Jul 11 2010 July 11, 2010 July 11, 2010 8Comments by ben

In Praise Of Rolling Stone

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I subscribe to Rolling Stone Magazine.

I used to read it about 20 years ago but gave it up when movies and music, and consequently the articles about them, started getting really terrible.

Anyway, it’s really darn good again and here are a few reasons why;

Matt Taibi’s analysis/expose of the working practices of Goldman Sachs should be required reading for every sentient being on planet earth.

Here is the opening, much quoted, paragraph:

The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it’s everywhere. The world’s most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.

Since then, Taibi’s follow ups and his work on other subjects have given us the most pungent, forthright, rock-and-roll current affairs writing of the day. And if it’s not him contributing, the other writers and the issues they raise and report on are uniformly brilliant.

Another reason would be the current issue. Not only does it give us articles about Dennis Hopper, BP’s possible drilling in the Arctic and (if you are so inclined) Lady Gaga, it also contains a report on Timothy McChrystal, the US General in charge of Afghanistan. Well, he was in charge of Afghanistan, but then this article appeared and was thought to be so incendiary, he was relieved of his duties. Has any magazine article you’ve read lately done that?

They also have great music, TV and film reviews as well as a little bit on US sport, if it happens to be interesting to a wider audience.

The downsides are a love of U2 and a tendency to put vapid teen idols (Taylor Lautner?) on the cover, but you can ignore these minor blips.

Check it out if you get a chance (or have a nose around on their website – it’s also full of great stuff).