According to a statement released by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jann Wenner, one of the co-founders of Rolling Stone magazine and a member of the board of directors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was removed from his post as a result of statements he made regarding black and female musicians that were met with widespread criticism.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland said, “Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.” The statement did not offer any explanation for the decision.
In an interview with the New York Times published on Friday about his upcoming book titled “The Masters,” which is comprised of seven interviews Wenner did throughout his career with musicians such Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan, he was challenged on why all seven interviews in the book were with white men. Wenner said he conducted all seven interviews throughout his career with musicians.
At 77 years old, Wenner stated that black artists and female musicians were not “as articulate” as the other musicians he chose to feature.
Wenner, who also helped develop the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, responded to the criticism by saying, “For the sake of public relations, maybe I should have gone and found one Black and one woman artist to include here that didn’t measure up to that same historical standard,” Wenner, who also helped found the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said.
He issued an apology for the remarks much afterward. There was no way to contact Wenner for an immediate reaction to his firing.
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