Jann Wenner - Raging Pages
by Lisa Torem
published: 24 / 12 / 2019

intro
Lisa Torem in her 'Raging Pages' book column finds Joe Hagan’s biography of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner is rich with pop culture detail and keen insight, and includes candid observations from high-profile insiders.
In 2004, Jan Wenner, founder of fifty-year-old Rolling Stone Magazine, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and record executive Ahmet Ertegun. When skimming through the photo section of Wenner’s biography, 'Sticky Fingers', authored by Joe Hagan, this grainy black and white shot speaks volumes about Wenner’s pop cult status — Jagger folds his arm around the man, as his own eyes shine. Though the photo section is small, the content piques the reader’s curiosity: how did Wenner become head of a magazine that could make or break a career? How was he able to anticipate trends, or was he responsible for starting them? What did he expect from his writers? Was he a strict taskmaster? How did being on the cover impact artists' careers? This entertaining and informative book addresses those questions and much more. Joe Hagan diligently researched his subject matter, getting inside the brains of new journalist Hunter S. Thompson and writer Tom Wolfe. He included observations from veteran journalist Cameron Crowe and a grand list of entertainers, including Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Bono, Elton John, Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen. The book is cleverly divided into three sections: 'The Wunderkind,' 'The 1970s' and 'It’s Only Rock and Roll.' The chapters are named after popular song titles. Hagan explores the tensions that develop as Jann and Jane Wenner develop the magazine's image, the resulting rivalries, the sweeping changes Wenner implements as times change and the infusion of “drug-addled” employees. In 'Sticky Fingers', Hagan pragmatically deconstructs Wenner’s impulses. A case in point: Hagan illustrates episodes in which Wenner plays favorites or pits friends against friends to get a story, and in so doing creates ill-will. “Success would blunt Wenner’s feel for the culture and sow the seeds of his decline,” Hagan states early on in the prologue and he follows this line of thought through to the end. The author conducted hundreds of interviews to come to his conclusions and to flesh out Wenner’s trajectory for this hard-to-put-down best-seller. It is a fast read, yet not a light one, but it is one that every self-confessed pop culture historian should keep on the shelf.
Also In Raging Pages
Benjamin Orr (2018)
Bernard Purdie (2015)
Billy Bragg (2017)
Billy J. Kramer (2016)
Bob Boilen (2016)
Bob Dylan (2018)
Bob Marley (2019)
Brian Wilson (2017)
Clive Davis (2015)
Common (2020)
Damned (2021)
Don Short (2020)
Elliott Murphy (2019)
Elvis Costello (2015)
Frank Zappa (2017)
Gary Wright (2014)
Gene Simmons (2015)
Geoff Emerick (2018)
George Martin (2019)
Green Day (2019)
Ian Mclagan (2016)
Jerry Lee Lewis (2015)
Jerry Nolan (2018)
Jim Summaria and Mark Plotnick (2019)
Joe Perry (Aerosmith) (2014)
John Lennon (2017)
Kinks (2014)
Lani Hall Alpert (2019)
Laurence Juber (2014)
Liberty DeVitto (2021)
Lisa Robinson (2021)
Lita Ford (2021)
Little Anthony (2014)
Louise Harrison (2015)
Manic Street Preachers (2017)
Mary Wilson (2021)
Michael Bloomfield (2020)
Michael Dorf (2019)
Miscellaneous (2014)
Ozzy Osbourne (2014)
Pamela Des Barres (2017)
Paul McCartney (2020)
Renee Rosen (2018)
Richard Balls (2018)
Ringo Starr (2015)
Robby Krieger (2022)
Roger Daltrey (2020)
Rolling Stones (2016)
Ronnie Wood (2015)
Sam Phillips (2018)
Sean Madigan Hoen (2014)
Silas House (2020)
Spencer Vignes (2017)
Sylvain Sylvain (2018)
Thin Lizzy (2016)
Tommy James (2021)
Tori Amos (2020)
U2 (2021)
Who (2014)
Will Romano (2015)
Woody Woodmansey (2018)
Zz Top (2014)
Band Links:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jann_Wennerdigital downloads
most viewed articles
current edition
Robby Krieger - Set The Night on Fire, Living, Dying, And Playing Guitar with The DoorsBoomtown Rats - Ten Songs That Made Me Love....
Lida Husik - Interview
Cathal Coughlan - Interview
Rick Wakeman - Interview
Peter Doherty and Frederic Lo - Cavern Club, Liverpool, 27/3/2022
Cliff Richard - Not Fade Away
Simon Bromide - Interview
Candlelight Tribute to Coldplay - Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, 1/4/2022
Wolfgang Flur - Interview
previous editions
World Party - InterviewSam Brown - Interview 2008
Cliff Richard - Vs Elvis Presley
Eric Chappell - Interview 1
Trudie Myerscough-Harris - Interview
Pete Brown - Interview
Ruskin Arms - The Image That Made Me Weep
Half Man Half Biscuit - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Melanie Blake - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
most viewed reviews
current edition
Rupert Wates - For The PeopleBanjo Jen - Fine Line
Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri - The Long Ride Home
Bonham-Bullick - Bonham-Bullick
Dead South - Easy Listening for Jerks Parts 1 and 2
Family - A Song for Me
Loop - Sonancy
Stereophonics - Oochya!
John Mayall - The Sun is Shining Down
Weather Station - How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Adrian P
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Carl Bookstein
Chris O'Toole
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dixie Ernill
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank