{"id":52044,"date":"2023-09-19T09:05:22","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T13:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2023\/09\/19\/living-colour-blast-jann-wenners-all-white-masters-book-and-apology-smacks-of-sexist-gatekeeping-and-exclusionary-behavior\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T09:05:22","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T13:05:22","slug":"living-colour-blast-jann-wenners-all-white-masters-book-and-apology-smacks-of-sexist-gatekeeping-and-exclusionary-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2023\/09\/19\/living-colour-blast-jann-wenners-all-white-masters-book-and-apology-smacks-of-sexist-gatekeeping-and-exclusionary-behavior\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Colour Blast Jann Wenner\u2019s All-White \u2018Masters\u2019 Book and Apology: \u2018Smacks of Sexist Gatekeeping and Exclusionary\u00a0Behavior\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tJust days after Rolling Stone<\/em> magazine founder Jann Wenner was removed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation\u2019s Board of Directors following an interview with the New York Times<\/em> in which he addressed criticism of the myopic scope of his new book, The Masters<\/em>, the members of Living Colour<\/a> weighed in on the controversy in a pointed statement.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tJann Wenner Removed From Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Board of\u00a0Directors\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tThe pioneering 1980s \u201cCult of Personality\u201d funk metal band \u2014 whose guitarist, Vernon Reid, helped form the Black Rock Coalition in 1985 \u2014 said the fact that Wenner would title his book The Masters<\/em> without including a single woman or Black artist is absurd on its face. \u201cThe very idea of a book called\u00a0The Masters<\/em>\u2018 which blatantly omits the essential contributions of Black, people of color and women to Rock & Pop Culture speaks to a much larger and more systemic problem,\u201d wrote the band, whose members include singer Corey Glover, bassist Muzz Skillings and drummer Will Calhoun.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHis\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0interview statement that African American and female artists are not \u2018articulate\u2019 enough to express themselves about their own work is absurd on its face,\u201d it continued. \u201cFor someone who has chronicled the musical landscape for over 50 years, it is an insult to those of us who sit at the feet of these overlooked geniuses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the Times<\/em> interview, Wenner, 77, discussed the book that collects interviews he\u2019s done over the years for the magazine, comprised of only white men, including U2\u2019s Bono, Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon and more. No women or people of color are included in the book, with Wenner noting in the introduction that neither made the cut because they were not in his \u201czeitgeist.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen I was referring to the zeitgeist, I was referring to Black performers, not to the female performers, OK? Just to get that accurate,\u201d Wenner told the\u00a0Times\u2019 <\/em>David Marchese. \u201cThe selection was not a deliberate selection. It was kind of intuitive over the years; it just fell together that way. The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWenner then attempted to clarify his views, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s not that they\u2019re not creative geniuses. It\u2019s not that they\u2019re inarticulate, although, go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. Please, be my guest. You know, Joni [Mitchell] was not a philosopher of rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. She didn\u2019t, in my mind, meet that test. Not by her work, not by other interviews she did. The people I interviewed were the kind of philosophers of rock \u2026 Of Black artists \u2014 you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right? I suppose when you use a word as broad as \u2018masters,\u2019 the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn\u2019t articulate at that level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWenner, who founded the magazine in 1967 and was its editor and editorial director until 2019, was removed from the board of the RRHOF on Saturday after an emergency vote in which all the board members except for one<\/a> chose to oust him; hours later he issued an apology for his comments. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIn my interview with\u00a0The New York Times<\/em>, I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius, and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks,\u201d he said in a statement provided to\u00a0The Hollywood Reporter<\/a><\/em>. \u201cThe Masters<\/em>\u00a0is a collection of interviews I\u2019ve done over the years that seemed to me to best represent an idea of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll\u2019s impact on my world; they were not meant to represent the whole of music and it\u2019s diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews I felt illustrated the breadth and experience in that career. They don\u2019t reflect my appreciation and admiration for myriad totemic, world-changing artists whose music and ideas I revere and will celebrate and promote as long as I live. I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Living Colour statement said that as far as the band was concerned, the apology did not temper the original comments by Wenner. Futher, the said the book\u2019s lack of diverse voices, especially from someone who chronicled the rock music landscape for half a century, was an affront on multiple levels. \u201cIt is an insult to those of us who sit at the feet of these overlooked geniuses. To hear that he believes\u00a0Stevie Wonder\u00a0isn\u2019t articulate enough to express his thoughts on any given subject is quite frankly, insulting,\u201d they wrote. \u201cTo hear that\u00a0Janis Joplin,\u00a0Joni Mitchell,\u00a0Tina Turner, or any of the many Woman artists that he chooses not to mention, are not worthy of the status of Master<\/em>, smacks of sexist gatekeeping, and exclusionary behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe statement concluded, \u201cMr. Werner\u2019s [sic] apology only solidifies the idea. That his book is a reflection of his worldview suggests that it is narrow & small indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWenner was inducted into the RRHOF as a non-performer in 2004 and was one of the founders of the Foundation in 1983; her served as the Foundation\u2019s chairman from 2006-2020. He left\u00a0Rolling Stone<\/em>\u00a0in 2019 when the publication was acquired by Penske Media Corporation, which is also\u00a0Billboard<\/em>\u2018s parent company.<\/p>\n

\n\tRS<\/em> \u2014 whose president and CEO is Wenner\u2019s son, Gus Wenner \u2014 issued a statement on Monday (Sept. 18) distancing itself from the magazine\u2019s founder. \u201cJann Wenner\u2019s recent statement to the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0do not represent the value and practices of today\u2019s\u00a0Rolling Stone<\/em>,\u201d the publication tweeted. \u201cJann Wenner has not been directly involved in our operations since 2019. Out purpose, especially since his departure, has been to tell stories that reflect the diversity of voices and experiences that shape our world. At Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2018s core is the understanding that music above all can bring us together, not divide us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSee Living Colour and RS<\/em>\u2018s statements below.<\/p>\n

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In response to Jann Wenner’s apology@RevDaddyLove<\/a> @vurnt22<\/a> @WillCalhounDrum<\/a> @DougWimbish<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ppVxf6Zn7G<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Living Colour (@LivingColour) September 18, 2023<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n