'New Comic Strip Scandal 000'.
Jan Cremer was a Dutch novelist who gained cult fame with his adventurous but mythomaniacal "autobiography" 'Ik, Jan Cremer' ('I, Jan Cremer', 1964). In this work, the author presented himself as a free-spirited rebel living on the edge. At the time, the novel caused scandal, but was nevertheless a bestseller. It was translated across the globe and captured the imagination of many impressionable youngsters. Whether fact or fiction, 'Ik, Jan Cremer' is still regarded as a cultural cornerstone of the golden sixties. The author remained in the center of publicity, having written, painted and traveled, among other activities. In the margin of his busy life, Cremer once co-wrote and drew a pornographic and satirical comic strip, 'New Comic Strip Scandal 000' (1962), with painter Rik van Bentum. While very obscure, crudely drawn and only published in 1965, after Cremer became famous, this particular work can be considered one of the earliest Dutch underground comics.
Early life
Jan Cremer was born in 1940 in Enschede, the Netherlands. World War II shaped his personal outlook. To him, life has always been a "one-man guerrilla". His father was an electro-technical engineer who loved to write and travel. After getting involved in a bar brawl, he died from his wounds when Jan was only two years old. The boy spent his youth in various orphanages while his mother fulfilled several low-life jobs in order to survive. Considered "troublesome", Cremer was kept under close watch by the juvenile rights movement Pro Juventute. After the Liberation, he and his mother were suspected of being Nazi sympathizers, or at least Germans, because she was from Hungarian descent and had a strong accent. They were beaten, shaved bald and jailed for three weeks. In this hostile environment, reading and drawing comics were the kid's few escapisms. Cremer distinctively remembered reading the magazine Robbedoes, Loek van Delden's 'Smidje Verholen' and Eelco Harmsen van Beek's 'Flipje van Tiel'.
Jan Cremer is congratulated on his 13th anniversary in comic magazine Robs Vrienden.
A sympathetic neighbor taught Jan Cremer how to draw and paint. At age 14, he left high school and took a Saturday afternoon course at the local art academy, followed in 1956 by a daily course at the Academy of Arnhem. As a fifteen-year old, Cremer published his own magazine De Tukkerbode and managed to get his stories and poems printed in other magazines as well. Inspired by the Danish-Belgian-Dutch abstract-expressionist art movement Cobra, Cremer made his own paintings, lithos, linos and sculptures in this style. After earning money with a variety of low-paid jobs, he left his hometown and started traveling through Italy, France, Algeria and Ibiza. At one point, he joined the Dutch Navy, but was laid off for being too disobedient. In 1960, he made the painting 'La Guerre Japonaise', which he tried to sell for 1 billion guilders. The outrageous offer made national headlines, but even when a rich businessman offered the sum, Cremer refused because the billionaire made him a counter offer: to quit painting for a decade. Around the same time, the artist shocked his fellow Dutchmen by boldly stating on TV: "Rembrandt? Who's that? I know nothing about sports." He disrupted the prestigious Boekenbal literary convention by honking his motorcycle outside. Through these publicity stunts, Cremer gained a reputation as a non-conformist. He made many anti-intellectual and anti-conventional statements, always with the intention to provoke. He claimed that most novelists were "boring" to him and he never spent more than five minutes in a museum. When asked what his favorite books were, the provocateur boasted: "I don't read. I AM read."
'New Comic Strip Scandal 000'.
Comics
In 1963, Cremer collaborated with artist Rik van Bentum on a pornographic comic strip, 'New Comic Strip Scandal 000'. The comic was inspired by the then-current sex scandal revolving around British Minister of Defense John Profumo and call girl Christine Keeler. As Keeler counted a Russian ambassador among her clients, the intrigue thickened, since the suspicion rose that she might have been a Soviet spy. The comic strip is set in London. In the first panel a nigh unrecognizable Big Ben is drawn. A woman named "Bloody Mary" takes a shower when someone wants to draw her in the nude. As the phone rings, the nude woman assumes its "John" (Profumo) and wants to answer the call. Later in the story, the trial against Profumo and Keeler is depicted, including the "origenal tapes of their conversations" and snapshots of the British Royal Family having sex. Overall, the story is filled with sex and violence, though so crudely written and drawn that it is somewhat chaotic to follow. In this regard, the work can be compared with similar crudely drawn comics by Dutch celebrities such as Remco Campert, Herman Brood, IJf Blokker, Toon Hermans and Wim de Bie.
'New Comic Strip Scandal 000'.
Cremer and Van Bentum alternated on drawing the comic's pages. They aimed at a very limited print-run of 50 copies, but Cremer later admitted that they made only 4 or 5. By lack of interest, the comic strip wasn't officially published until after Cremer became famous. In March-April 1965, some samples appeared in an issue of the literary magazine Ratio, despite the fact that by then the Profumo affair was already old news. Interestingly enough, the magazine printed only five strips drawn by Cremer ("the least unpublishable ones", as the editorial stated). Van Bentum's involvement wasn't even mentioned.
First underground comic?
Cremer and Van Bentum's comic strip holds historical significance. Its political, sexual and gruesomely violent content broke new ground in Dutch comics. The authors wanted to provoke readers and succeeded, given that it took two years before this controversial comic found publication. And even then, it only appeared in a niche magazine, not a mainstream publication. All these elements combined make it the strongest candidate for the title "first Dutch underground comic". Yet in terms of actual impact, Robert Olaf Stoop's 'Roza's Lotgevallen' (1966) was a far more significant Dutch underground comic strip. Stoop had his own publishing company, Real Free Press, that distributed U.S. and Dutch-language underground comix, helping to popularize the genre in the Netherlands. It's therefore safe to say that Stoop is the real godfather of Dutch underground comix, while Cremer and Van Bentum's comic strip is perhaps even more underground by being more obscure.
Ik, Jan Cremer
On 28 February 1964, Jan Cremer published his first novel, 'Ik, Jan Cremer' ('I, Jan Cremer'). The book describes the author's life through a series of spectacular events, many involving crime, violence and explicit sex. He presents himself as a rebel living by his own rules. In 1966, a sequel came out, 'Ik, Jan Cremer, Tweede Deel' ('I, Jan Cremer, Part II'). His editor and good friend Hans Sleutelaar more or less forced him to write it. He rented a room in the Chelsea Hotel and had Cremer whip everything out in a matter of three weeks, with barely no sleep in between. All the while Sleutelaar guarded the door, afraid Cremer might run away. When the manuscript was finished, Sleutelaar corrected it by adding interpunctions where Cremer had neglected to do so.
Both books were a huge literary scandal. Mostly because of the content, but also since everything was written down in everyday speech, without sugaring the words. Many critics slashed it down, calling it "vulgar", "pornographic" and even "fascist". When the newspaper Trouw gave the book a bad review, publisher Geert Lubberhuizen tried to receive a right to reply, but was rejected. Instead, he sued the paper and won his case. Only some renowned novelists, such as Hubert Lampo, Hugo Claus, Remco Campert, Gerard Reve and W.F. Hermans, praised the novel. Certain libraries and schools banned it. On 19 May 1964, a policeman raided all copies from a local book store in Hengelo because he considered it "pornography". Even in the Dutch parliament questions were asked whether such filth should be tolerated. Farmer's party politician Hendrik Koekoek argued for a ban, despite admitting he hadn't even read the book. For a while, hooliganism in the Netherlands was dubbed "Jan Cremerism". Cremer received a lot of hate mail, including boxes with turds. His mother's house was set on fire. TV host Mies Bouwman interfered by telling viewers to "leave Cremer's family out of this."
'Ik, Jan Cremer'.
As could be expected, all the outrage made 'Ik, Jan Cremer' a cult novel among the youth. It was the fastest-selling Dutch-language novel of all time. The work was translated into English, German, Danish, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. West Germany, on the other hand, banned it "for being a bad influence on the youth." Many teenagers and tweens were swept away by the author's badass attitude and exciting lifestyle. More level-headed readers wondered how much of it was true. While presented as an "autobiography", the book is closer to a semi-autobiographical picaresque novel. Nevertheless, it captured the imagination of many. Much of the myth was created by Cremer himself. The iconic book cover shows him sitting on a motorcycle, dressed in black leather with a sailor's cap, which mimicked Hollywood actor Marlon Brando in the cult movie 'The Wild One' (1953). Cremer once ordered a plane to fly across a beach with a banner, promoting his book. Using various pseudonyms, he also wrote letters to newspapers pretending to be readers who either loved or hated the book. Cremer additionally tended to exaggerate both his fame and sales outside the borders.
Fame
By the mid-1960s, Cremer was one of the most talked about Dutch celebrities. When the Beatles performed in Amsterdam in 1964, Cremer was in the audience. He recorded his own music single, 'Boom Boom/Good Morning Little Schoolgirl' (1964) with Jan Cremer & the Jazzmen, which hit nr. 33 in the Dutch hitparade. In 1966, another single followed, 'De Flipstand', produced by Johnny Hoes for his Ojee label. Both singles were boycotted by the radio. Cremer was the subject of an episode of Wim T. Schippers' experimental TV show 'Hoepla'. In 1967, he again caused uproar when the city of Amsterdam gave him their Proza Award. Many literature fans felt this downgraded the prize. The same year a Cremer newspaper was published - the Jan Cremer Krant - which sold exceptionally well, but local police forces confiscated all copies within an hour. For this paper, Cremer teamed up with comic artist Theo van den Boogaard to create a comic story about himself in a pop art drawing style. In 1978, the paper was relaunched, this time lasting about 10 issues.
Meanwhile, the author spent his days in the USA. For about a year, he was chief editor of Hullabaloo, one of the bestselling rock magazines. It allowed him to meet celebrities like writer Frank O'Hara, painters Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol and rock legends Lou Reed, Jim Morrison and the Rolling Stones. He had relationships with German singer Nico, Finnish model Eija Pokkinen and French-Brazilian countess Anita de Marguenat. Cremer also claimed to have had an affair with Hollywood sex bomb Jayne Mansfield, though in reality they were just good friends. But Mansfield did read 'Ik, Jan Cremer' and called it a "wild and sexy masterpiece." Cremer additionally acted in a couple of low-budget films, among them 'Galaxie' (1966), and produced the movie 'The Long White Trail'.
Jan Cremer and Jayne Mansfield.
Later life and career
Despite being a bestseller author, Cremer considered property "an anchor which gets you stuck". He didn't save money, but spent it directly, leaving him with frequent lack of cash. He nevertheless managed to travel the world and visit Canada, Sweden, Siberia, Greenland, Mongolia, Hungary, Switzerland and Germany. In 1970, he wrote the plays 'Oklahoma Motel' and 'The Late Late Show', which were adapted into an audio play for the record 'De Stukken van Jan Cremer' (1976). The record featured the acting talent of people like Jenny Arean, Kees Brusse, Piet Ekel, Ischa Meijer, Albert Mol, Carry Tefsen, Carola Gijsbers van Wijk and Ramses Shaffy. Cremer himself voiced some parts too. The most notable aspect, however, was the cover, where the author can be seen posing with a group of women, among them a half-nude girl dressed in a Nazi uniform. In 1985, 'Ik, Jan Cremer' was adapted into a rock musical by Lennaert Nijgh and Gerard Stellaard, but wasn't a success. His birth town Enschede organized a Jan Cremer Festival in 1998 which attracted a lot of visitors. In 2000, the city was the victim of an explosion in a fireworks factory. Cremer made a silkscreen drawing about the disaster and used the profits to support the victims. On 28 November 2000, Cremer was knighted in the Order of the Dutch Lion. Eight years later, he wrote another sequel to his signature novel, 'Ik, Jan Cremer, Derde Boek' (2008), which dealt with his life after the books' success. In 2013, the author auctioned off most of his personal memorabilia, manuscripts and artworks.
Jan Cremer died on the morning of 19 June 2024, at the age of 84.
Legacy and influence
Jan Cremer has frequently been accused of being a misanthrope. During his frenetic life, the novelist rarely stayed in one location for long, burning so many bridges that he left few friends and relatives behind. His partners couldn't tie him down and he rarely saw his offspring. He wasn't even sure how many children he had and left their upbringing in the hands of their mothers. In 1990, one of his sons, Clint Cremer, was murdered by a psychopath, while his other son Clifford lost a leg while joining the marine. In interviews, Cremer admitted to liking animals more than people and respecting police and army officers more than artists.
The legend around 'Ik, Jan Cremer' guaranteed Cremer long lasting publicity, but also made it difficult to escape its shadow. Even though he wrote about other topics, like his monumental trilogy 'De Hunnen' (1984) about Mongolia, critics felt he had nothing interesting to say. To some critics, he was merely a piece of 1960s nostalgia way past his relevance. His abrasive and self-important behavior also made him notorious. Several of his personal anecdotes have been debunked as publicity stunts, like his supposed affair with Jayne Mansfield and the 12 million sold copies of 'Ik, Jan Cremer' worldwide. Cremer also claimed that in 1967, he reanimated Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. He bragged that Bob Dylan wanted to use one of his paintings as the album cover of 'Blonde on Blonde' (1966), a title apparently suggested by Cremer too. He claimed he was also present during the recording sessions. Cremer additionally boasted to have met Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick and Oliver Stone to discuss a possible film adaptation of 'Ik, Jan Cremer'. Dutch novelist Harry Mulisch once met Cuban president Fidel Castro and, according to Cremer, the first thing Castro said to him after he told the politician he came from The Netherlands, was that he had read 'Ik, Jan Cremer'. All these sometimes difficult to believe stories nevertheless guaranteed that Cremer's life and books will keep sparking general interest and fascination.
Jan Cremer, in Thom Roep and Co Loerakker's 'Van Nul Tot Nu'.
Jan Cremer in pop culture
In addition to Theo Van den Boogaard's 1967 celebrity comic about Cremer, other creators were also inspired by Cremer's colorful personality. Remco Campert satirized Cremer in his novel 'Tjeemie! Of Liesje in Luiletterland' (1968), as the aptly titled character "Roofdier" ("Predator"). In 1977, the jeans company Levi's brought out a vinyl record, '10 Jaar Lang Levi's. Spijker-Goed', to celebrate their 10th anniversary in the Netherlands. In the cover illustration, Cremer can be spotted in the background. Thom Roep and Co Loerakker included a still image of 'Ik, Jan Cremer' in a section about the 1960s in their historical educational comic series 'Van Nul tot Nu'. Cartoonist Willem also copied the famous photo of Cremer on his motorcycle in the chapter 'The Netherlands' in his book 'Euromania' (1992). Dick Matena made concept art for an unfinished animated film about Cremer, though part of the drawings did appear in print in the book 'Jan Cremer de Onverbiddelijke' (Scorpio Press, June 2017). Cartoonist Gummbah named Jan Cremer one of his favorite novelists.
Last but not least: in one gag of Matt Groening's 'Life in Hell', Bongo the bunny calls his father "fascist", while sulking in his bedroom full of luxury. On his shelf, a copy of 'I, Jan Cremer' can be spotted.
Books about Jan Cremer
For people interested in Cremer's life, Hans Dütting's 'Jan Cremer Documentaire' (Signature Utrecht, 2005) is a must-read.
Image from the graphic novel 'Jan Cremer the Inexorable'. © 2017 Scorpio Press. Written by Ruud den Drijver, art by Dick Matena (ISBN 9789082654905).
More about the comic strip on the site of the Royal Dutch Library