As HITS was to Billboard in days of yore, i.e., a funnier, less stuffy alternative to a publication of record, CREEM was to Rolling Stone.

A bit of music-journalism history: HITS’ brand of comedy was dreamed up in 1986 by the rag’s first editor, Dave Adelson, drawing on inspirations including MAD’s Harvey Kurtzman and CREEM’s Lester Bangs, who’d set the tone for the Detroit-based mag when he became editor in 1971.

The latter slice of journalistic history is documented in the new film CREEM: America's Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine, which is scheduled to be released as theaters reopen later this summer. Among those making appearances are Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, KISS’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, The J. Geils Band’s Peter Wolf, Dave Marsh, Jeff Daniels and Lester’s protégé, Cameron Crowe.

The doc was produced by JJ Kramer (son of CREEM co-founder/publisher Barry Kramer) and our pal, longtime CREEM staffer Jaan Uhelszki, directed by Scott Crawford (Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington DC, 1980-90) and scored by MC5 founder Wayne Kramer.

Distributed by Greenwich Entertainment, it will be in select theaters on 8/7.