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Country Superstar John Rich to Rolling Stone: Pound Sand

Singer shreds far-left mag when asked to comment on Oliver Anthony piece

Remember when Rolling Stone magazine was cool?

Readers weaned on the current model, filled with woke bromides and wobbly reportage, may doubt the venerable mag had a hip past.

Oh, but it did.

Co-founder Jann Wenner debuted the magazine in 1967, capturing the greatest singers of Flower Power era and its anti-war protests.

The publication quickly became the go-to source for great writing and critical pop culture movements.

Many well-known writers and journalists, including Hunter S. Thompson, Cameron Crowe, Lester Bangs, and Greil Marcus, started their careers with Rolling Stone. As the magazine increasingly came to define significant trends and discerning taste in rock and pop music, appearances on its cover were coveted by established as well as up-and-coming musicians as emblems of critical success.

The modern version reads like any other mainstream news outlet. The progressive bias is off the charts, letting powerful Democrats off the hook. The willingness to regurgitate government bromides on topics like COVID-19 is equally worrisome.

A magazine forged in the counter-culture fires of the 1960s, like its co-founder, now fears free speech as much as most news outlets. They even repeatedly put the words in scare quotes.

Need another example?

The magazine turned on Dave Chappelle, arguably the greatest stand-up performer of his time, for daring to tell jokes about the trans community. It’s no wonder country star John Rich refused to help the magazine on an upcoming feature tied to singer Oliver Anthony.

Except Rich was far less polite about it.

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The singer shared his response to Rolling Stone regarding an upcoming feature story on the year’s most unlikely success story.

That’s Anthony, the Virginia crooner who shocked the music industry when his “Rich Men North of Richmond” became a number one smash.

Rich Men North of Richmond LIVE at Morris Farm Market

Rolling Stone, which originally cast shade on Anthony after conservatives rallied to the singer’s side, is working on a deep dive into his overnight success.

The magazine reached out to Rich, who has talked with Anthony during the early days of his music career, for comment and color.

Here’s my quote: “When Rolling Stone glamorized the Boston bomber, they lost all
credibility as a serious publication. I’d rather do an interview with the Cartoon Network.”

Guess Rich won’t be featured in the eventual story. And here’s a quick reminder of how the magazine reported on the bomber in question.

https://twitter.com/Fishing_Huuker/status/1678857717111201792

Rich has good reason to be suspicious of the article in question. Last month, Rolling Stone savaged both “Sound of Freedom” and the people who flocked to theaters to see it.

Why?

The indie film exposes the nefarious networks of child sex traffickers. That isn’t what set Rolling Stone into a tizzy. The film became a cause celebre on the Right despite the lack of on-screen politics or faith-based storytelling.

That was enough for the magazine to skewer both the film and the people in attendance at one screening.

They’re old, the magazine’s contributor cried in a classic case of ageism that the woke mob ignored.

Will the magazine treat Anthony fairly? It’s doubtful, but Rich’s blistering response to the site’s request sends a powerful message in 2023.

Musicians no longer worship at the altar of the once-great Rolling Stone. Some even laugh at the publication.

8 Comments

  1. I quit reading SPIN about 39 years ago when SPIN turned into Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone had long since turned into People.

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