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unicorndeburgh @unicorndeburgh@hachyderm.io

Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone wrote a book, profiling 7 musicians -- all white men. In an interview by David Marchese about the book, Wenner defends this saying that there weren't any women or Black men who were "articulate enough on this intellectual level."

Gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/15/arts/jann-wenner-the-masters-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=eXKiwvk3LoA57fhwStVQVZee5TfFz9nvowLHXXwCiPpuTP25GcrYddQyLCmjdzUpxAnmtPPGphb-JoaQfq8Pf8nVc3y8jslA40Hh66hDRdFPF32eJJYkvnGnaIjR9fOw6PKcPYgIF0sdIaVjcgspJOvQLm5lirNfLqjuZkN8q8HOPkTkNu0vkj2DXUqbB0juXR-njxBC2JOsEWGDdGDD_fEu1RnGBn4-YRPTRp-Qk1Bp6uRPKTbXCXVpKdgrWdswkRhyE0DEezlaC4bj9YBeDdIToJCvmxRfS0Yhut2uEvm4aNYyJxgWhWIGpUyBgMX6lMLQX0GAYvZkeezd2B6ESbxjNsAEtLTq&smid=url-share

Carole King, Madonna. There are a million examples.

When I was referring to the zeitgeist, I was referring to Black performers, not to the female performers, OK? Just to get that accurate. The selection was not a deliberate selection. It was kind of intuitive over the years; it just fell together that way. The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.

History will speak. This is also a history-will-speak kind of question. There are seven subjects in the new book; seven white guys. In the introduction, you acknowledge that performers of color and women performers are just not in your zeitgeist. Which to my mind is not plausible for Jann Wenner. Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, the list keeps going — not in your zeitgeist? What do you think is the deeper explanation for why you interviewed the subjects you interviewed and not other subjects?

Well, let me just. …

Oh, stop it. You’re telling me Joni Mitchell is not articulate enough on an intellectual level?

Hold on a second.

I’ll let you rephrase that.

All right, thank you. It’s not that they’re not creative geniuses. 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 was not a philosopher of rock ’n’ roll. She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test. Not by her work, not by other interviews she did. The people I interviewed were the kind of philosophers of rock.

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.

Sep 15, 2023, 06:20 PM··Web

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**unicorndeburgh** @unicorndeburgh · Sep 17, 2023

Sep 17, 2023

unicorndeburgh @unicorndeburgh

Gosh, golly - consequences!

"Jann Wenner, the co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine, has been removed from the board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, which he also helped found, one day after an interview with him was published in The New York Times in which he made comments that were widely criticized as sexist and racist."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/16/arts/music/jann-wenner-removed-rock-hall.html?unlocked_article_code=LNj1AFXo74V_sLpYSLgG-CpmtPOZHr99pR6fXJnLDj4KPiecvxcn9aBb6tgtMyefw3dCn5RwjqjlsCbaftiCY4sM2Zv20G2aJuCBnUCiZawCIPtr7u_yz2X2IhpSizhqEo2PWcGnho22ZdGbEaZXeh2FFEpjtKFBBPTMq2hrgT7TgtfZ9v0IK5R1RtFXcfCITvhJiobhVJXYxjgY6WzdxjzYJdJybeFfyhAnBWevuSEEfSxuu89lUb6kcmajmw1lun7RpAafvcibItMPKziZh-1CM1P6U_qskhkoJm697x5GPYLOUpYaKm-ApiLLshw_W7lL6loalHDHF72RKeLUTXZUjxR2ttCeetc&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

The New York TimesJann Wenner Removed From Rock Hall Board After Times InterviewBy Ben Sisario