Cancel Culture Comes for Rolling Stone Co-Founder Jan Wenner

Jann Wenner, who co-founded Rolling Stone magazine and also was a co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has been removed from the hall’s board of directors after making comments that were seen as disparaging toward Black and female musicians.“Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation,” the hall said Saturday, a day after Mr. Wenner’s comments were published in a New York Times interview.A representative for Mr. Wenner, 77, did not immediately respond for a comment.Mr. Wenner created a firestorm doing publicity for his new book “The Masters,” which features interviews with musicians Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and U2’s Bono — all white and male.Asked why he didn’t interview women or Black musicians, Mr. Wenner responded: “It’s not that they’re inarticulate, although, go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. Please, be my guest. You know, Joni (Mitchell) was not a philosopher of rock ‘n’ roll. She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test,” he told the Times.“Of Black artists — you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right? I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level,” Mr. Wenner said.Mr. Wenner co-founded Rolling Stone in 1967 and served as its editor or editorial director until 2019. He also co-founded the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which was launched in 1987.In the interview, Mr. Wenner seemed to acknowledge he would face a backlash. “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.”Last year, Rolling Stone magazine published its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and ranked Gaye’s “What’s Going On” No. 1, “Blue” by Ms. Mitchell at No. 3, Mr. Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” at No. 4, “Purple Rain” by Prince and the Revolution at No. 8 and Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” at No. 10.Rolling Stone’s niche in magazines was an outgrowth of Mr. Wenner’s outsized interests, a mixture of authoritative music and cultural coverage with tough investigative reporting.

Cancel Culture Comes for Rolling Stone Co-Founder Jan Wenner

Cancel Culture Comes for Rolling Stone Co-Founder Jan Wenner

More from the New York Sun

Golden State Seeks To Win WNBA Title in Just Its Second Season

Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary Packs a Punch But Is More Retweet Than Revelation

Zelensky Credits Ukrainian Attacks on Data Centers With Reducing Bots on Social Media

‘UN’s Is At Lowest Point Since 1947,’ John Bolton Tells the Sun — Reflecting America’s Discontent With Global Institutions

GOP Lawmakers Revolt Over Plan To Livestream Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution

Mahmoud Abbas’s ‘Crime Against Democracy’

Anger as Mamdani Snubs Italian Americans on Columbus Day

Mamdani’s New Cop Crackdown Will See Exodus From NYPD, Police Unions Warn

More from the New York Sun

Golden State Seeks To Win WNBA Title in Just Its Second Season

Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary Packs a Punch But Is More Retweet Than Revelation

Zelensky Credits Ukrainian Attacks on Data Centers With Reducing Bots on Social Media

‘UN’s Is At Lowest Point Since 1947,’ John Bolton Tells the Sun — Reflecting America’s Discontent With Global Institutions

GOP Lawmakers Revolt Over Plan To Livestream Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution

Mahmoud Abbas’s ‘Crime Against Democracy’

Anger as Mamdani Snubs Italian Americans on Columbus Day

Mamdani’s New Cop Crackdown Will See Exodus From NYPD, Police Unions Warn