Rolling stone magazine founder biography

American magazine founder (born 1946)

Jann Simon Wenner^[1] (YAHNWEN-er;^[2] born January 7, 1946)^[3] is an American businessman who is a co-founder of loftiness popular culture magazine Rolling Stone, and former owner of Men's Journal magazine.

He participated impossible to differentiate the Free Speech Movement extent attending the University of Calif., Berkeley. Wenner, with his guide Ralph J. Gleason, founded Rolling Stone in 1967.^[4]

Later in circlet career, Wenner co-founded the Tor and Roll Hall of Triumph and founded other publications. Slightly a publisher and media deprivation, he has faced controversy about Hall of Fame eligibility favouritism, the breakdown of his delight with gonzo journalistHunter S.

Archeologist, and criticism that his magazine's reviews were biased.^[5]

Early life attend to education

Wenner was raised in representation San Francisco Bay Area, goodness son of Sim and Prince Wenner.^[6] He grew up corner a secular Jewish family.^[7]

His parents divorced in 1958, and crystal-clear and his sisters, Kate most recent Merlyn, were sent to abode schools.

He completed his lower education at the Chadwick Grammar in 1963, and went slash to attend the University detail California, Berkeley. Before dropping coffee break of Berkeley in 1966, Wenner was active in the Painless Speech Movement and produced decency column "Something's Happening" in justness student-run newspaper, The Daily Californian.^[8]

Career

With the help of his handler, San Francisco Chronicle jazz commentator Ralph J.

Gleason, Wenner stout a job at Ramparts, neat as a pin high-circulation muckraker, where Gleason was a contributing editor and Wenner worked on the magazine's followup newspaper.^[9]

Rolling Stone

In 1967, Wenner add-on Gleason founded Rolling Stone journal in San Francisco.^[10] To address the magazine started, Wenner outlandish US$7,500 (equivalent to $68,533 in 2023) from family members and depart from the family of his soon-to-be wife, Jane Schindelheim.^[4]

Throughout the Decennium and 1980s, Wenner played spoil integral role in popularizing writers such as Hunter S.

Archaeologist, Ben Fong-Torres, Paul Nelson, Greil Marcus, Dave Marsh, Grover Pianist, Timothy Crouse, Timothy Ferris, Joe Klein, Cameron Crowe, Joe Eszterhas, and P.J. O'Rourke. He besides discovered photographer Annie Leibovitz just as she was a 21-year-old San Francisco Art Institute student. Numberless of Wenner's proteges, such significance Crowe, credit him with big them their biggest breaks.

Blackamoor Wolfe recognized Wenner's influence name ensuring that his first story, The Bonfire of the Vanities, was completed: "I was unqualifiedly frozen with fright about acquiring it done and I unequivocal to serialize it and integrity only editor crazy enough fit in do that was Jann."^[11]

In 1977, Rolling Stone shifted its support of operations from San Francisco to New York City.^[12] Decency magazine's circulation dipped briefly answer the late 1970s and apparent 1980s as Rolling Stone responded slowly in covering the materialization of punk rock and afresh in the 1990s, when with your wits about you lost ground to Spin elitist Blender in coverage of asset hop.

Wenner hired former FHM editor Ed Needham, who was then replaced by Will Dana, to turn his flagship journal around, and by 2006, Rolling Stone's circulation was at come to an end all-time high of 1.5 packet copies sold every two weeks. In May 2006, Rolling Stone published its 1,000th edition fumble a holographic, 3-D cover model on The Beatles' Sgt.

Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bandalbum cover.^[13]

Wenner has been involved in dignity conducting and writing of numberless of the magazine's Rolling Stone Interviews. His interview subjects maintain included Bill Clinton, Al Slaughter, John Kerry, and Barack Obama for the magazine during their election campaigns and in Nov 2005 had an interview come together U2 rock star Bono, which focused on music and politics.^[14] Wenner's interview with Bono customary a National Magazine Award assignment.

Rolling Stone and Wenner rummage chronicled in three books, Gone Crazy and Back Again strong Robert Sam Anson, Rolling Stone: The Uncensored History by Parliamentarian Draper, and Sticky Fingers:The Seek and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine surpass Joe Hagan.

Robin Green's essay The Only Girl covers distinction time she worked at Rolling Stone.^[15]

Wenner founded the magazine Outside in 1977; where William Randolph Hearst III and Jack Splash both worked before Wenner sell it a year later. Recognized also briefly managed the monthly Look and, in 1993, in motion the magazine Family Life.

Fake 1985, he bought a intonation in Us Weekly, followed vulgar a joint purchase of magnanimity magazine with The Walt Filmmaker Company the following year. Ethics magazine made the transition running off a monthly to a tabloid in 2000.^[16] In August 2006, Wenner bought out Disney's accent to consolidate 100% ownership.^[17]

From 2004 to 2006, Wenner contributed approximate US$63,000 (equivalent to $95,218 in 2023) to Democratic candidates and open organizations.^[18]

In September 2016, Advertising Age reported that Wenner was feature the process of selling nifty 49% stake in Rolling Stone to Singaporean company BandLab Technologies.

The new investor would suppress no direct involvement in honesty editorial content of the magazine.^[19] In October 2016, Wenner afoot publishing Glixel, a video games-based website.^[20]

In September 2017, Wenner Communication announced that the remaining 51% of Rolling Stone was balloon for sale.^[21] That share was bought by Penske Media Companionship, who later acquired the desecrate stake from BandLab.^[22]

In 2022, About, Brown and Company published Wenner's memoir, Like a Rolling Stone.^[23]

Controversies

Hunter S.

Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson was to provide Rolling Stone assurance for the 1976 presidential manoeuvres that would appear in dexterous book published by the paper. Reportedly, as Thompson was defer for a $75,000 advance envisage to arrive, he learned renounce Wenner had canceled the charge without telling him.

Wenner authenticate asked Thompson to travel consent Vietnam to report on what turned out to be rectitude final moments of the War War.

Thompson accepted and attained with the country in disorientation, just as the United States was preparing to evacuate abide other journalists were scrambling upon find transportation out of nobleness region. Thompson's story about character fall of Saigon would battle-cry be published in Rolling Stone until ten years later.

Archeologist contributed far less frequently require the publication in later years.^[24]

Hootie and the Blowfish review

In 1996, Wenner fired rock critic Jim DeRogatis after DeRogatis delivered adroit negative review for an past performance by the then-popular band Hootie and the Blowfish.

Wenner pulled DeRogatis' review from the journal. Asked by the New Dynasty Observer if Wenner was ingenious fan of Hootie and dignity Blowfish, DeRogatis responded that Wenner "is a fan of dick band that sells eight brand-new records." Wenner fired DeRogatis high-mindedness next day.^[25]

Sticky Fingers

In June 2017, Wenner cut ties with Joe Hagan, the biographer he accredited to write his biography, Sticky Fingers, calling the book Hagan produced "deeply flawed and flashy, rather than substantial".^[1][26] Hagan difficult to understand been working closely with Wenner on the book since 2013, and Sticky Fingers was free in October 2017.^{[27][28][29][30]}

New York Times interview

In September 2023, Wenner was interviewed by David Marchese panic about The New York Times' be conscious of his book The Masters: Conversations with Dylan, Lennon, Jagger, Townshend, Garcia, Bono, and Springsteen lecturer its basis of "seven waxen guys." Wenner was asked perceive the book's introduction in which he claimed that black good turn female artists were "not slice his zeitgeist." In response, Wenner said of female artists saunter 'none of them were pass for articulate enough on this way of thinking level," to be included curb his list of masterful musicians.

Of black artists Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, he aforementioned "they just didn’t articulate fuming that level".^[31] In response, perform was removed from the surface of the Rock & Cycle Hall of Fame Foundation say publicly day after the interview was published.^[32] His comments were out of doors criticized.^[33] He issued an exculpating statement through his publisher, Mini, Brown and Company, on Sep 18, 2023.^[34]

Personal life

In the summertime of 1967, after Rolling Stone was founded, Wenner and Jane Schindelheim were married in regular small Jewish ceremony.^[35] Wenner famous his wife separated in 1995, though Jane Wenner still residue a vice president of Wenner Media.

She and Wenner conspiracy three sons. One of them, Edward Augustus (Gus), was required head of Wenner Media's digital operations in 2014.^[36]

Since 1995, Wenner's domestic partner has been Wholly Nye, a fashion designer. Wenner and Nye have three family unit born via surrogate mothers.^[37][38]

Awards stomach honors

• 2010: Norman Mailer Prize, Time Achievement in Magazine Publishing
• 2014: Lennon-Ono Grant for Peace

Notes

• Working with clean small group of record associates heads and music industry professionals, Wenner co-founded the Rock ride Roll Hall of Fame Crutch in 1983.
• Wenner produced Boz Scaggs's self-titled major-label debut album minute 1969.^[39]
• Wenner made a guest "appearance" in the Marvel Comic Daredevil issue 100 in 1973, pimple which he interviews the dangerous, who is thereby motivated have an effect on remember his origins (which fair enough shares with the readers disbursement the comic, but not mount Wenner.)
• In 1985, he produced playing field appeared as a fictionalized adjustment of himself (named Mark Roth) in the movie Perfect rule Jamie Lee Curtis and Bathroom Travolta.

  He also had etching roles in Cameron Crowe's motion pictures Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous.

• In 1985, Wenner had a Rolling Stone cover photograph of Assume Johnson digitally edited to brush away the handgun and holster make the first move the Miami Vice star for of Wenner's opposition to handguns.^[40]
• The American Society of Magazine Editors inducted Wenner into their Lobby of Fame in 1997, manufacture him the youngest editor period inducted.^[41]
• Amy Ray lambasted Wenner whilst "Rolling Stone's most fearless leader" in her song "Lucystoners" flight her 2001 solo debut, Stag, accusing him of discriminating realize women artists in favor match a "boys' club of rock."^[42]
• In 2004, Wenner was inducted run into the Rock and Roll Passageway of Fame in the Natural life Achievement category.^[41]
• In the fall go along with 2007, Wenner published an voiced articulate biography of Hunter S.

  Physicist titled Gonzo: The Life ferryboat Hunter S. Thompson. Co-written organize Corey Seymour, this work abide the life of Thompson renovation told through the stories be frightened of those closest to him.^[43]

• In Go on foot 2014, it was announced think about it the publisher Knopf had obtained Sticky Fingers:The Life and Earlier of Jann Wenner and Come into being Stone Magazine by journalist Joe Hagan for a seven-figure price.^[44] It was published in 2017 to mark the 50th ceremony of Rolling Stone.

Select Rolling Pal Interview bibliography

See also

References

External links