Actually, Jan Wenner, who founded the music magazine ROLLING STONE together with Ralph J. Gleason in San Francisco in November 1967, “only” wanted to present his memoirs. Together and in conversation with Bruce Springsteen, the 67-year-old journalist presented “Like A Rolling Stone” in New York.
His book (also) sees itself as a supplement and counterpart to the Wenner biography “Sticky Fingers” by Joe Hagan, which was published in 2017. The long-time ROLLING STONE publisher, star author and US presidential interviewer agreed at the time to collaborate on the work about him without having editorial control over the final version. Some passages of the finished book he didn’t like as much.
“Like A Rolling Stone” is now his very own take on things; about the founding and direction of the legendary music magazine, which later moved its headquarters to New York under his aegis. And published epoch-making reports and interviews and made world-famous photo productions possible; including iconic covers by Annie Leibovitz and legendary stories by Hunter S. Thompson.
With its combination of pop and politics, and especially its own investigative department, ROLLING STONE was at the center of the counterculture of the late 1960s and 1970s. As rock music rapidly grew in money, power and social influence, ROLLING STONE had to constantly reassess its position. This is also the subject of the volume that has just been published in the USA.
The original blurb reads: “His deeply personal memoir vividly describes and brings you inside the music, the politics, and the lifestyle of a generation, an epoch of cultural change that swept America and beyond.”
During the course of the release, Wenner naturally also commented on current music, such as pop trends and the hip-hop boom: “There is a lot of good stuff, but also a lot of junk and trivial stuff. Honestly, I liked rock ‘n’ roll better.”
And further: “The vocals and arrangements are all too often unremarkable. Historically, we are witnessing another turning point in the music cycle. I doubt whether rock ‘n’ roll will come back: The sound and the circumstances are completely different. But I’m kind of attached to the music I liked when I was young. Put simply, give me the Stones!”
And then Springsteen intimate Wenner slipped out a fine little remark that may not have been entirely unspoken with his New Jersey friend:
“By the way, there’s a new record from Bruce[Springsteen]out this fall. She is gorgeous. I’m listening to them on rotation right now!”
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