FOLLOWED ON THURSDAY, BY "TODAY CONFIDENTIAL."
CONFIDENTIAL."
>>> FOR FIVE DECADES, "ROLLING
STONE" MAGAZINE HAS BEEN THE
HOME OF THE COOL, THE GROUNDBREAKING AND THE
CONTROVERSIAL.
CONTROVERSIAL.
WHILE ITS FOCUS IS MUSIC, ITS
INFLUENCE HAS STRETCHED INTO POP CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT ANDTO POP
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT AND POLITICS.
POLITICS. ULTIMATELY BECOMING THE CULTURAL
BIBLE FOR BABY BOOMERS.
JANN WENNER HAS BEEN AT THE HELM
SINCE 1967.
SINCE 1967. 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEDNESDAY.
JANN, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> IM DOING WELL.
>> GIVE ME THE TWO-CENT MISSION
STATEMENT WHEN YOU FOUBLDNLDED T
MAGAZINE.
MAGAZINE.
>> "ROLLING STONE" IS THE PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE IN MUSIC.THE PEOPLE
THAT BELIEVE IN MUSIC. ALL OF THE ATTITUDE THAT MUSIC
EMBRACE
EMBRACE EMBRACES.
EMBRACES. >> TELL ME THE MOMENT, YOU
REALIZED YOU HAD ENTERED THE
CONSCIOUSNESS OF THIS COUNTRY.
WHEN YOU SAID, WEVE MADE IT.
WE ACHIEVED OUR MISSION
STATEMENT?
STATEMENT?
>> I REMEMBER THE FIRST BIG
FLURRY WE WERE INVOLVED ON.
WE PRINTED THAT COVER OF JOHN
LENNON AND YOKO ONO NAKED.
IT SAYS, NAKED BEATLE PERILS
S.F.
>> ITS POIGNANT.
YOU PUT IT ON THE COVER OF THE MAGAZINE AFTER HE DIED. OF THE
MAGAZINE AFTER HE DIED. I THINK ANNIE LEIBOVITZ SHOT THE
OTHER PHOTO OF HIM, ON THE DAY
HE WAS ACTUALLY KILLED.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> YOU LOOK BACK AT THE TIMES
YOU HAD IN THE MAGAZINE, WHAT
ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN TERMS
OF A SOCIAL ISSUE THAT YOU GOT
AHEAD OF?
AHEAD OF? >> WELL, WEVE BEEN REALLY
STRONG ON GUN CONTROL.
WE FOLLOWED THAT FOR A LONG
TIME.
TIME.
ITS AN OUTRAGE THAT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE.RAGE THAT NOTHING HAS
BEEN DONE. WEVE BEEN VERY STRONG ON POT
LEGALIZATION, WHICH IS GETTING
DONE.
DONE.
NOW, WERE INVOLVED IN ONE OF
THE LEGAL PUBLICATIONS DISCUSSING CLIMATE CHANGE.
>> 1985, YOU DID A TWO-PART
ARTICLE ON THE AIDS EPIDEMIC.
AT A TIME WHEN THIS COUNTRY WAS
TRYING TO GET ITS HEAD AROUND
WHAT THIS WAS.
DO YOU THINK YOU CHANGED THE
CONVERSATION?
CONVERSATION?
>> IT WAS THE FIRST BIG NATIONAL
PIECE ABOUT AIDS.
IT GOT EVERYBODYS ATTENTION.
IT WAS POPPING UP HERE AND THERE. POPPING UP HERE AND
THERE.
BUT THE ISSUE HADNT BEEN FOCUSED AND CRYSTALLIZED INTO
ONE COHERENT EXPLANATION OF WHAT
WAS GOING ON.
>> THE PERSON ON THE COVER MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IS -- BOB MORE
THAN ANYONE ELSE IS -- BOB DYLAN.
DYLAN.
>> BOB DYLAN. >> IS THAT BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN
PERSONAL FANDOM?
PERSONAL FANDOM? >> NO.
>> NO. BECAUSE HE KEEPS PUTTING OUT
ALBUMS.
ALBUMS.
IS IT BOB DYLAN? >> YEAH.B DYLAN?
>> YEAH. THATS ACCORDING TO OUR
RESEARCH.
RESEARCH.
>> IM SURE YOURE RIGHT.
>> 1998, YOU AND OTHERS INTERVIEWED THEN-CANDIDATE BILL
CLINTON.
CLINTON. WHAT DID YOU RECOGNIZE THAT TOLD
YOU HE WAS GOING TO BE A
POLITICAL FORCE?
POLITICAL FORCE?
>> HE WAS YOUNG. VERY ELOQUENT AND SPOKEN.
HE HAD A GLIB THING ABOUT HIM.
HE WAS PERSONABLE.
>> AND HE KNEW HOW TO HANDLE THE
MEDIA.
MEDIA.
HOW TO USE THE MEDIA. >> HE WAS YOUNG AND CHARMING.
>> IN 2013 AUGUST, YOU PUT ONE
OF THE BOSTON BOMBERS ON THE
COVER OF THE MAGAZINE.
>> RIGHT.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID YOU GLAMORIZED HIM.PLE SAID YOU
GLAMORIZED HIM.
WAS IT A MISTAKE?
>> I THINK, LOOKING BACK, I WOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT AGAIN.
I THINK THAT COVER IS SO
POWERFUL AN IDEA.
AND SO ICONIC A PLACE TO BE,
THAT PEOPLES MINDS RESERVED FOR
HEROES ONLY.
HEROES ONLY.
AND HE WAS A VILLAIN. IT WAS A MISTAKE TO HAVE A
VILLAIN THERE.
VILLAIN THERE. THAT PICTURE, HE LOOKED LIKE A
ROCK STAR.
ROCK STAR.
HE LOOKED LIKE THE KID WHO LIVED NEXT DOOR.LIKE THE KID WHO LIVED
NEXT DOOR.
AND NOW, THAT ASPECT OF IT REALLY HURT PEOPLE.T OF IT
REALLY HURT PEOPLE. IT WAS A GREAT STORY.
BUT I WOULD NOT HAVE PUT IT ON
THE COVER.
THE COVER.
>> IS THAT THE BIGGEST DO-OVER?
>> THE OTHER ONE IS THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CASE.
WE GOT REALLY DUPED BY SOMEONE
WHO CAME IN AND SOLD US A STORY
THAT WAS FALSE.
>> YOU HAVE YOURSELF ACHIEVED A
LEVEL OF FAME THAT YOUVE BEEN
COVERING FOR MANY YEARS.
WHATS THE ONE THING YOU LEARNED
ABOUT FAME THAT YOU DIDNT KNOW
BEFORE YOU ACHIEVED IT?
>> I DONT -- I DONT KNOW.
I KNOW IF -- YOU GET GOOD
RESERVATIONS AT GOOD RESTAURANTS
QUICKLY.
QUICKLY.
THATS ABOUT THE BEST OF IT. >> SOMETHING IN THE HEADLINES
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW.
YOURE NOT HAPPY WITH A
BIOGRAPHY THAT JUST CAME OUT.
>> ITS SHALLOW. >> AND YOU USED A BOLD, BLANK
WORD.
WORD.
YOU COMMISSIONED THE BOOK.
>> I AGREE.
>> ISNT THE BOOK IN SOME WAYS KIND OF LIKE ONE OF -- ANWAYS
KIND OF LIKE ONE OF -- AN ARTICLE THAT WOULD APPEAR IN
"ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE?
>> NO.
>> NO. ITS SHALLOW AND INACCURATE.
AND AGAINST ALL STANDARDS OF
EXCELLENCE THAT WE HAVE.
>> ARE YOU GOING TO COMMISSION
ANY OTHER BOOKS?
>> ONE ON YOU.
>> GREAT.
>> GREAT. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.
JANN WENNER, THANKS VERY MUCH.