Jann Wenner Rolling Stone Magazine’s original co-founder, Jann Wenner, has been expelled from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s board of directors as a result of his divisive remarks regarding Black and female performers in an interview that was released last week.
Wenner’s new book, “The Masters: Conversations with Dylan, Lennon, Jagger, Townshend, Garcia, Bono, and Springsteen,” was highlighted in the NYT interview. It features discussions with notable music legends from a number of classic bands. Wenner, the co-founder of Rolling Stone and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said that the candidates for his interviews had to “meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them.” When Wenner was questioned about female artists, such as Joni Mitchell, he responded by saying, “It’s not that they’re not creative geniuses… although, go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin… Please, be my guest,” Wenner continued. “You know, Joni was not a philosopher of rock ‘n’ roll. She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test.”
The NYT outlet also quoted Wenner as saying, “Just for public relations sake, maybe I should have gone and found one Black and one woman artist to include here that didn’t measure up to that same historical standard, just to avert this kind of criticism.”
In a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, Wenner expressed regret for the comments, although many online users pointed out that he seemed to be more concerned with the negative backlash that he was receiving than actually expressing remorse for his opinions.
Wenner went on to explain that the interviews for his book were not intended to represent “the whole of music,” but rather to “reflect the high points” of his career. These interviews included those that, in his opinion, “illustrated the breadth and experience in that career.”
Wenner co-founded the Cleveland, Ohio, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum and has financed startups in the digital media space, including progressive sites like BuzzFeed and Vice Media. He also served as the co-founder and editorial director of Rolling Stone magazine from 1967 until 2019. Bailey: If the shoe fits wear it. |
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Rolling Stone Mag. Co-Founder Dropped From Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Board For ‘Racist, Sexist Comments’
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
Tit for Tat ? ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass was ripped from its base in Rochester on the an...
-
NEW YORK (AP) — As New York City faced one of its darkest days with the death toll from the coronavirus surging past 4,000 — more th...
No comments:
Post a Comment