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STONED - THE STORY OF ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE
Saturday 15th November 21.00 - 22.00
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| The programmes will be available for seven days after transmission on the BBC Radio Player. |
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Film director and one time Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe presents the story of the magazine that shaped a generation.
'You're probably wondering what we're trying to do. It's hard to say - sort of a magazine and sort of a newspaper. The name of it is Rolling Stone.'
With those words Jann Wenner introduced the first issue of Rolling Stone, in San Francisco in 1967 with nothing but a stolen mailing list, and a fervent desire to meet his heroes.
35 years later, Rolling Stone continues to occupy a key role in American cultural life. Its emphasis may have shifted away from rock music to embrace wider aspects of popular culture, but its status as a cornerstone of modern American journalism remains unassailable.
This series traces the history of the magazine from its roots in late 60s San Francisco to the present day. It includes interviews with many of the writers and contributors who helped shape the magazine - founder Jan Wenner, Ben Fong-Torres, Hunter S. Thompson, and photographer Anton Cjorbin. It also hears from many of the musicians and artists featured in its pages, including Mick Jagger, Donovan, Yoko Ono and The Edge.
Through the years Rolling Stone has not only reported on what Wenner called 'the magic that can set you free' of bands like The Who, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. It has also reported on many of the key events of the last 35 years from the perspective of the young - the Manson trials, the space programme, presidential elections (and impeachments).
Rolling Stone was also important in giving a voice to artists outside the mainstream, such as Captain Beefheart. It was, Jann wrote, about the things and attitudes that the music embraces. Things like women's rights, gonzo journalism, hip hop, punk, funk, soul, disco, reggae, Watergate, Nixon, Vietnam, Studio 54, sex, drugs, Woodstock, Patty Hearst, Charles Manson, and the death of John Lennon.
Rolling Stone's writers included Hunter S Thompson, PJ O' Rourke, Joe Klein, Joe Eszterhas, Tom Wolfe, Ralf Steadman, Dave Marsh, Michael Lydon, Jonathan Cott, Annie Leibovitz and Mick Rock, and many others. Jann explains the friendhips he forged with rock's biggest names at the time including John Lennon, Pete Townshend and Mick Jagger as well as highlighting the biggest stories of the '60's.
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LINKS
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Rolling Stone
The Official Website, with archived photos, interviews and articles.
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NME
The British alternative to Rolling Stone?
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| The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.
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