The Rolling Stone Interviews, 1967-1980

The Rolling Stone Interviews

by Rolling Stone Magazine, Peter Herbst (Editor), Kurt Loder (Illustrator)

From its early days in San Francisco, Rolling Stone has covered the music scene from the inside with colorful, penetrating, and brilliant interviews with the men and women who are rock and roll. This definitive collection represents the best of Rolling Stone's first decade and a half.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Essays

436 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Rolling Stone is a U.S.-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.

Reviews

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donovan is pure gibberish--other guys who don't say anything are Dylan (twice), Little Richard with his Hollywood Squares bullshit and Jerry Garcia--although he was interesting talking about his early years and the class differences down there in Palo Alto. And I did like Dylan's line to that Jonathan Cott asshole (a cliche Rolling Stone geek) about wanting a different interviewer: "Someone who's not so knowledgeable. You're too knowledgeable." Townshend babbled the first time but he was loaded. Best interviews were (all surprises) Keith Richards (back when he was still alive), Paul Simon and Linda Ronstadt. And Joni Mitchell was fun--despite the Art. Interesting to hear people talking often about how bad reviews bug them and get under their skin. And Little Richard was interesting talking about his early days--plus we find out he invented the piano. Still, there were inevitably times when Frank Zappa's definition of rock journalism came to mind.

[gazoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Killer late night reading. I can't believe I missed these interviews in my youth. You get to listen to Keef before he goes into Exile recordings. Townsend rambles on about this imagined opera called Tommy and how the horror of Cincinnati actually helped the Who. And Neil Young struggles with the death of his guitarist in an open interview with Cameron Crowe of Almost Famous Fame. Rolling Stone was the only rock mag at one time.

[Elyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this awhile ago and it's probably outdated now, but at the time I learned a great deal about some of my favorite musicians and celebrities. The interview with Elvis Costello is especially memorable.

[Megnificentfig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book best thumbed through lying in bed on a Sunday morning. Classic.