The Last Bass Outpost

Main Forums => The Outpost Cafe => Topic started by: westen44 on July 17, 2013, 03:02:13 PM

Title: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: westen44 on July 17, 2013, 03:02:13 PM
What's next for Rolling Stone magazine?  Pictures of Hitler's pets that he was fond of?  Oh, I've already brought in Godwin's Law. 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/studentnews/tsarnaev-rolling-stone-cover/index.html
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Psycho Bass Guy on July 17, 2013, 05:42:23 PM
It seems that they've decided that since they have zero musical or cultural relevance, they're going to play the Roger Ailes card, too.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 17, 2013, 05:50:07 PM
Didn't RS once put Charles Manson on the cover?
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: gweimer on July 17, 2013, 05:59:32 PM
Didn't RS once put Charles Manson on the cover?

And he had a Beach Boy connection.

(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/test/2013/07/17/1374075572000-XXX-manson-1970-rolling-stone-1307171141_x-large.jpg)
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: 4stringer77 on July 17, 2013, 06:42:02 PM
My conspiracy loving buddy is convinced Michael Hastings was murdered when his car exploded because he was about to put out a piece that proved the Tsarnaev bros were controlled by the CIA. Not saying I completely believe that but to each their own.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: lowend1 on July 17, 2013, 07:24:48 PM
Didn't RS once put Charles Manson on the cover?

Yeah, but the tag lines are WAY different.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 17, 2013, 07:52:36 PM
Will next issue's cover boy be Whitey Bulger?

Sometime in the distant future, RS will be doing a 50 Best Mass Murderer Covers list.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: gweimer on July 17, 2013, 08:08:24 PM
Will next issue's cover boy be Whitey Bulger?

Sometime in the distant future, RS will be doing a 50 Best Mass Murderer Covers list.

With Marilyn Manson on the cover?
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Highlander on July 17, 2013, 10:50:49 PM
... doing a 50 Best Mass Murderer Covers list.

Sadly, it'll sell... put it out today and it'll sell... :sad:
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 18, 2013, 07:09:28 AM
Sadly, it'll sell... put it out today and it'll sell... :sad:

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public. -- H. L. Mencken
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: dadagoboi on July 18, 2013, 08:38:39 AM
RS has been doing investigative journalism since it began.  Their music coverage sucks but in case you haven't noticed, so does most music these days.  IMO Matt Taibi, for one, does some great work.  That picture was on the front page of the NYT above the fold a while back with no complaints.  From what I understand this article attempts to explain what went wrong with this kid and how it happened.  WTF is wrong with that?  Why does the average American seem to have no interest in understanding how and why events occur and would rather whine about hurting the feelings of victims or glorifying this or that?

Don't like it?  Don't read it.  My sister bought me a subscription a few years ago.  I cancelled it because of the music/lifestyle coverage not because of the journalism.  I can still read that stuff online for free.

Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 18, 2013, 08:45:59 AM
True enough, they've done some great investigative journalism over the years, IMHO it's the magazine's one redeeming quality. And they have the right to publish what they want. Still, there's nothing wrong with criticizing the cover or the story.

Or parodying it.

(http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/700/07/700_1374089840.jpg)
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: gweimer on July 18, 2013, 09:12:29 AM
RS has been doing investigative journalism since it began. 

That was never their selling point, though, and I think that's why the debate.  They were more about music and lifestyle.  I remember reading the first publishing of Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas, as a two part serial in RS, before it became a book.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: westen44 on July 18, 2013, 09:12:36 AM
Ty Burr of the Boston Globe writes that the story itself is legitimate, but the cover shot is not.  The cover shot was put there to sell magazines and all other considerations were ignored.  It's a matter of nuances and choices.  From what I've read so far, Rolling Stone, of course, is now using its BS rationalization to justify what it did.  Ty Burr in his article says this---

By putting this Tsarnaev on the cover, Rolling Stone at best plays with and at worst buys into the accused’s own manufactured image, casual but potent, speaking in a language we all understand. Worse, by placing his selfie within the context of a magazine cover, a format regularly used to sell rock stars, movie icons, and models, the editors have collaborated with Tsarnaev in the creation of his own celebrity.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: westen44 on July 18, 2013, 09:15:45 AM
True enough, they've done some great investigative journalism over the years, IMHO it's the magazine's one redeeming quality. And they have the right to publish what they want. Still, there's nothing wrong with criticizing the cover or the story.

Or parodying it.

(http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/700/07/700_1374089840.jpg)

And it's parodies like this which are really the most potent form of criticism. 
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: dadagoboi on July 18, 2013, 09:34:07 AM
Ty Burr of the Boston Globe writes that the story itself is legitimate, but the cover shot is not.  The cover shot was put there to sell magazines and all other considerations were ignored.  It's a matter of nuances and choices.  From what I've read so far, Rolling Stone, of course, is now using its BS rationalization to justify what it did.  Ty Burr in his article says this---

By putting this Tsarnaev on the cover, Rolling Stone at best plays with and at worst buys into the accused’s own manufactured image, casual but potent, speaking in a language we all understand. Worse, by placing his selfie within the context of a magazine cover, a format regularly used to sell rock stars, movie icons, and models, the editors have collaborated with Tsarnaev in the creation of his own celebrity.

...Once again making the assumption the American public is too stupid or naive not to be manipulated by media or propaganda from the Corporatocracy.  Unfortunately, generally true.  That's not RS's fault.

What else is a cover shot for than to sell mags?  Usually too slick to wipe with.
 
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: uwe on July 18, 2013, 11:18:55 AM
I wouldn't want to live in a country where putting a terrorist or a serial killer on the cover of a mag was regarded inapt. Freedom of press isn't always tasteful, but irreplaceable.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 18, 2013, 08:18:22 PM
I wouldn't want to live in a country where putting a terrorist or a serial killer on the cover of a mag was regarded inapt. Freedom of press isn't always tasteful, but irreplaceable.

What does one have to do with the other? Freedom of press is a government issue. No one's suggesting that the government curtail RS's freedom to publish. OTOH private businesses are free not to carry the issue and private citizens are entitled to criticize them (or not).
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: westen44 on July 18, 2013, 09:11:45 PM
I agree that this isn't a freedom of the press matter.  As the article below indicates, it's a matter of criticizing Rolling Stone's editorial judgment.  A lot of people thought Rolling Stone made a bad call and I agree.  Others, aren't so bothered.  But I don't think anyone is saying RS shouldn't be allowed to publish whatever they want to.  I also don't think their new interview with Steely Dan is a good idea.  But for reasons of their own, somehow RS seems to think it is.  I am, however, looking forward to their upcoming issue on John Wilkes Booth. 

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/17/rolling_stones_dzhokhar_tsarnaev_cover_gets_parodied/
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Psycho Bass Guy on July 19, 2013, 12:02:36 AM
I dunno, maybe RS is just keeping up their recent tradition of putting douchebags on the cover frequently.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: uwe on July 19, 2013, 04:35:22 AM
If it interests people, it is fit to go on the cover, simple as that. Anything else approaches censorship. You no like, you no buy. Had I seen it at a newspaper and magazine stand at an airport it would have caught my attention and I would have bought a copy because the minds of these people interest me.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Denis on July 19, 2013, 05:05:47 AM
I was listening to a spot on NPR about this and it was mentioned that this image has appeared in other news sources, though I missed if they said it had appeared on the front cover of any of them. Is RS getting so much flak because it's not primarily a news source?
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: dadagoboi on July 19, 2013, 07:56:37 AM
I was listening to a spot on NPR about this and it was mentioned that this image has appeared in other news sources, though I missed if they said it had appeared on the front cover of any of them. Is RS getting so much flak because it's not primarily a news source?

Front page of New York Times Sunday Edition in May, above the fold.  Can't get more visible than that.

RS is getting so much flak because the people who brought you the supposed 'War on Christmas' have nothing better to do than stir up the yahoos.  It helps divert their attention from the real problems this country faces...IMO.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 19, 2013, 09:40:21 AM
If it interests people, it is fit to go on the cover, simple as that. Anything else approaches censorship. You no like, you no buy. Had I seen it at a newspaper and magazine stand at an airport it would have caught my attention and I would have bought a copy because the minds of these people interest me.

Straw man. Nobody is suggesting censoring them.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: dadagoboi on July 19, 2013, 09:50:31 AM
Nobody is suggesting censoring them.

What exactly is pulling magazines off the racks supposed to accomplish?
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 19, 2013, 09:56:37 AM
What exactly is pulling magazines off the racks supposed to accomplish?

It's not censorship. RS' First Amendment right to publish doesn't include forcing private businesses to sell the magazine. It's privately owned companies choosing not to carry the magazine. The government is not involved.

Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: uwe on July 20, 2013, 07:42:11 AM
A very labored differentiation, Dave. Once you create a climate where it is inopportune to put certain magazines on the counter for a story they publish, you are on a slippery thoughtcrime slope. Rolling Stone is not advocating terrorism with that feature and neither is anyone selling (or buying) this particular RS issue.

Besides its nothing new. If Jack the Ripper wasn't a rock star type/celebrity/icon centuries ago, who was? Murderers have always had their - albeit fleeting - fame. People have always been fascinated by violence, muderers and terrorists, what have you. The difference between people back then watching public hangings and  consuming media violence today is slight. Overall, western culture and life have probably become less violent, but people's dark obsession with violence has not decreased.

And of course it's interesting to read and see what made this guy do the things he did.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: dadagoboi on July 20, 2013, 08:21:48 AM
A very labored differentiation, Dave. Once you create a climate where it is inopportune to put certain magazines on the counter for a story they publish, you are on a slippery thoughtcrime slope. Rolling Stone is not advocating terrorism with that feature and neither is anyone selling (or buying) this particular RS issue.

Besides its nothing new. If Jack the Ripper wasn't a rock star type/celebrity/icon centuries ago, who was? Murderers have always had their - albeit fleeting - fame. People have always been fascinated by violence, muderers and terrorists, what have you. The difference between people back then watching public hangings and  consuming media violence today is slight. Overall, western culture and life have probably become less violent, but people's dark obsession with violence has not decreased.

And of course it's interesting to read and see what made this guy do the things he did.

Uwe you obviously don't understand what it means to live in a country of laws...though I do encourage you to stand your ground.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: westen44 on July 20, 2013, 08:24:00 AM
A very labored differentiation, Dave. Once you create a climate where it is inopportune to put certain magazines on the counter for a story they publish, you are on a slippery thoughtcrime slope. Rolling Stone is not advocating terrorism with that feature and neither is anyone selling (or buying) this particular RS issue.

Besides its nothing new. If Jack the Ripper wasn't a rock star type/celebrity/icon centuries ago, who was? Murderers have always had their - albeit fleeting - fame. People have always been fascinated by violence, muderers and terrorists, what have you. The difference between people back then watching public hangings and  consuming media violence today is slight. Overall, western culture and life have probably become less violent, but people's dark obsession with violence has not decreased.

And of course it's interesting to read and see what made this guy do the things he did.


There is quite a distinction between the public and private sector and Dave is adeptly pointing that out.  RS was irresponsible, opportunistic, crass, insensitive, and sensationalist in having a cover like that.  It's insulting to readers and its insulting to people deserving of being on the cover such as John Lennon and countless others.  RS is not a serious news source despite attempting to make forays into that arena.  I know they did the story on the general that some people are still raving about.  Personally, though, that doesn't impress me.  RS takes itself way too seriously.  They can't even do music coverage right and now they can't do other things right, either.  My disgust for RS is very real and deep.  It's a POS former music magazine struggling to find relevance in a world in which being in the print media is now very difficult.  Coming out with that issue was a calculated risk.  It's too early to tell if it will help or hurt.  But it has definitely alienated a number of people and I am certainly one of them.  But, yes, RS has the right to publish garbage and those or us who don't like it should be free to complain about it.  

RS has said that one reason it felt it was okay to have a cover like that was because of the age range of its readers.  Yesterday, I read another statement from someone from RS who said that those complaining about the cover were people who most likely have never even read the magazine before anyway.  Assumptions such as these are presumptuous, inaccurate and even condescending.  As far as I'm concerned Rolling Stone magazine can take a flying leap.   I will no longer waste my time on RS.  In a sense, even this topic is a waste of time and gives the magazine way more attention than it deserves.  
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: dadagoboi on July 20, 2013, 08:43:40 AM

There is quite a distinction between the public and private sector and Dave is adeptly pointing that out.  RS was irresponsible, opportunistic, crass, insensitive, and sensationalist in having a cover like that.  It's insulting to readers and its insulting to people deserving of being on the cover such as John Lennon and countless others.  RS is not a serious news source despite attempting to make forays into that arena.  I know they did the story on the general that some people are still raving about.  Personally, though, that doesn't impress me.  RS takes itself way too seriously.  They can't even do music coverage right and now they can't do other things right, either.  My disgust for RS is very real and deep.  It's a POS former music magazine struggling to find relevance in a world in which being in the print media is now very difficult.  Coming out with that issue was a calculated risk.  It's too early to tell if it will help or hurt.  But it has definitely alienated a number of people and I am certainly one of them.  But, yes, RS has the right to publish garbage and those or us who don't like it should be free to complain about it.  

RS has said that one reason it felt it was okay to have a cover like that was because of the age range of its readers.  Yesterday, I read another statement from someone from RS who said that those complaining about the cover were people who most likely have never even read the magazine before anyway.  Assumptions such as these are presumptuous, inaccurate and even condescending.  As far as I'm concerned Rolling Stone magazine can take a flying leap.   I will no longer waste my time on RS.  In a sense, even this topic is a waste of time and gives the magazine way more attention than it deserves.  
I liked Baz's comment better, where'd it go?
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 20, 2013, 11:12:47 AM
I liked Baz's comment better, where'd it go?

Censored for bigotry. Even if Tsarnaev were an Arab -- which he's not -- we aren't going to allow derogatory terms.

Anyway, I'm not offended by what RS publishes, haven't read it for years except when someone links to a particular story I find interesting. They've always been opportunistic. And Uwe is right that notoriety has always sold. OTOH when you publish something controversial, you have to accept that anyone has the right not to buy it or carry it.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: godofthunder on July 20, 2013, 11:23:46 AM
No such thing as bad publicity, nothing more than RS trying to flog it's irelevent magazine. In extremely poor taste none the less.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: westen44 on July 20, 2013, 11:31:52 AM
Regardless of what the topic is about, whether it's the one on General McChrystal or something like the current issue, I find it hard to take Rolling Stone seriously as anything other than a pop culture publication.  That's just my view on the matter and they could prove me wrong.  But it's very doubtful they'll ever have anything on the level of George Kennan's 1947 Mr. X article in Foreign Affairs or anything even remotely comparable.  For hard-core views on political topics or other matters there are other places to go to rather than Rolling Stone.  There was a time when I would gladly turn to it to get interesting info on music, but they now fail at that, too. 
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: nofi on July 21, 2013, 07:19:11 AM
at the moment matt taibbi is the one saving grace for that rag.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Bionic-Joe on July 21, 2013, 08:08:22 AM
Wow. So you label Me a bigot because I Love  America and Hate Rolling Stone Glorifying Terrorists??? Who's the intolerant one here??? As long as it fits in with your view, it's ok, but if someone else has a difference of opinion, such as I, you put a label of bigotry. WOW. The Last Bass Outpost has Censorship. No FREEDOM OF SPEECH Here. I'm sorry, but when One of your loved ones dies in the twin towers, 9-11, you change your opinion about Jihadists. Okay, go ahead and censor me again.
Title: Re: It seems magazines have run out of rock stars to put on their covers
Post by: Dave W on July 21, 2013, 08:38:56 AM
Wow. So you label Me a bigot because I Love  America and Hate Rolling Stone Glorifying Terrorists??? Who's the intolerant one here??? As long as it fits in with your view, it's ok, but if someone else has a difference of opinion, such as I, you put a label of bigotry. WOW. The Last Bass Outpost has Censorship. No FREEDOM OF SPEECH Here. I'm sorry, but when One of your loved ones dies in the twin towers, 9-11, you change your opinion about Jihadists. Okay, go ahead and censor me again.

You are as entitled to your opinion as anyone else. You're entitled to think that RS is glorifying a terrorist. You are NOT entitled to use a racially derogatory term toward Arabs on this forum, any more than if you used a racially derogatory term toward a black American or an Asian. That's bigotry and we won't allow it.

Also, you phrased it in a way that implied that Arab = Muslim = terrorist. That's obnoxious at best, and it's an attempt to turn this into a political and religious thread, which you've continued in your latest post. And all this about a man who is a Chechen, not an Arab.

We've had our say and expressed our various viewpoints. Thread closed.