Jann Wenner: The Rolling Stone Generation

Jann Wenner has had an outsized impact on Bay Area history, music, popular culture and the world of magazines.

In 1967, with the founding of Rolling Stone magazine in San Francisco, Wenner not only created the "bible of the counterculture," he helped catalyze a generation of young people into a force that would go on to transform the politics and lifestyles of much of the country. In his deeply personal new memoir, Like a Rolling Stone, Wenner vividly describes an epoch of cultural change that swept America and beyond, and the role his magazine played in it. His book goes on to explore not only his own work, but the lives of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Bono and Bruce Springsteen. He also discusses the role he played in the careers of Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe and Annie Leibovitz.

After leaving San Francisco for New York, Wenner's journey took him to the Oval Office with groundbreaking interviews with Bill Clinton and Barak Obama, leaders to whom Wenner's publication gave its historic, full-throated backing. Wenner also had his magazine focus on the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg, and others he felt should be seen and heard in the pages of Rolling Stone, because of their potential impact on American culture. It is not surprising that many have called him "the greatest magazine editor of his generation."

Please join us as Wenner makes a rare visit to The Commonwealth Club to discuss his life and the impact he has made on America.

NOTES

This program is generously supported by Relevant Wealth.

 This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

SPEAKERS

Jann Wenner

Founder, Rolling Stone Magazine; Member, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Paul Liberatore

Music Columnist, Marin Independent Journal

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded on September 21st, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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