Current:Home > StocksRolling Stone's Jann Wenner ousted from Rock Hall board after controversial remarks-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner ousted from Rock Hall board after controversial remarks
View Date:2024-12-23 18:57:18
NEW YORK − 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 Wenner’s comments were published in a New York Times interview.
A representative for Wenner, 77, did not immediately respond to The Associated Press for a comment.
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, 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,” Wenner said.
Late Saturday, Wenner apologized "wholeheartedly for those remarks" through Little, Brown and Company, his book publisher. He described the book as a collection of interviews that reflected the high points of his career.
“They don’t reflect my appreciation and admiration for myriad totemic, world-changing artists whose music and ideas I revere and will celebrate and promote as long as I live," Wenner said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. "I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences.”
Rolling Stone 200 greatest singers listsnubs Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Bieber, more
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, 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 Mitchell at No. 3, Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” at No. 4, “Purple Rain” by Prince and the Revolution at No. 8 and Ms. Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” at No. 10.
Rolling Stone’s niche in magazines was an outgrowth of Wenner’s outsized interests, a mixture of authoritative music and cultural coverage with tough investigative reporting.
Contributing: Kim Willis, USA TODAY
From Jagger to Lennon, Dylan to Bono:Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner spills the tea in memoir
veryGood! (9471)
Related
- Sting Says Sean Diddy Combs Allegations Don't Taint His Song
- Michigan’s largest Arab American cities reject Biden over his handling of Israel-Hamas war
- Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and the power of (and need for) male friendship
- See Bill Skarsgård’s Bone-Chilling Transformation for Role in The Crow
- NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
- 'Rare, collectible piece': Gold LEGO mask found at Goodwill sells for more than $18,000
- Caitlin Clark breaks Lynette Woodard's women's scoring record, still chasing Pete Maravich
- Odysseus lunar mission: See the best pictures from the lander's historic moon landing
- Supreme Court seems likely to allow class action to proceed against tech company Nvidia
- Oprah chooses The Many Lives of Mama Love as newest book club pick
Ranking
- 'Devastation is absolutely heartbreaking' from Southern California wildfire
- 'Rare, collectible piece': Gold LEGO mask found at Goodwill sells for more than $18,000
- New York lawmakers approve new congressional map that gives Democrats a slight edge
- Legislation allowing recreational marijuana sales in Virginia heads to GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin
- Judge recuses himself in Arizona fake elector case after urging response to attacks on Kamala Harris
- Digital outlets The Intercept, Raw Story and AlterNet sue OpenAI for unauthorized use of journalism
- Richard Lewis, comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm star, dies at age 76
- Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed after Wall Street slips lower and bitcoin bounces higher
Recommendation
-
'The Penguin' spoilers! Colin Farrell spills on that 'dark' finale episode
-
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones ordered to take DNA test in paternity case
-
One Tech Tip: Don’t use rice for your device. Here’s how to dry out your smartphone
-
It's Horse Girl Spring: Here's How to Ride the Coastal Cowgirl Trend That's Back & Better Than Ever
-
Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
-
One Tech Tip: Don’t use rice for your device. Here’s how to dry out your smartphone
-
Kate Middleton's Rep Speaks Out Amid Her Recovery From Abdominal Surgery
-
The Biden administration owes student debt relief to thousands. Many haven't seen it yet.