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Jann Wenner, a male, started Rolling Stone basically from scratch in the 1960s.
Like Hugh
Heffner a decade earlier, Wenner built his little magazine into an empire. While
Hugh has a
hands-on interest in Playboy (and who wouldn't), I think Jann probably has
abdicated most
of his editorial responsibilities to the editors. Much to the detriment of the
magazine. To
his credit, he took chances on writers like Hunter S. Thompson, Ken Kesey, P.J.
O'Rourke,
and helped launch the careers of many great rock photographers.
Somewhere along the way, Rolling Stone stumbled into middle age, and like those
of us
who were birthed in the 1960s, it tries to be cool and youthful, but somehow
can't hide
the fact that it is now bloated and slow and unattractive. Sigh.
Sadly, I don't find the other music mags any more inspiring...Spin, Blender,
etc. They sure
seem to lean heavily toward skinny, nerdy, pansy-looking white musicians (Franz
Ferdinand, Mars Volta, Beck), the ghetto-licious (J Lo, Beyonce, Black Eyed
Peas), or
ghetto-thug (50 Cent).
I realize this is today's music "scene," and maybe I am just nostalgic for bands
in which
people played instruments instead of black boxes. It seems so long ago when the
charts
were topped by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Red Hot Chili Peppers (okay, the Chili
Peppers are
still hangin' in)? Not great musicians, but rebellious rockers who parents could
dispise. I
can only say, I found hope in seeing Green Day win a Grammy. And I miss the
great Stevie
Ray Vaughan, a working class white guy with attitude, muscle and a splintered
Strat.
I think the music world is due for a sea-change, away from the fashionable teen
idols,
flop-wristed college boys, bling-bling rappers to the rebellious. Who is with
me? C'mon!
Okay, enough of my rant. Maybe salvation will rise-up in the form of a
mind-altering surf
band!
