FYI: Black musicians invented rock ‘n’ roll

Jann Wenner's aversion to Black people is really twisted [READER]( The Daily Reader September 26, 2023 The competition is fierce—what with MAGA [rewriting history]( to make you think slavery was beneficial for Black people. But I’d have to say the most idiotic, racist comment of the year belongs to Jann Wenner, the 77-year-old gasbag, who made his fortune publishing Rolling Stone magazine. In case you didn’t hear it . . . Wenner was promoting The Masters, a collection of puff-piece interviews he’s done with various rock stars. And a writer for the New York Times asked [why he’d only featured white men]( in the book. To which Wenner replied . . . “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.” Just didn’t articulate at that level? Wow. And he also said . . . “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.” Clearly, Wenner has issues with strong women. Especially Joni Mitchell. It doesn't take Sigmund Freud to realize he’s threatened by her as she’s way cooler and more talented than he’ll ever be. His aversion to Black people is really twisted. As I said, Wenner made his fortune publishing Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone is a publication that made its fortune hyping rock stars, like Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and Bruce Springsteen (all featured in The Masters). But it was Black musicians who invented rock ‘n’ roll. If it wasn’t for Black musicians, there would be no Dylan, Jagger, or Springsteen. Well, they’d exist, but they wouldn’t be rock stars. Probably pharmacists. Not that there’s anything wrong with pharmacists. It’s just the first occupation that popped into my mind when I thought about what Dylan, Jagger, and Springsteen might be if not for the Black musicians who taught them everything they know. You’d think Jann Wenner would be a little more appreciative of Black musicians, as they’re the people who enabled him and his pals to get so rich. And yet it's as though they never existed—he erased them. Reminds me of Back to the Future, when the character played by Michael J. Fox goes back to the 1950s and teaches Chuck Berry how to play rock ‘n’ roll. That’s Chuck Berry, as in one of the Black musicians who invented rock ‘n’ roll, who is not featured in Wenner’s book. Confession time . . . I went through a Rolling Stone phase. I was 16 years old and obsessed with Hunter S. Thompson’s coverage of the 1972 presidential campaign. I’d go to the newsstand at Main and Chicago in Evanston, buy issues that featured Thompson’s stories, and race home to read them. One day I was reading at my kitchen table, when my father walked in, looked over my shoulder, read a sentence or two and exclaimed, “That’s crap!” To which I said . . . “Don’t criticize what you don’t understand.” A line, of course, I stole from Dylan. Speaking of Bobby D., I had a dream about Dylan, Jagger, and Springsteen bumping into Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell at a party. And trying to convince them that they’re not douche bags just cause they’re “masters” in Wenner’s book. You know, over the years, I’ve had my disagreements with my father. But, Dad, wherever your spirit may be, I got to tell you that when it came to Rolling Stone, you did understand—and you were right. 🎙Listen to [The Ben Joravsky Show]( 🎙 [What Ben's Reading] [The Spook Who Sat]( the Door]( by Sam Greenlee. Don’t know why I re-read this 1969 classic. But I’m glad I did. It’s as prophetic as ever. Love a book that stands the test of time. [Deanna Issacs]( on Oppenheimer’s Loyola connection [Ben Joravsky]( on some old-fashioned TIF slush [Best of the Ben J. Show]( Alderperson Andre Vasquez on [the immigration “crisis”]( Journalist Monroe Anderson on Jann Wenner’s [curious attitude toward Black people]( Block Club Chicago’s Rachel Hinton on [the week that was]( [Homeward bound]( Fleurette Estes’s multimedia exhibition feels rooted in a sense of place. by [Alan Pocaro]( | [R]( → [Theo lights up a new Asian American musical with Baked!]( Cannabis, pastries, and family dynamics combine in this new in-development show. by [Irene Hsiao]( | [R]( → [Review: Sex Education (Season 4)]( The final season of this Netflix hit series isn’t the best, but it’s totally necessary. by [Noah Berlatsky]( | [R]( → [An online refuge for care workers during the Ukraine War]( Former Chicagoan leads training and support groups for therapists and social workers working during wartime by [Tracy Baim]( | [R]( → The best in show. The next issue of our arts and culture newsletter, Second & Fourth, drops next Thursday afternoon! Click below to sign up today. [SECOND & FOURTH NEWSLETTER]( [Issue of Sept. 21 – Oct. 4, 2023 Vol. 52, No. 25]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE [PDF]]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2023 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616