Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner’s comments about minority artists tells us that there is still a problem in music
Rolling Stone magazine founder and music journalist Jann Wenner has been kicked out from the board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation after his comments that Black and female musicians « didn’t articulate at the level » of the white musicians. The perspective has called into question the longstanding historical erasure Black and female rock and roll artists have faced at the hands of the old white male shapers of the music industry regardless of their creative impact.
While promoting his new book « The Masters » which includes interviews with iconic rock musicians like Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Bono and plenty of other rockers, the business magnate told The New York Times that when regarding women « just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level, » and remarked that Joni Mitchell « was not a philosopher of rock ‘n’ roll. » And when addressing artists of color, he said, « Of Black artists — you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right? » He continued, « 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. »
After he was unanimously removed from the board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, Wenner issued an apology. He said his comments « diminished the contributions, genius and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks. »
Wenner’s comments obviously signal decades of conditioning of what a stereotypical image of what a rock star is. Of course, his comments are telling as the former editor and co-founder of Rolling Stone, a former pillar in music journalism — until its reputational hits in the last handful of years.
