New Books in Popular Culture Peter Richardson, "Brand New Beat: The Wild Rise of Rolling Stone Magazine" (U California Press, 2026)
Apr 7, 2026
Peter Richardson, historian of San Francisco culture and author of Brand New Beat, explores Rolling Stone’s chaotic rise from 1967 onward. He traces founders Gleason and Wenner, the magazine’s counterculture roots, its shift from music to politics and celebrity, Hunter S. Thompson’s influence, and surprising early coverage of women and gay culture. Short, lively tour of a magazine that reshaped American journalism.
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Record Label Ads Underwrote Ambitious Journalism
- A practical key to survival was advertising from record labels whose customers matched Rolling Stone's young, heavy-buying readers, which funded ambitious editorial projects.
- Early polling showed readers bought five or six albums a month, making the magazine an obvious buy for music industry advertisers during cash crunches.
Altamont Coverage Boosted National Prestige
- Rolling Stone broke major stories mainstream media missed, notably its Altamont coverage documenting violence and Meredith Hunter's death, which led to a National Magazine Award.
- That reportage signaled the magazine could both celebrate and critique the counterculture, boosting its journalistic reputation.
Gonzo Journalism Turned Music Magazine Into Political Force
- Hunter S. Thompson's gonzo pieces, especially Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (published as two Rolling Stone articles in 1971), transformed the magazine into a political voice beyond music.
- Thompson then covered the 1972 presidential campaign in a candid, media-critical style that influenced how elections were reported thereafter.
