A Tale of Two Creeds
Creed Bratton Live @ The Sunset
Thursday, October 1, 2015
By Kevin Nelson
There are two Creed Brattons. One, the beloved, if slightly deranged character on The Office and the other a popular ’60s musician playing a night of music and comedy at the Sunset on October 1. One, a guy known for his “Creed Thoughts,” another, the guitarist for late 60s American rock band The Grass Roots (who you might not know performed the song “Let’s Live for Today”… which you definitely DO know!). Yet, both of them are one and the same, with The Office character finding inspiration in the exaggerated life and times of the real life musician.
When Creed (the person, not the character) talked to us recently, he highlighted the fact that his upcoming tour will be a chance to surprise audience members who are there only to see the character. He describes his live act as “a musical show with comedy” and features him doing music from his six solo albums and some songs by The Grass Roots.
“The best part is going on stage and singing the songs and having people realize that I do music,” Creed said.
The inspiration of Creed the musician on Creed the character is obvious, but influence seems to go both ways. Bratton describes the stories he’ll tell between songs by stating: “Hopefully, what I say in between my songs will get a chuckle,” in a delightfully understated manner that’s certain to make any Office fan smile.
But how did Creed Bratton the musician wind up on The Office? When he heard they were making a U.S. version of the BBC show, he contacted producer Ken Kwapis, who he had worked with on The Bernie Mac Show, and asked if he could be a part of the cast. Kwapis said they could put Creed in the background but didn’t promise him any lines.
When he got to the set, he was met with just that, no lines, so he developed a character with inspiration from his own life. The real Creed Bratton played in The Grass Roots, just like his character. But, his character lived the rock and roll lifestyle far too long, eventually ending up in Scranton, Pa., at a paper sales company.
Creed described his work on The Office as the highlight of his career. “The Grass Roots was great, but The Office? That was just a high point. We laughed every day.”
To summarize: there are two Creed Brattons, both of whom have influenced the other and both of whom are infinitely entertaining. Don’t miss the opportunity to see them both on the same stage.