The foundation and a representative for Wenner, 77, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Times interview coincided with the upcoming release of Wenner’s book “The Masters,” a compilation of his interviews over the years with music greats Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and U2’s Bono — all of whom are white and male .
When asked by Times reporter David Marchese why he didn’t include female artists, people or color on his list of rock legends, Wenner replied, “When it comes to women, none of them were eloquent on that intellectual level.
He went on to say that female artists such as Joni Mitchell did not meet his criteria to be considered a “philosopher of rock and roll”.
“She failed that test in my opinion,” Wenner said. “Not with her work, not with other interviews she’s done. The people I interviewed were kind of rock philosophers.’
Regarding artists of color, he continued, “About black artists — you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right? I suppose when you use a word as broad as “masters” the error is in the use of that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they didn’t express themselves at that level.”
Wenner’s remarks drew immediate backlash online and off. The Montclair Literary Festival in New Jersey, where he was to be a celebrity guest, canceled and Promotion on September 28 for his book.
On social media, commentators have resurfaced in the past criticizing his previous writing and Rolling Stone’s coverage of female artists under his leadership.
Rock critic Jessica Hopper he joked that “The Masters” would be more aptly called “The Misters”. And Joe Hagan, a writer for Vanity Fair, who published a critical biography of Wenner titled “Sticky Fingers” in 2017, he tweeted that Rolling Stone under Wenner is rampant with chauvinism.
Wenner founded Rolling Stone in 1967 with Ralph J. Gleason and spent decades at its helm before leaving the magazine in 2019. He was also among the group of music and media executives who founded the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in 1983.
The hall has also been criticized for its relative lack of women and minority inductees, with some recent improvement. The LA Times reports that the class of 2023 recruits was the most diverse in the history of the organization. colored women and musicians white male predominance.
However, among the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 719 inductees in all categories at the start of 2023, only 61 are women, according to Hopper. Meanwhile, “the percentage of all people of color in the hall has declined each year,” from 55.8 percent in 1989 to 32.7 percent in 2019, Evelyn McDonnell he wrote that year.
Wenner was listed to the hall as inactive in 2004.
