Music
Wenner’s ouster came after an interview with The New York Times in which he made comments that were seen as denigrating black and female musicians
Associated Press
Sun, September 17, 2023, 03.10 BST
Jann Wenner, co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine and co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was removed from the hall’s board of directors after making comments that were seen as denigrating black and female musicians.
“Jann Wenner has been removed from the board of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation,” the hall said Saturday, a day after Wenner’s comments were published in an interview with The New York Times.
A representative for Wenner, 77, did not immediately respond for comment.
Jann Wenner on Rolling Stone: “Some reviews were simply unbearably nasty”
The controversy arose from an interview Wenner conducted during the release of his new book “The Masters,” which features interviews with musicians Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and Bono of U2 – all of them white and male.
When asked why he didn’t interview any women or black musicians, Wenner replied, “It’s not that they’re inarticulate, but have an in-depth conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin.” Please be my guest. You know, Joni [Mitchell] was not a philosopher of rock’n’roll. In my opinion, she failed that test,” he told the Times.
“From black artists – you know, Stevie Wonder, a genius, right? I suppose when you use a word as broad as “master,” the mistake is in using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just couldn’t articulate themselves at that level,” Wenner said.
Wenner founded Rolling Stone in 1967 and was its publisher or editorial director until 2019. He was a co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was established in 1987.
In the interview, Wenner seemed to acknowledge that he would face backlash. “Just for publicity reasons, maybe I should have found a black artist and a female artist who didn’t meet that historical standard to avoid that kind of criticism.”
Last year, Rolling Stone magazine released its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, ranking Gaye’s, What’s Going On at No. 1, Blue by Mitchell at No. 3, Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life at No. 4, and Purple Rain by Prince Revolution at #8 and Ms. Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill at #10.
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