On the American version of
The Office
, the character of Creed has gradually emerged as a hilariously amoral eccentric through cryptic revelations scattered throughout the series. An ambiguously oriented but certainly promiscuous and occasionally homeless kleptomaniac, the fictional Creed has been a member (and leader) of several cults and can catch a fish with his bare hands. In real life, Creed Bratton calls himself a "slasher" - an actor/musician whose new
self-titled album features a mix of folk, blues-rock, and Americana. Bratton enjoyed a successful music career in the 1960s and '70s as lead guitarist of
The Grass Roots, best known for their songs "Midnight Confessions", "Lets Live For Today", and "Where Were You When I Needed You". Creed was also my first phone interview and is obviously a very patient man.
Creed Bratton was born William Charles Schneider, later going by Chuck Ertmoed when his widowed mother remarried. After two years of touring in Europe and Africa in the late 1960s with his band The Young Californians, the man who would become Creed says he found himself in Athens with a broken heart and a vision of success in his "third eye". A random drunken encounter with "a couple on their way to teach English to Cretans" led to a hungover Chuck Ertmoed discovering "Creed Bratton" circled among several names scribbled on a table cloth. And thus the cult figure was created.
Later Creed returned to California and started a group called The 13th Floor. Meanwhile, producers Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan created a band to capitalize on the folk-rock trend of that era's popular music scene. When the first incarnation of The Grass Roots disintegrated, Sloan recruited The 13th Floor to take their place. When asked if he felt like his band was packaged like The Monkees, Creed said "not at first". He initially enjoyed the band's new found fame while they still exercised creative freedom - particularly when recording his favorite Grass Roots album
Feelings. But as the band moved away from their folk-rock roots into a more commercial sound for songs like "Midnight Confessions", Bratton began to feel "disgruntled" and "unhappy". Then came the unpleasant surprise that the band had recorded a song without him, which Bratton points to as the time when he "really felt like a Monkee". Rather than lose his artistic integrity, he left The Grass Roots to pursue a solo career.
During his tenure with The Grass Roots, Creed led a wild and exciting life. He toured with The Doors,
Creedance Clearwater Revival, and Janis Joplin. But he says Jimi Hendrix had the most distinctive talent at the time, the only one he knew for certain would be a legend. He calls Moby Grape both his best and worst concert experience, because his band had to follow their jaw dropping "fear of God" performance.
Creed confirmed the outlandish stories about his habit of running naked through small towns beside the band's tour bus, the infamous acid trip that caused him to drop his pants on stage as he ranted about the meaning of life, and the notorious shark incident. He described in detail how the intoxicated band caught a shark from their hotel window, hoisting their catch up until the creature jumped into their room, and the shocking
Psycho-like scene the next morning as he pulled back the shower curtain to find three bloody sharks in the bathtub.
Despite such decadent experiences, Creed says he feels much more successful now than he ever did then. Decades spent struggling as an actor and a musician did nothing to diminish his love of either art, and he is now fully able to enjoy both pursuits. He credits producer and collaborator Jon Tiven for getting him back into the studio as well as for his contributions in the writing and recording of the new album. It was Tiven who introduced him to powerhouse session singers Jonell Mosser and Bekka Bramlett.
Creed was unable to choose just one favorite track from the new disc, though he did narrow it down to "Dream Lover, "Cry Cry Cry", "My Baby is a Cadillac", and "All The Faces". The latter was written in just ten minutes and originally featured on
Coarsegold. He calls it the only song he's written that "felt finished". Though he hopes to book some live shows to promote the album, his schedule may not allow for that any time soon.
We also covered the typical "favorite questions". Creed cites Hank Williams, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, Coltrane, and my beloved
Chet Baker as some of his musical influences. Creed said he would love to record a "crooner album" and then sang a bit of Baker's "Let's Get Lost", which was probably the most memorable part of our conversation. The most disturbing segment followed, though, as he named Coldplay as a band that really gets him off?! I think I've made
my feelings on Chris Martin's band known, but to each his own. But in addition to our shared love of Chet Baker, I wholeheartedly agree with Creed's affection for
Alison Krauss and Michael Bublé.
Bratton is an avid reader - most recently enjoying
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen and Jack Weatherford's
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World - and names the François Truffaut classic
Jules & Jim as his favorite film. After calling HBO's
Deadwood and
The Sopranos his favorite television shows, he seemed to slide in and out of character for the remaining portions of the interview. As a Luddite without internet or cable at home (I blog from work like
Jenna Fischer), I was unfamiliar with the short-lived and critically reviled HBO series
John from Cincinnati. So I did not catch on to Creed's joke about relating to the show until he said he could "also levitate".
I didn't want to bombard him with questions about
The Office, but couldn't resist a few. He was as friendly and gracious when discussing the show as he had been during the rest of the interview. He said that even though he "never stopped preparing for the opportunity", he still feels "lucky" to be where he is and doesn't view himself as a celebrity. He talked about how much fun the other actors on the show are to work with and the difficult task of getting through a scene without laughing. He briefly mentioned the creator's desire to differentiate the show from its
British counterpart and the low ratings they suffered in the beginning. I'm sure I'm one of many who had forgotten that the hit show was almost canceled after the first season. I can't imagine American television without it now.
When I inquired about any similarities he has with his bizarre character, Creed gave me his "standard answer" that he "would be in jail" if he were really like that. Now I try not to judge people, and Creed vehemently denies being anything like the lecherous weirdo he plays on the show. But he did pause when I asked if he'd ever belonged to or led a cult, and suddenly called me "Jane" after almost an hour of using my real name. So draw your own conclusions. He did own up to having been employed as "a hit man for the Government" and when asked how it felt to kill people, he simply replied: "Hey, it's a living...well, not for them".
Oh, and if anyone from
TMZ reads this interview: Creed may not remember your name, but he knows you have bugged his phone and are hiding in the bushes outside his house. I would run if I were you.
Creed Bratton CD Review
(UK)