New Books in Music · Marshall Poe
Peter Richardson, "Brand New Beat: The Wild Rise of Rolling Stone Magazine" (U California Press, 2026)
April 7, 2026·49 min·3 clips
A 1970 letter from critic Ellen Willis to Ralph Gleason refused Rolling Stone because it called Tina Turner 'an incredible chick.'
As heard by us
A clear history of Rolling Stone as a San Francisco story that broadens beyond music.
Richardson's account of Rolling Stone is at its best in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Jan Wenner moves through the Ramparts circle and where Altamont and Hells Angels coverage help frame the magazine's next phase.
Why you'd press play
Rolling Stone's rise gets traced through Altamont, the Bay Area, and Hunter S. Thompson.
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