Jann Wenner’s new book is officially DOA.
“The Masters” debuts today on amazon’s hardcover bestseller list at number 6,769.
At one point before Wenner’s disastrous interview with the New York Times, presales had the book up to around 1,400. A promotional tour was planned and Rolling Stone would have plugged it certainly.
But all possibility of success ended when Wenner told a Times interviewer, David Marchese ,that he included no female or Black artists because they weren’t articulate enough — and basically didn’t matter.
The result was cancelling of the promo tour, being ousted from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board, and denounced by Rolling Stone.
Wenner said in the interview when asked about the lack of Blacks and women in the book: “The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.”
You can read the whole thing here.
It’s sad end to a career, and even sadder for Little, Brown, which could never have predicted this outcome.
