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''Rolling Stone'' is an American based Magazine devoted to Music , Politics and Popular Culture that is published Biweekly . BEGINNINGS IN SAN FRANCISCO - RS 1 (November 9, 1967) 'How I Won the War' Film Still]] ''Rolling Stone'' was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason . The magazine first started when Wenner stole a list of record label contacts from a nearby radio station and borrowed money from the family of his wife, Jane Wenner.http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/04/20/wenner/ ''Rolling Stone'' was initially identified with and reported on the Hippie Counterculture of the era. However, the magazine distanced itself from the Underground Newspapers of the time, such as Crawdaddy! , embracing more traditional journalistic standards and avoiding the radical politics of the underground press. In the very first edition of the magazine, Wenner wrote that Rolling Stone "is not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces." This has become the de facto motto of the magazine. In its earliest versions, ''Rolling Stone'' published a box by its letters section which invited readers who felt that they were qualified to write for the magazine, to send in their work. This drew in many of Rolling Stone's most illustrious writers in its earlier days, from Greil Marcus who would go on to edit its reviews section and still contributes regularly today, to Lester Bangs who famously sent an obscenity-filled essay to the editors before getting hired. In the 1970s, ''Rolling Stone'' began to make a mark for its political coverage, with the likes of Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson writing for the magazine's political section. Thompson would first publish his most famous work '' Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas '' within the pages of ''Rolling Stone'', where he remained as a contributing editor until his death. In the 1970s, the magazine also helped launch the careers of many prominent writers, such as the writer-director Cameron Crowe and Kurt Loder , who now works for MTV . It was at this point that the magazine ran some of its most famous stories, including that of the Patty Hearst abduction odyssey. The magazine was so influential in shaping pop culture in the 1970s that a song dedicated to it, "Cover of the Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show (written by Shel Silverstein ), became a hit single. Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show eventually did end up fulfilling their wish and ended up on the cover of Rolling Stone. TODAY In the early 2000s, facing declining revenue and competition from Lad Mags such as '' Maxim '' and '' FHM '', ''Rolling Stone'' reinvented itself, hiring former '' FHM '' editor Ed Needham. The magazine started targeting younger readers and offering more sex-oriented content, which often focused on sexy young television or film actors as well as pop music. At the time, some long-time readers denounced the magazine, claiming it had declined from astute musical and countercultural observer to a sleek, superficial tabloid, emphasizing style over substance. Literary 'Rolling Stone' sells out to male titillation Since then, however, the magazine has resumed its traditional mix of content, including in-depth political stories, and has seen circulation (currently at 1.2 to 1.3 million) and revenue rise. Leading up to what it called the "50th Anniversary of Rock" in , a former ''Rolling Stone'' editor, published a thorough critique of the lists in a book called ''Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics'' (ISBN 1-56980-276-9), which featured the differing opinions of many younger critics. On ' '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band '', featured some the most influential celebrities whom ''RS'' had covered. ''Rolling Stone'' has evolved over the years, but certain features regarded as the hallmark of the magazine, such as "National Affairs" which has been around since the likes of like headlines. Another regular feature printed next to "Random Notes" is the "Smoking Section" which is written by Austin Scaggs. Today, four decades since its founding, the ''Rolling Stone'' record reviews section is regarded by many sources as still one of the most influential around.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/25/business/yourmoney/25wenner.html?ex=1293166800&en=51225eb00f59d32f&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss POLITICAL COMMENTARY While ''Rolling Stone'' is an entertainment magazine, throughout its four decade run it has consistently interjected political and social commentary of various kinds. Loyal to its was the main political correspondent for Rolling Stone, writing the ''National Affairs'' section. After his death, investigative journalist Matt Taibbi took over. The magazine has been extremely critical of the George W. Bush administration.
CRITICISM One major criticism of ''Rolling Stone'' involves its apparent generational bias toward the 1960s and early 1970s. One critic referred to the "Rolling Stone" list of the 100 Greatest Songs as an example of "unrepentant , a former ''Rolling Stone'' editor, published a thorough critique of the magazine's lists in a book called ''Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics'' (ISBN 1-56980-276-9), which featured differing opinions from many younger critics. July 4, 2004. Idle worship, or revisiting the classics. Jim DeRogatis. Chicago Sun-Times. Article discussing intention of book In more recent years, "Rolling Stone" has been criticized for altering its opinions regarding many classic albums that it had previously dimissed. Examples of artists for whom this is the case include, among others, '' was awarded only three stars out of five by Rolling Stone upon its release, with the reviewer claiming that "Nirvana isn't onto anything altogether new." "Original "Rolling Stone" Review of "Nevermind." utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview Years later, the magazine ranked the album number 17 out of its top 500 greatest albums of all time, surpassing hundreds of 4-star albums. Another criticism of "Rolling Stone" is that it failed to acknowledge both the newly emerging magazine described a conference at which the 1984 Rolling Stone Record Guide scrutinized by a speaker. As he described it, "The guide virtually ignored hip-hop and ruthlessly panned heavy metal, the two genres that within a few years would dominate the pop charts. In an auditorium packed with music journalists, you could detect more than a few anxious titters: How many of us will want our record reviews read back to us 20 years hence?" {Link without Title} Like editor Ed Needham further isolated critics who alleged that ''Rolling Stone'' had lost its credibility.http://salon.com/ent/feature/2002/06/28/rollingstone/index.html WEBSITE ''Rolling Stone'' has maintained a website for many years, with selected current articles, reviews, blogs, MP3s, and other features such as searchable and free encyclopedic articles about artists, with images and sometimes sound clips of their work. There are also selected archival political and cultural articles and entries. The site also at one time had an extensive message board forum. By the late 1990s, the message board forum at the site had developed into a thriving community with a large number of regular members and contributors worldwide. Unfortunately, the site was also plagued with numerous Internet Trolls and malicious code-hackers who vandalized the forum substantiallyhttp://rsjunior.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=tribunal&action=display&thread=1085021884&page=19. ''Rolling Stone'' abruptly and without notice deleted the forum in May 2004. ''Rolling Stone'' began a new, much more limited message board community at their site in late 2005, only to remove it again in 2006. ''Rolling Stone'' now permits users to make follow-up comments to posted articles in a blog format. It also maintains a page at MySpace. FAMOUS STAFF
IN POPULAR CULTURE ''Rolling Stone'' is largely regarded as the predominant music promotional force in American culture, alongside the likes of MTV . It has been frequently referenced in other forms of media, such as in Cameron Crowe 's semi-autobiographical film '' Almost Famous '' where Crowe's character worked as a teenage reporter for the magazine and the Cult Classic music-oriented movie '' High Fidelity '' where becoming a ''Rolling Stone'' journalist is cited as the lead character's ambition. In the 1985 movie ''Perfect'', John Travolta made an appearance as a ''Rolling Stone'' journalist. Wenner had cameo roles in both ''Almost Famous'' and ''Perfect''. The magazine also had made some of the most controversial covers in pop culture; eyebrows were raised when a then-17 year-old Britney Spears was featured on the cover of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in a sexually suggestive Lolita-themed photo shoot which triggered widespread speculation (denied by her representatives) that the singer had opted to have breast implants. Another controversial cover and perhaps one of the Magazine most famous cover is of Janet Jackson who was photographed topless with her then husband's hand covering her breasts. The Rick Griffin Logo for ''Rolling Stone'' and magazine cover were used as the basis for promotional images for the film '' School Of Rock ''. At the end of '' The Wedding Singer '', Drew Barrymore is reading a copy of ''Rolling Stone'' (Issue 440, January 31, 1985) with Billy Idol on the cover, while going to Las Vegas with Glen on the plane. The movie is set in 1985 . In the movie, " Tenacious D And The Pick Of Destiny ," copies of ''Rolling Stone'' are seen in a scene where Jack Black and Kyle Gass are contemplating what they need to be great musicians, and Black sees that several great guitarists wield the same pick. In the movie '' Music And Lyrics '', fictional Rolling Stone magazine reviews from various eras play a major role. CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE APPEARED ON THE COVER See Also: List of celebrities who have appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine Appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone has become something of a milestone in the career of many famous artists, and remains the aspiration of many up-and-coming musicians {source}. Some artists have graced the cover many times, some of these pictures going on to become iconic. The Beatles, for example, have appeared on the cover over thirty times, either individually or as a band.Wenner, Jann (2006). "Our 1000th Issue - Jann Wenner looks back on 39 years of Rolling Stone" RollingStone.com (accessed September 21, 2006) The first ten artists who appeared on the cover are:
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