So, Jann Wenner, founder of Rolling Stone magazine, write a book titled The Masters, a compilation of his interviews over the years with music greats Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, and U2’s Bono — all of whom are White and male. That doesn’t seem biased and asshole-ish at all.
The New York Times interviewed him about it and when asked by Times reporter, David Marchese, why he did not include female artists or people or color on his list of rock legends, Wenner responded, “Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.”
“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.”
He started that female artists such as Joni Mitchell did not meet his criteria to be considered a “philosopher of rock ’n’ roll.”
Yeah, he said that.
Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell — not “philosophers of rock ’n’ roll”? Exactly how is that? Aretha Franklin, Prince, Carly Simon, Carole King, Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Diane Warren, Smokey Robinson — I could go on. If they aren’t philosophers of rock ‘n’ roll, then I don’t know what rock ‘n’ roll is.
And so, the day after Marchese’s article ran, Mr. Wenner was been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
Presumably because he doesn’t know what rock ‘n’ roll is anymore.
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