Current:Home > StocksJann Wenner removed from board of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over comments deemed racist, sexist-InfoLens
Jann Wenner removed from board of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over comments deemed racist, sexist
View Date:2024-12-23 11:42:08
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 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.
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.
- In:
- Jann Wenner
- Rolling Stone
- Racism
veryGood! (68)
Related
- Everard Burke Introduce
- 2024 US Open weather: Thursday conditions for first round at Pinehurst
- Pamela Smart accepts responsibility in plotting 1990 murder of husband with teen lover
- ACLU and migrant rights groups sue over Biden's asylum crackdown
- Diddy's ex-bodyguard sues rape accuser for defamation over claims of 2001 assault
- Gunman hijacks bus in Atlanta with 17 people on board; 1 person killed
- After rare flash flood emergency, Florida prepares for more heavy rainfall in coming days
- Man convicted in killings of 8 from another Ohio family seeks new trial
- Horoscopes Today, November 9, 2024
- WNBA commissioner addresses talk that Caitlin Clark has been targeted by opposing players
Ranking
- Jared Goff stats: Lions QB throws career-high 5 INTs in SNF win over Texans
- Teen Mom Star Amber Portwood Tearfully Breaks Silence on Fiancé Gary Wayt’s Disappearance
- Man convicted in killings of 8 from another Ohio family seeks new trial
- Video shows National Guard officers enter home minutes before 4 women and 2 children were killed in Mexico
- Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
- Jonathan Groff on inspiring revival of Merrily We Roll Along after initial Broadway flop 40 years ago
- Watch Pat Sajak welcome Ryan Seacrest on 'Wheel of Fortune' set with Vanna White
- Southern Miss football player MJ Daniels killed in shooting in Mississippi
Recommendation
-
Gerry Faust, former Notre Dame football coach, dies at 89
-
'Challenges our authority': School board in Florida bans book about book bans
-
At the Tony Awards, a veteran host with plenty of stars and songs on tap
-
'Gossip Girl' star Chace Crawford implies he's hooked up with a castmate
-
GM recalling big pickups and SUVs because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing risk of a crash
-
Affordable Summer Style: Top Sunglasses Under $16 You Won't Regret Losing on Vacation
-
Ozy Media went from buzzy to belly-up. Its founder, Carlos Watson, is now on trial
-
DeSantis appointees bury the hatchet with Disney by approving new development deal