Jann Wenner’s fall from grace doesn’t absolve music journalism

I wasn’t a Rolling Stone subscriber growing up.

My magazine of choice was the more alternative Spin. It was easier convincing my mom to shell out for an annual subscription to the magazine than it was to get her to pay for cable, for MTV.

I learned about Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Portishead and Weezer from Spin. It was through its pages that I learned about the undying love many Latinxs feel toward ex-Smiths singer Morrissey.

The magazine was foundational in the development of a large swath of my personal music tastes. It wasn’t my holy bible — during my teens I would also steal copies of Vibe and the Source from my older cousin to satisfy my hip hop needs — but it certainly influenced me enough to pursue a career in culture journalism years later.

But even though I preferred Spin, it was never lost on me that the magazine was trying to replicate the past success of Rolling Stone. It wasn’t derivative per se — Spin did a much better job at covering Black and female artists — but it was certainly following the mold that made Rolling Stone a cultural symbol for the boomer generation.

Simply put, there would be no Spin without Rolling Stone.

I’ve thought a lot about the lasting influence that the latter publication has had on modern music journalism in the wake of a recent interview its co-founder Jann Wenner gave to New York Times music reporter David Marchese about his upcoming book “Masters,” a collection of interviews with prominent rock musicians.

When Marchese asked about the lack of Black and female musicians in his book, Wenner defended himself by saying that these artists weren’t “articulate” enough to make his cut.

Never mind that many of the so-called “masters” in Wenner’s book owe much of their success to Black musicians — just ask Mick Jagger how important blues legend Howlin’ Wolf was to him.

The backlash was immediate. By Saturday, Wenner had been expelled from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, an organization he co-founded.

“Your words run the risk of undermining the very institution you helped build by propagating a narrative that isn’t just narrow but also exclusionary,” Troy Carter, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board member, wrote in an email to his colleagues obtained by the New York Times.

That same day, Rolling Stone issued its own statement on social media, distancing itself from Wenner and making it clear he has had no involvement with the magazine since 2019.

“Our purpose, especially since his departure, has been to tell stories that reflect the diversity of voices and experiences that shape our world,” the statement read.

Wenner eventually issued an apology, but it was too little, too late. He had said the quiet part out loud and there was no way to put the genie back in the bottle.

Collectively forcing Wenner to cede his gatekeeping power is a good first step, but it doesn’t undo the decades of influence he and Rolling Stone had on the industry. Who’s to say that the views expressed by Wenner aren’t shared by others in positions of power in mainstream music journalism?

This isn’t some hypothetical, either. On Wednesday, Spin published a defense of Wenner by its own co-founder, Bob Guccione Jr., in which he claimed the only crime his longtime rival committed was “expressing a sentiment that is not politically correct. One that’s not part of the prescribed, sanctioned set of things you can say and think in America today.”

Making Wenner the sacrificial lamb makes it too easy to absolve others from reflecting on their own attitudes towards artists of color and how that influences coverage.

If you’re looking for a silver lining in this whole fiasco (and a connection to Latinidad), I am happy to say that there is one. Music journalism has been moving in the right direction in recent years.

In Rolling Stone’s case, the magazine updated its “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list in 2020 and now includes a handful of Latin musicians like Celia Cruz and Shakira. The publication put Bad Bunny on its cover that same year (the wonderful profile was written by my now-colleague Suzy Exposito) — though I should make it clear that Rolling Stone interviewed Benito because he was already a massive star, and not the other way around. In recent years, the outlet has also done a better job at chronicling Latin music as a whole, including the recent explosion of Mexican regional.

Other outlets have somewhat followed suit. Earlier this year, Pitchfork, a music site that has justifiably earned a hipster reputation, ran a retroactive review of Selena’s 1994 “Amor Prohibido.”

But this is just a drop in the bucket. If outlets want to have their fingers on the musical pulse, they have to understand that music culture is youth culture. Rolling Stone understood this when it launched in 1967. But times have changed in the last 56 years. America has become increasingly diverse in that period of time. If the people in power in music journalism refuse to look outside their own comfort zones and experiences, you can bet they will be left behind.

Things we read this week that we think you should read

From De Los:

— How these Latinas are navigating fertility, IVF and family: Latinx women, and other birthing individuals, who are 35 or older and going through the fertility process deeply understand the price of time and the deeper cultural pressure that comes with it. Column by De Los contributor Alex Zaragoza.

— No love for corridos tumbados in the 2023 Latin Grammy nominations: Despite having a big year, corridos tumbados were largely ignored. Plus more snubs and surprises from the 2023 Latin Grammys nominations. Column by Suzy Exposito.

— Most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish, and those who don’t are shamed by their own: A new study by Pew examines Latinx attitudes toward the Spanish language and what role it has in defining their identity.

— Operation Lone Star transformed this Texas border town, but the battle didn’t start there: In recent years, Jessie Fuentes has seen his hometown of Eagle Pass, Texas, be militarized because of discourse over illegal immigration.

From the Los Angeles Times:
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— After Jann Wenner’s gaffes, rock music’s famous white men should speak up: Opinion columnist LZ Granderson has this insightful take on the Wenner controversy.

— In an increasingly pessimistic era, immigrants espouse a hallmark American trait — optimism: Immigrants to the U.S. face extensive challenges, but they still report high levels of optimism about their futures and trust in American institutions, a comprehensive survey has found.

— We need immigrants more than ever. They keep hope in this country alive: The doom-and-gloom that many Americans offer up on social media and in politics betrays something fundamental about this country. These days, it’s immigrants who keep hope alive. Column by Gustavo Arellano.

— Councilmember Kevin de León, a year after racist audio scandal, says he’ll run again: Nearly a dozen others have expressed interest in running for De León’s seat, which takes in all or part of downtown, Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Eagle Rock.

— The ‘Frida and Diego’ of Boyle Heights return to Roosevelt High as married muralists: They were teen parents with no art degrees, but love and family sustained them. Their L.A. high school alma mater has welcomed them back as accomplished painters.