Jann Wenner seems allergic to critical evaluation of his generation’s contributions to popular and political culture, in contrast with some of the heroes whose philosophical insights he champions. In his latest New York Times interview, the Rolling Stone founder isn’t defending his actual legacy, but rather the questionable mythology of rock and roll that he helped create.
It’s no secret that Rolling Stone has long been criticized for its bias towards the great rock stars of the 60’s and 70’s. The magazine’s aversion to anything that challenged their places on the Mount Rushmore of popular music has been a point of contention among critics for most of the publication’s lifetime at this point.
Wenner’s upcoming book “The Masters,” is a collection of seven of his interviews with royalty of the rock era. The book contains conversations with Bono, Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend — all paragons of the promise of rock and roll, and all white men.
“Joni [Mitchell] was not a philosopher of rock and roll,” Wenner explains when pressed on why no women were included in the collection. “She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test. Not by her work, not by other interviews she did. The people I interviewed were the kind of philosophers of rock.” I find myself wondering how someone could possibly believe Joni Mitchell doesn’t meet his criteria, but maybe his criteria have less to do with actual philosophy than they do with his vision of what he wants rock and roll’s legacy to be. Either way, my two cents is that nobody who’s ever lived is a greater philosopher of rock than Patti Smith, but what do I know?
His reasoning was similar when the discussion shifted to black artists of the era. “Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield? I read interviews with them. I listen to their music — I mean, they just couldn’t articulate at that level.” Even disregarding the racist undertones of the word articulation in the way that it’s often ascribed to black people, it’s hard to imagine why Wenner would feel this way. Marvin Gaye in 1971 released What’s Goin’ On, which Rolling Stone currently recognizes as the greatest album of all time, in part due to the groundbreaking social commentary in its lyrics. In my view, to say that you couldn’t pull valuable insights about the state of the world from a conversation with him is as much an indictment of your own abilities as an interviewer than it is of anyone’s ability to articulate their thoughts. But perhaps, like Joni, their insights aren’t the kind he’s looking for.
Near the end of the interview, Wenner is asked if he has any valid criticisms of his generation, and his answer is essentially no. He ultimately maintains that rock and roll and the counterculture played a vital roll in making the world a better place. It’s an odd thing to say when women are facing the greatest threat to reproductive rights since the last time Rolling Stone was a dominant voice in popular culture, and black men and women are regularly gunned down by police officers who face no consequences.
Loving something means recognizing its imperfections and acknowledging its failures. In this case, it means admitting it may have been wrong to champion rock music as a transformative force in the world. Wenner’s articulate friend Pete Townshend, who essentially said that “the promise ended up being abandoned as soon as there was enough money and stardom,” seems to think so.
“God bless Pete,” Wenner replied, “but it’s not true. The work was worthwhile, we had fun doing it. It was meaningful.” Townshend’s take seems overly cynical and maybe it is. Maybe Wenner is a true believer in the power of rock and roll, a dam holding back a flood of cynicism. But it seems to me like he’s just in denial.
