One of the founding members of Rolling Stone magazine, Jann Wenner, has been removed from the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In a statement provided to CNN on Sunday, the organization acknowledged removing Jann Wenner from the board. After Jann Wenner, a 77-year-old interviewee, was featured in The New York Times on Friday, this took place.
He discussed his soon-to-be-published book, “The Masters,” which contains interviews he conducted with various musicians over the years, during the interview. It’s noteworthy that White men, such as John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Bono, Pete Townsend, and Bruce Springsteen, are prominently featured in several books as musicians.
The comments Jann Wenner made about Blacks caused controversy.
When asked why he did not include interviews with women or people of color in his book, the music journalist responded in a way that received harsh criticism. He claimed that while there were requirements that the people he included had to satisfy, his interest in and love for them ultimately determined whether or not he included them. He believed that no woman was as intellectually articulate as the others when it came to women.
Jann Wenner also minimized the contributions of Black musicians, claiming that when it comes to Black performers like Stevie Wonder, who is unquestionably brilliant, the problem is with the general term’master’ that he used. Although he thought they did not express themselves on the same intellectual level as him, he could see how Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield might fit in.
For his comments, Jann Wenner apologized.
Jann Wenner apologized on Saturday night through Little, Brown and Company, the publisher of the book, in response to the growing criticism that resulted from his interview with The New York Times.
In his statement, Wenner reportedly said that “The Masters” is a collection of interviews he conducted over time and that, in his opinion, it perfectly captures the essence of rock ‘n’ roll’s influence on his personal world.
In order to cover all of the music and all of its diverse and important contributors, these interviews were conducted. Instead, they were intended to highlight his career high points and the interviews that, in his opinion, best represented the breadth and depth of his career.
The statement continued, “These interviews do not fully represent his respect and admiration for the numerous iconic artists who have profoundly influenced the world with their music and ideas.” Wenner will always respect and support them because he values their contributions and will always do so. He sincerely apologizes and accepts any consequences that may result from his poorly chosen words, fully realizing that they would spark controversy.
From 1967 to 2019, Jann Wenner served as the magazine’s editor. He co-founded the Rolling Stones. The 1983 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was also co-founded by him.