In its heyday, Rolling Stone was youth culture’s most important magazine because it was one of the only outlets to take it seriously, one of the only places that understood how much sway musicians could have, not just on their audiences, but on society as a whole. Part 1 captures this well, as it covers the magazine’s creation as just another one of the “Stories From the Edge.” Some of the stories are stunning, including writer Ben Fong-Torres’ encounters with Ike and Tina Turner and the depth of the relationship between the magazine and John Lennon and Yoko Ono, especially poignant in its coverage after his murder.
In Part 2 Gibney and Foster do a remarkable job of explaining the challenges that Rolling Stone faces, while still celebrating its significance. “The gossip crept in,” complains the late Hunter S. Thompson, the king of the gonzo journalism style that informed so much of the magazine’s non-music coverage. “Bon Jovi and whatever color he paints his fingernails is more important than the fact that Ronald Reagan is president.” Much to Thompson’s chagrin, Rolling Stone went from championing the counterculture to protecting its view of the mainstream. The documentary includes carping from some reporters who complain about how the magazine was slow to recognize the power of punk and hip-hop. Also to everyone’s credit, there is a lengthy discussion of the magazine’s missteps in its now-discredited story about a rape on the University of Virginia campus.
