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20 Years of Rolling Stone: What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been
464 pages
460 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
3 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Jann S. Wenner
511 books47 followersJann Simon Wenner is the co-founder and publisher of the music and politics bi-weekly Rolling Stone, as well as the owner of Men's Journal and Us Weekly magazines.
Wenner grew up in a secular Jewish family. His parents divorced in 1958, and he and his sisters, Kate and Merlyn, were sent to boarding schools to live. He graduated from high school at Chadwick School in 1963 and went on to attend the University of California at Berkeley. Before dropping out of Berkeley in 1966, Wenner was active in the Free Speech Movement and produced the column "Something's Happening" in the student-run newspaper, The Daily Californian. With the help of his mentor, San Francisco Chronicle jazz critic Ralph J. Gleason, Wenner landed a job at Ramparts, a high-circulation muckraker, where Gleason was a contributing editor and Wenner worked on the magazine's spinoff newspaper. In 1967, Wenner and Gleason founded Rolling Stone in San Francisco.
Wenner grew up in a secular Jewish family. His parents divorced in 1958, and he and his sisters, Kate and Merlyn, were sent to boarding schools to live. He graduated from high school at Chadwick School in 1963 and went on to attend the University of California at Berkeley. Before dropping out of Berkeley in 1966, Wenner was active in the Free Speech Movement and produced the column "Something's Happening" in the student-run newspaper, The Daily Californian. With the help of his mentor, San Francisco Chronicle jazz critic Ralph J. Gleason, Wenner landed a job at Ramparts, a high-circulation muckraker, where Gleason was a contributing editor and Wenner worked on the magazine's spinoff newspaper. In 1967, Wenner and Gleason founded Rolling Stone in San Francisco.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 26, 2022
Very good collection of articles from a once great periodical. Unfortunately, it also shows how far this publication has fallen since it’s heyday.
March 30, 2024
This book is a long, strange, trip, and it only covers the first twenty years of "Rolling Stone Magazine".. I still remember the first issues on the newsstands!
I subscribed for about 4 years, and it did keep me in touch with the music scene and American culture when I lived overseas.
Some of this book could be skipped, like the articles by Hunter S. Thompson, the coverage of the 1972 Presidential campaign, the Patty Hearst article, and the interview with the Sex Pistols.
The article on Bruce Springsteen seemed rather shallow because this was written back when he was very shy and did not express himself well yet.
There are some good interviews here though, such as with Jack Nicholson, Sting, Bob Dylan, and a rather angry John Lennon.
Here we learn that Keith Moon really was as crazy as they said he was- crazy like an impish court jester, and Sly Stone really was as unreliable as was claimed.
Rather than the personalities of the rock stars, this book captures the historic moments of those twenty years. The shooting of the students at Kent State (that many conservative, pro war Republicans actually cheered), to the contract killing of Karen Silkwood, to the story of Vietnam War vet Ron Kovic, who Springsteen befriended (Born in the U.S.A.), and Tom Cruise played in "Born on the 4th of July".
I subscribed for about 4 years, and it did keep me in touch with the music scene and American culture when I lived overseas.
Some of this book could be skipped, like the articles by Hunter S. Thompson, the coverage of the 1972 Presidential campaign, the Patty Hearst article, and the interview with the Sex Pistols.
The article on Bruce Springsteen seemed rather shallow because this was written back when he was very shy and did not express himself well yet.
There are some good interviews here though, such as with Jack Nicholson, Sting, Bob Dylan, and a rather angry John Lennon.
Here we learn that Keith Moon really was as crazy as they said he was- crazy like an impish court jester, and Sly Stone really was as unreliable as was claimed.
Rather than the personalities of the rock stars, this book captures the historic moments of those twenty years. The shooting of the students at Kent State (that many conservative, pro war Republicans actually cheered), to the contract killing of Karen Silkwood, to the story of Vietnam War vet Ron Kovic, who Springsteen befriended (Born in the U.S.A.), and Tom Cruise played in "Born on the 4th of July".
January 27, 2025
Apologies...old guy story:
Way back in 1987, as Rolling Stone was just hitting its 20-year mark, I was a poor student, not quite 25 yet, finishing up my long-delayed college courses. At the time this book came out, I happened to have just started a four-month student placement on Your Money magazine in Toronto. I was lucky, most of the students were doing their placements for no pay. I was pulling down the princely sum of $100 per month. I don't think it covered the public transit fares I paid to go into Toronto five days a week. Getting up at 5:30 am to get in the car by 6:30 to get to the train by 7:00 to get to Toronto by 8:00, to get to the magazine by just before 9:00...then get home somewhere around 6:30 or 7:00 at night. No time for a part-time job.
So, I was broke.
And Rolling Stone puts out this gorgeous book that I wanted badly. By this point, I was a bit of a magazine freak, and read RS as much as I could. But this book was selling for a third of what I was being paid for a month's work. There was no way I could justify buying it, though I walked past a bookstore that displayed it prominently, every day. I heard it calling my name. I never bought it.
Flash forward 38 years, and a much older, now 62-year-old guy, slightly more flush, who never reads RS anymore because the magazine is just not fun anymore, is browsing through a used bookshop in cottage country.
Out of nowhere, my eye catches the "20 Years of Rolling Stone" on the spine. I pull the book down, and it's in pristine condition. I mean...come on...the damn thing was STILL calling my name. I bought it, for the princely sum of $15, or about the equivalent of paying about $5 in 1987 dollars.
It took forty years, but what a deal!
The question is...was the book worth the wait?
It was.
Reading through the thoughts of a mid-twenties Alice Cooper and Michael Jackson, a not-quite iconic Springsteen, the absolutely crazy Keith Moon five years before his too-early death, the not-quite-post-Police already-too-full-of-himself Sting, the strange ramblings of Brando, the relaxed vitriol of Jack Nicholson...fascinating stuff.
But there's the other side of Rolling Stone that they used to do so well. Hunter S. Thompson's ramblings about...well, anything. The story of Karen Silkwood, a year after her suspicious death, the walkthrough of the kidnapping, turning, then capturing of Patty Hearst, Ron Kovic's idealism crushed under the uncaring American bootheel, the terrifying glimpse into Charles Manson's thoughts.
And, the deaths. John Lennon. John Belushi.
This is the America that existed under Nixon and Reagan. The pre-9/11 America. The world before social media. There were still cover-ups (the Kent State shooting investigation, Silkwood), but there was also a greater sense of hope (Haight-Ashbury, Woodstock, Hunter S. Thompson's election coverage).
It was a different world, and one that I'd forgotten much of.
So, overall? I'm glad I got to read a snapshot of the glory years of Rolling Stone forty years after the fact. I think it gives the selected articles and interviews far more weight.
A great read.
Way back in 1987, as Rolling Stone was just hitting its 20-year mark, I was a poor student, not quite 25 yet, finishing up my long-delayed college courses. At the time this book came out, I happened to have just started a four-month student placement on Your Money magazine in Toronto. I was lucky, most of the students were doing their placements for no pay. I was pulling down the princely sum of $100 per month. I don't think it covered the public transit fares I paid to go into Toronto five days a week. Getting up at 5:30 am to get in the car by 6:30 to get to the train by 7:00 to get to Toronto by 8:00, to get to the magazine by just before 9:00...then get home somewhere around 6:30 or 7:00 at night. No time for a part-time job.
So, I was broke.
And Rolling Stone puts out this gorgeous book that I wanted badly. By this point, I was a bit of a magazine freak, and read RS as much as I could. But this book was selling for a third of what I was being paid for a month's work. There was no way I could justify buying it, though I walked past a bookstore that displayed it prominently, every day. I heard it calling my name. I never bought it.
Flash forward 38 years, and a much older, now 62-year-old guy, slightly more flush, who never reads RS anymore because the magazine is just not fun anymore, is browsing through a used bookshop in cottage country.
Out of nowhere, my eye catches the "20 Years of Rolling Stone" on the spine. I pull the book down, and it's in pristine condition. I mean...come on...the damn thing was STILL calling my name. I bought it, for the princely sum of $15, or about the equivalent of paying about $5 in 1987 dollars.
It took forty years, but what a deal!
The question is...was the book worth the wait?
It was.
Reading through the thoughts of a mid-twenties Alice Cooper and Michael Jackson, a not-quite iconic Springsteen, the absolutely crazy Keith Moon five years before his too-early death, the not-quite-post-Police already-too-full-of-himself Sting, the strange ramblings of Brando, the relaxed vitriol of Jack Nicholson...fascinating stuff.
But there's the other side of Rolling Stone that they used to do so well. Hunter S. Thompson's ramblings about...well, anything. The story of Karen Silkwood, a year after her suspicious death, the walkthrough of the kidnapping, turning, then capturing of Patty Hearst, Ron Kovic's idealism crushed under the uncaring American bootheel, the terrifying glimpse into Charles Manson's thoughts.
And, the deaths. John Lennon. John Belushi.
This is the America that existed under Nixon and Reagan. The pre-9/11 America. The world before social media. There were still cover-ups (the Kent State shooting investigation, Silkwood), but there was also a greater sense of hope (Haight-Ashbury, Woodstock, Hunter S. Thompson's election coverage).
It was a different world, and one that I'd forgotten much of.
So, overall? I'm glad I got to read a snapshot of the glory years of Rolling Stone forty years after the fact. I think it gives the selected articles and interviews far more weight.
A great read.
Read
August 11, 2020With a compilation of essays like this, centered around a single publication, and organized to show the passage of time through their articles on major events and figures, giving some kind of rating seems to be besides the point. I did not love every article - some were a bit slow, and sometimes the language about women or POC is certainly outdated - but despite some of the wear showing, I found it interesting to engage with some choice examples of Rolling Stone's first twenty years of musical and political journalism.
In terms of politics, it could be depressing - some of these essays that were written forty or fifty years ago could have been written now with a few names switched up. One lesser-known figure that left a deep impression was Ron Kovic, a Vietnam War vet who has been an anti-war activist since becoming paraplegic in the war when he was about twenty - there was a harrowing description of police brutality against protestors that felt all too familiar.
In terms of music, it was fascinating to see what figures they chose to highlight. A profile of the Sex Pistols at the height of their fame goes into glorious detail about their controversies and the violence of their shows. Fred Schruers's piece on Springsteen is poetic fare that offered me a new perspective on a figure I only know from "Born in the USA" - I'll surely be listening to more. The Michael Jackson piece focused too much on his idiosyncrasies and not enough on his artistry, but was interesting nonetheless.
In the end, though, I chose to read this not so much for the quality of the content within, but for the look I thought it might give me into what were arguably Rolling Stone's glory days - and on that front I can say I was satisfied. Whatever qualms I had, the selected pieces at least did what the editors intended - captured moments in time.
In terms of politics, it could be depressing - some of these essays that were written forty or fifty years ago could have been written now with a few names switched up. One lesser-known figure that left a deep impression was Ron Kovic, a Vietnam War vet who has been an anti-war activist since becoming paraplegic in the war when he was about twenty - there was a harrowing description of police brutality against protestors that felt all too familiar.
In terms of music, it was fascinating to see what figures they chose to highlight. A profile of the Sex Pistols at the height of their fame goes into glorious detail about their controversies and the violence of their shows. Fred Schruers's piece on Springsteen is poetic fare that offered me a new perspective on a figure I only know from "Born in the USA" - I'll surely be listening to more. The Michael Jackson piece focused too much on his idiosyncrasies and not enough on his artistry, but was interesting nonetheless.
In the end, though, I chose to read this not so much for the quality of the content within, but for the look I thought it might give me into what were arguably Rolling Stone's glory days - and on that front I can say I was satisfied. Whatever qualms I had, the selected pieces at least did what the editors intended - captured moments in time.
May 21, 2020
I thought this would be amazing - great, famous magazine, carefully curated to have the absolute highlights of 20 years.
Maybe it is great, for an American. It's stylized to have an interview, then a political piece, then an interview and so forth.
American politics from the 60s does not interest me, not even when it's written by Hunter S Thompson.
The rating therefore reflects that literally over half the book was not interesting to me. I was there for the musicians.
And those interviews had some gems. I liked Charles Manson, who I never knew much about but is absolutely terrifying to interview. Keith Moon, who is insane. Bruce Springsteen, a genuine guy. Marlon Brando, impressively insightful.
The rest of it I could leave behind. But if you can get your hands on those four interviews, they're quite worth a read.
Maybe it is great, for an American. It's stylized to have an interview, then a political piece, then an interview and so forth.
American politics from the 60s does not interest me, not even when it's written by Hunter S Thompson.
The rating therefore reflects that literally over half the book was not interesting to me. I was there for the musicians.
And those interviews had some gems. I liked Charles Manson, who I never knew much about but is absolutely terrifying to interview. Keith Moon, who is insane. Bruce Springsteen, a genuine guy. Marlon Brando, impressively insightful.
The rest of it I could leave behind. But if you can get your hands on those four interviews, they're quite worth a read.
October 4, 2020
A great collection of articles that showcases what kind of a beast The Rolling Stone magazine was in its first 20 years of existence. Although, I would've liked an interview with one or two female stars of the time instead of two articles on The Who and two on John Lennon (who is less than impressive).
Favourite profiles: Marlon Brando, Sting and Jack Nicholson.
Favourite culture pieces: "Freak Power in the Rockies" Hunter S. Thompson, "From Eternity to Here" Charles Perry, "Ohio Honors Its Dead" Joe Eszterhas, "Ask a Marine" David Harris, "Funky Chic" Tom Wolfe, "Malignant Giant" Howard Kohn.
Biggest surprise: Really enjoyed Mick Jagger's answers but the interviewer's questions are a cautionary tale of what not to do.
Favourite profiles: Marlon Brando, Sting and Jack Nicholson.
Favourite culture pieces: "Freak Power in the Rockies" Hunter S. Thompson, "From Eternity to Here" Charles Perry, "Ohio Honors Its Dead" Joe Eszterhas, "Ask a Marine" David Harris, "Funky Chic" Tom Wolfe, "Malignant Giant" Howard Kohn.
Biggest surprise: Really enjoyed Mick Jagger's answers but the interviewer's questions are a cautionary tale of what not to do.
January 2, 2023
Surprisingly good. Well written for the most part. As much about the era and cultural zeitgeist as about the magazine and Wenner. Discussion about musicians and other figures seems original and not banal and cliched.
December 11, 2022
Published in 1987 this is a great time capsule for the politics and the music of the late 1960s and 1970s. Fun to dip into.
January 24, 2016
20 Years of Rolling Stone: What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been by Jann S. Wenner (Friendly Press, Inc. 1987) (784.54) is a nice collection of essays, interviews, quotations, and photos that represents what the owners of R.S. believe to be their best from the first twenty years of publishing. My rating: 7/10, finished 1/13/14.
May 4, 2021
Well, what a Long Strange Trip It's Been Since this book came out! So, I guess I should go back and read up on the simpler times.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews