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Robert Draper, Rolling Stone Magazine: The Uncensored History (Doubleday, 1990) Obsessed with music idols and the radicalism of 60's rock & roll, 21-year-old Jann Wenner dropped out of the University of California at Berkeley and decided to start his own magazine. He borrowed $7,500 from family and friends, stole his main competitor's mailing list, and then in 1967, co-founded Rolling Stone. The first issue sold only 5,000 of the 40,000 printed copies and was put together by volunteers. By 1990, the magazine was a glossy, mass-produced entertainment package and Wenner was worth an estimated $250 million. Robert Draper wrote his Uncensored History to explain why he felt Rolling Stone's cultural relevance had faded over the years (he first read the magazine in 1969 but let his subscription expire around 1983). While this "history" was heavily criticized for being too slick, Rolling Stone Magazine: The Uncensored History is highly entertaining — albeit in a trashy tabloid kind of way. The Boston Globe wrote that Draper worked so hard at producing a highly readable book that it was "frequently ridiculous," while The Washington Post wrote, "Draper describes [anecdotes] in enough detail to satisfy anyone's appetite for Rolling Stone gossip." Even though Draper interviewed hundreds of former Rolling Stone editors, writers, critics, and office personnel, The Boston Globe wrote, "Draper's industry cannot make up for his writing. Clichés abound." Draper does paint an evocative portrait of Wenner's temperamental editorial style, though he relies solely on interviewees' juicy stories about Wenner's celebrity-obsessed foibles, heavy drug and alcohol use, and flash rages at his writers. The Uncensored History reader may find it difficult to determine if he's reading a history on Wenner or Rolling Stone. But it becomes apparent that the man and the magazine are inseparable — Rolling Stone is Jann Wenner. Robert Draper was a contributor to Texas Monthly when he began writing the book in 1987, shortly after Rolling Stone published its 20th anniversary issue. He has written a novel, Hadrian's Walls, and is a writer for GQ. MORE: Austin Chronicle Profile of Draper Salon.com – “Wenner’s World: The Evolution of Jann Wenner” |
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