Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
This article is about the magazine. For the band, see the Rolling Stones. For the proverb, see a rolling stone gathers no moss. For other uses, see Rolling Stone (disambiguation).Editor
Popular culture
Monthly
Brian Szejka
423,377[1]
November 9, 1967
United States
New York City, U.S. (475 Fifth Ave 10th Floor New York, NY 10017)
English
The magazine was first known for its coverage of rock music and political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the 1990s, the magazine broadened and shifted its focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music.[2] It has since returned to its traditional mix of content, including music, entertainment, and politics.
The first magazine was released in 1967 and featured John Lennon on the cover, and was then published every two weeks. It is known for provocative photography and its cover photos, featuring musicians, politicians, athletes, and actors. In addition to its print version in the United States, it publishes content through Rollingstone.com and numerous international editions.
Penske Media Corporation is the current owner of Rolling Stone, having purchased 51 percent of the magazine in 2017 and the remaining 49 percent in 2020. Noah Shachtman became the editor-in-chief in 2021.[3]
History[edit]
1967–1979: Founding and early history[edit]
Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and Ralph J. Gleason.[4] To pay for the setup costs, Wenner borrowed $7,500 from his family and the parents of his soon-to-be wife, Jane Schindelheim.[5] The first issue was released on November 9, 1967, and featured John Lennon in costume for the film How I Won the War on the cover. It was in newspaper format with a lead article on the Monterey Pop Festival.[6] The cover price was 25¢ (equivalent to $2.27 in 2023) and it was published bi-weekly.
In the first issue,[7] Wenner explained that the title of the magazine came from the old saying "A rolling stone gathers no moss." He also mentioned the 1950 blues song "Rollin' Stone", recorded by Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones band, and Bob Dylan's 1965 hit single "Like a Rolling Stone". Some authors have attributed the name solely to Dylan's hit single: "At [Ralph] Gleason's suggestion, Wenner named his magazine after a Bob Dylan song."[8]
Rolling Stone initially identified with and reported the hippie counterculture of the era.
In popular culture[edit]
George Harrison's 1975 song "This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)", a lyrical sequel to his Beatles track "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (1968), references the magazine in its second verse: "Learned to get up when I fall / Can even climb Rolling Stone walls". The song was written in response to some highly unfavorable reviews from Rolling Stone and other publications for Harrison's 1974 North American tour and the Dark Horse album.[141][142]
The 2000 film Almost Famous centers on a teenage journalist writing for the magazine in the early 1970s while covering the fictional band Stillwater. The film was directed by Cameron Crowe and based on his own experiences as a young journalist for the magazine in the same time period.[143]
"The Cover of Rolling Stone" is a song written by Shel Silverstein and first recorded by American rock group Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. The song satirizes success in the music business; the song's narrator laments that his band, despite having the superficial attributes of a successful rock star (including drug usage, "teenage groupies, who'll do anything we say", and a frenetic guitar solo), has been unable to "get their pictures on the cover of the Rolling Stone".[144]
The title track of Pink Floyd's album The Final Cut features the line, "Would you sell your story to Rolling Stone?"
The track Baker Street Muse on Jethro Tull's album Minstrel in the Gallery includes the line "I have no time for Time Magazine or Rolling Stone".
Charlie Robison's 1998 song of lost love "Sunset Boulevard" name drops the magazine with the line, "Well, I wish I had my picture on the Rolling stone today".
In Stephen King's novel Firestarter, the protagonists decide to tell their story to Rolling Stone.
In Joni Mitchell's song "California", the magazine is referenced in the line, "Reading Rolling Stone reading Vogue".
In May 2022, an off-Broadway play adapted from the "A Rape on Campus" article controversy and resulting legal battles titled Retraction premiered in New York City at Theatre Four at Theatre Row.[145][146][147][148]