Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone: Part 2
- Posted on 14th January 2015
- in celebrity books, celebrity stories online, celebrity story, Entertainment, entertainment books
- by Ben
As I prefaced my first post about Jann Wenner a few months ago, when (1968) New York Scenes – the magazine Frank Enslow and I were publishing – found itself in deep financial trouble
Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone
found us.
Scenes was an entertainment book aimed at – if not exactly at the actual drug culture of the time – the hip, the I-think-I’m-hip and the I-wanna-be-hip crowd. The same month as our first issue New York magazine came out. I suspect that their ad in the Times cost more than our entire budget. Being idealistic idiots we hung in there somehow, raised a few bucks from a couple of friends, sold enough ads and subscriptions to barely stay afloat and kept it going through the year. But by the beginning of ’69 we were about to fold, leaving both Frank and me in personal debt up to our ears. Enter Jann with his checkbook and music business connections: Like Mighty Mouse, he stepped in to save the day.
…the first issue under the auspices of Wenner was May of ‘69.
Excerpt from Three Stages Chapter 10 The Magazine, the Met & Moodus
“After that issue was put to bed we moved to a much larger space on Park Avenue South for both the magazine and E&B. [Enslow & Bryant Typography Company] Jann used his (by now) considerable influence with the record companies and our next, July, issue had a new look and several ads from the major labels.
“Things were progressing nicely but the honeymoon was short lived.”
*******
“Scenes skipped August and by the time we were putting the September issue to bed Wenner and Frank were at loggerheads. I think this was when Frank got fired and was replaced as Editor by Jan Hodenfield. What I do recall is that around that same time Wenner and I had a shouting match.
“When Jann took over the publication he decided to pay all the bills from the Straight Arrow base in San Francisco. He left us a small account carrying less than a $2,000 balance so we could pay cash bills and other small expenses that would arise. Each month his comptroller would top off the account to whatever the monthly allowance was. Straight Arrow had not paid around $1,500 that was owed to E&B. After a reasonable amount of time and several requests without the bills being paid I paid it from the small account. One day Wenner started in on me, threatening to fire me if I didn’t do whatever it was he wanted me to do. I told him he couldn’t fire me because I had a contract and was fulfilling my duties. He got hopping mad and said that he’d tell his guy not to pay the E&B bills. I said that was okay because they’d been paid [by me]. He stormed out of the office.
“By the next day his anger had subsided and I think he apologized to me. Whatever anyone may say about Jann Wenner he was a good businessman and basically a reasonable fellow. We had fights and we both got over them and were able to work together just fine.
…
The Last Issue
“We published two more issues in November and December 1969 and that was it. As Betsy put it at the time, “He took his ball and bat and went home.” When Jann shut down the magazine I still had about a year and a half left on my employment contract and over the next year he saw to it that I was paid every cent. Not only that but he offered me a job as a production manager with with Rolling Stone. I was surprised and flattered but I was not a publishing biz guy I was a show biz guy.”
Over the years since that time I’ve had several conversations with Jann. He always returns my calls.
Tags: Frank Enslow, Jan Hodenfield, Jann Wenner, New York Magazine, New York Scenes
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