obviously, as
we know, it all worked out worse out.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Yeah, you left the grassroots in nineteen sixty nine, you
put out a solo album in two thousand and three. Yep,
now we know what you were up to in front
of the camera, if you will, musically, for you, what
changed or shifted or evolved for you during that time?
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Okay, I think the big that's a good question, Ryan,
that's a really good question. I uh, don't, don't get
deadly go to your head, just did I won't.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
I get one every month.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
I don't get any I don't get anything. I'm jealous,
just jealous to give that. I think what happened is
that at that time I had to go out and
with my guitar and play these little clubs, and uh,
I've did another kind of jokes, but I would go
play it. And so with my acoustic guitar, I had
to sing and I had to write songs. So I
(30:36):
started writing. I had been writing songs, but I started
writing more personal songs, and trust me, I wrote a
lot of really bad songs. I mean, you know, hundreds
of songs that were like oh people, oh God, and
you move on, you move on. Finally you get something
like all the Faces comes along, and then you start.
Then I guess you put enough time into it. The
muse says, well, you're worth it now you you've you've
(30:59):
paid your due. Is we're going to give you some
better material. And I think it was just because I
wasn't just playing lead guitar in a band. I had
to stand up with my hand, stand up and be counted,
write my songs, sing them myself. I had to serve
the songs with my voice. And as you sing in
clubs and tour, you get stronger, you get a stronger voice,
(31:19):
you know. And I think on this, the songs you've heard,
the voices, the voice is getting stronger. It's just getting better.
It's just the way it worked, the way it works.
So that was a good It was a good thing.
What are the uh the obstacles? Was Marcus Aurelius and
the stoics said, the obstacle, You know, obstacles the way
you get you get obstacles in your life. They're not
the end, they're not a problem. Just you just become
(31:41):
adaptable and you get stronger.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Because so earlier in your career when you were a kid,
(32:03):
did you consider yourself a singer? No.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
I always thought I would sing harmonies with the Torques,
the band I played when I was young, and I
would sing, But I never considered myself just a guitar
player mostly, and I'd sing harmonies and I staying some
leads with the grassroots, but they were you could hear that.
You could hear the early recordings. It's very tentative. It's
(32:29):
kind of a sweet voice, but it's not confident, certainly
not confident at all.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Yeah, you put out six solo albums with Kindred Records
in the two thousands. Was there something that happened for
you that enabled you to become really prolific in terms
of your writing and recording music during that time?
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Persistence and uh and also just uh. I it helped
a lot with the office. Right right off the bat,
I was able to go out and tour again. And
when we first when I first started touring, I didn't
have the bits. I didn't have the I had to
I've sat there just sweating bullets or trying to come
(33:11):
up with something to say in between the songs. Eventually
I wrote, I started writing material and started working and
people laughed. And then before the show was over, I
was doing tours and when we were on hiatus and stuff,
and people come up and so we came because you're
so funny, but we really love those songs. You know,
we're gonna go download these songs. These songs touch us emotionally.
(33:33):
And at that moment, Ryan I thought, Okay, okay, uh,
this is legit and I'm not just go and smoke
up my own ass. You know. It's uh, it's there's
are good songs. And then I started Then when when
you get the confidence to believe you're doing something good,
then you you you'll project more and you'll, uh, you'll
not only enthusiastic. I was definitely enthusiastic. I just had conviction, confidence, confidence.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Thank you guys, if you do you ever have the
opportunity to see this guy, if he's ever in your town,
let me tell you something. I was lucky enough to
go to a big concert that that Creed that was
at the Roxy, right, ye, yes, at the Roxy. The
historic Roxy Theater on Sunset Boulevard there in Los Angeles.
(34:22):
I'm telling you what, guys, he is a rock star. No,
there's no pretending, there is no like this. He is legit.
It is a show and I would guess that we
broke records for how many people were in the Roxy. Now,
maybe back in the sixties they jammed people in the fire.
Marshal wasn't looking at it, but I'm telling you it
(34:44):
was jam packed and a lot of fun and everybody
really enjoyed it. You started your own label, Alien Chicken
several years ago. Why'd you decide to do that?
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Well, first of let me say about the rock saying
it would have been a good show, but with you
there and Angela there, then that's that's where the people
came out because of the show. It was also charity
for the Australian Wildfire's Wildfires thing.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
You know.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Yeah, it's still the same thing. I was Kendrick's Music
as my publishing company. When it became my company, Alien Chicken,
I just changed. I just went over to just ok
as a matter of course, just change it over to
Alien Chicken.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Okay. Yeah, last time that I talked to you here
on the podcast. You'd put out an album slightly altered,
although some would argue it is morely significantly altered. But anyway,
it's your title. You get to do what you want. Now.
Right now as we speak, you're working on your tenth
(35:46):
so incredible album, dow Pop. It releases in the fall.
Talk to me just first. I know you have your
second song just out. I'll talk about that in a second.
What was your journey from Slightly Altered to dow Pop.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
We had more time, and we also had I wrote
a couple of songs we recorded just me and Dylan
O'Brien because of the COVID thing, and then when it
was over we get the band in there. We took
time and I was able to when I got back
touring again, I was able to sing these songs live
in front of the audience to find which ones worked,
which ones didn't work. So this is more of a
(36:23):
SELECTI process. Also, four of the songs, always Dreaming of You,
the one that you you have now, the second single
I wrote that with Dylan O'Brien, just out July nineteenth.
July nineteenth, and then Tuga Wore I wrote Dylan, Excuse Me,
Billy Harvey Turned the Corner of the Universe, which is
already out with Vance DeGeneres, Ellen's brother who ran Steve's company.
(36:48):
That's where I met him in the set one day
and it's got very funny, really good guy and I
write great stuff. And then my Jeff Pearlman, who's just
a great guitar play wrote this comm country song called
toy Bote and uh, it's we got We've got Dean
Parks on this album, Elliott Easton from the Cars, so
(37:09):
playing on a couple of songs. It's it's just the
it's by Brian's the best album, so proud of This
album really is a good one.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Is your this is you think this is the best album?
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Yeah, I'm sure of it. I'm sure of it. Yeah,
so I have That's why I'm going out of my
way to get a publicist and go through all of this. Suddencuse,
I really believe it warrants it.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
So when you're about to release an album, I've always
been curious about this do you have is it Is
it like a movie? Do you view it like that
where you have sort of an overarching story or an
idea from for this album from the get go, or
does it evolve and change as different songs and different
collaborations that you just mentioned feed into it too, and
(37:52):
and and make up the individual songs.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
That's a good wow, that's a really good question too.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
It's number two. That's not a roll, My man's a roll.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
The the theme of it is is the down pop
thing is on the picture is me talking to a
couple of alien robots. It says, uh, it's for that's
from chipping the Chip in my brain song no I wrote.
I wrote ten songs, six six by myself, four with
other people. Each song is indifferent, but when the the
Chip in my Brain came along, that kind of set
(38:29):
the tone for the album cover. So there's really no
rhyme or reason too. Uh, it's just ten really good
songs and the theme the theme. If there's a theme,
it's because it's the artwork theme that holds it together. Okay,
But my songs are always yearning spiritual growth, overcoming versity,
just me my life.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
You've continued to do that, Yes, Yes, that is a
that is a constant journey for us, all for all
of us. But you're very you're very open about that
for yourself, which I admire. About you.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
Oh, thank you man. I don't I feel obviously very
very lucky. And if not a day goes by that
I don't give gratitude for how my life is turned out.
It's astonished. I have to pinch myself. Really.
Speaker 2 (39:13):
Yeah, So that's it.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
So the album comes out September twenty seventh, as you
know you July and I think you said July nineteenth.
You know more about this thing than I do.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Yeah, is it done? Is the album done?
Speaker 1 (39:24):
The album's absolutely done, completely done.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
Why are you making us wait for it? Then? Well,
what is this? Let's just look look look oh oh
I'm looking at it right now, guys, dow Pop. What
a what a great picture that that artwork. We'll post
a picture of this. That artwork should win. And you're
(39:46):
going on tour of course.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
On tour and playing the Baked Potato with my friend
Tim Hawckenberry, Charlie Ferrager and Sebastian Lenz on the tenth okay,
and then well then where all the four of us
are going to go out in September and do a
California tour in a spreader that that will be so
people in California look for us we'll go. I'll be
coming through with the band in a spreader van, big one.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Are you going to stay in hostels?
Speaker 1 (40:14):
If I could find one, I would in California?
Speaker 2 (40:17):
All right, last question. You know, I don't reveal anyone's age,
but it occurred to me that you are of a
similar age as the two uh gentlemen, to put it nicely,
who are are running for president? Right now? Let me
ask you this here and now, for your fans and
(40:40):
for this nation, Creed, would you consider running for president.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
My fellow Americans? Uhh, that's really so rough, you kid. No, yeah, right,
That's what they need is Creed for president.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
That is Hey, listen, let me promise you this. You would,
You would get my vote and I and I suspect
Creed you would get a fair number of votes for
the presidency. You're always, as I said before, striving to
be a better person and to continue to work on
(41:24):
yourself to make the world a better place. And you
do that through well just who you are and also
your art. So I want to thank you for that.
I want to thank you for your friendship. I want
to wish you all the best on dow Pop and
uh yeah, next time, I'm going to be up there
(41:45):
and go to your coffee shop. I'm going to call
you in advance.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
Call me, call me, we'll call me in and we'll meet.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
We'll meet now now, I know. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
I love you, Brian.
Speaker 2 (41:54):
I love you too much.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
You are an inspiration to me too, because you're not
that character Kevin and He but ladies and gentlemen, he did.
He came to it and did it every day and
people I know believe he's but he's not that guy.
Far as far as the cooler, yes, yes, much smarter,
much muchmarter.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Creed, have a good summer, Creed. Great to talk to
you as always, and uh, well, next time I'll buy
you that coffee. Come back as many times as you like,
(42:36):
my friend, You are always welcome here with me. Listeners,
listen to his new single I'll always be dreaming of you,
and keep an eye out for Dow Pop coming out
in September and between now in September, you can fill
your ears by coming back here and listening to me.
(42:57):
It may not rhyme, it may not be melodious, but well,
we try to have fun. Until next time, everybody, have
a great week. Off The Beat is hosted and executive
(43:19):
produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Lang Lee.
Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Emily
Carr and Seth Olanski, and our talent producer is Ryan
Papa Zachary. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by
the one and Only Creed Bretton
Host
Brian Baumgartner
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