Wanna Be on the Cover of Rolling Stone

Post Date

Mon, 07/22/2013 - 00:00

Categories

Entertainment Blogs

Rolling Stone magazine was, itself, in the news last week for using a picture of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its cover.

In this magazine cover image released by Wenner Media, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appears on the cover of the Aug. 1, 2013 issue of "Rolling Stone."

The photo, a self image taken by Tsarnaev showed him childlike. Even though it was taken by Tsarnaev, the photograph was instantly compared to similar cover photos of Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison. Critics quickly accused Rolling Stone of glamorizing terrorism. The predictable internet campaign quickly commenced with thousands of people, including many recording artists, going on Facebook and Twitter to condemn the magazine.

Several retailers, including Stop and Shop, Walgreens, CVS, and Rite-Aid, have now refused to sell the magazine. The Mayor of Boston has written to the magazine criticizing its use of the photo. Rolling Stone has defended the use of the cover photo and the accompanying story claiming that the fact that Tsarnaev is close in age to many of its readers makes the story even more relevant. Lastly, a Massachusetts State Police photographer was relieved of duty last week for releasing bloody photos of Tsarnaev after his arrest in response to the Rolling Stone cover.

What do you think Gotham? We live in a country where we pride ourselves on certain freedoms, including freedom of the press. But has the press, this time, taken it one step too far?

PS Corey, an extra point for you for naming the song reference in my title.

Comments

Riva Schwartz

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But the thrill we ain't never known
Is the thrill that'll getcha
When you get your picture
On the cover of the Rollin' Stone.

Rollin' Stone...
Wanna see my picture on the cover.
Stone...
Wanna buy five copies for my Mother.
Stone...
Wanna see my smiling face
On the cover of the Rollin' Stone.

Andrew Lavin

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Rolling Stone is a news magazine. The stores were wrong to take it out. There are plenty of examples of the infamous gracing the covers of magazines.

Totally ridiculous and a great PR coup for the magazine, which probably isn't read my many under 30 these days. What a drag it is, getting old. Corey?

Riva Schwartz

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Freedom of the press allows the publication to publish something in poor taste - democracy allows us to boycott the publication for their stupidity

NULL

Rolling Stone has the right to publish the picture (If I remember correctly it had been used in another publication first) And we have the right not to buy it. But personally i think this is a tempest in a tea pot, with political correctness striking again.

Theodore Lanzaro

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I agree with Riva

Rolling Stone has the right to publish what it wants, stores have the right to not carry the publication, people can choose for themselves whether to buy the magazine or not.

Evil has many faces and hopefully he is going to pay dearly for the lives he took.

NULL

Time had Hitler on its cover many times

Fred Klein

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Above was me not logged in (pads your comments gladly)

Linda Newman

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Have to agree with the PR Specialist and over all, great guy - Andy Lavin. Have to say, I agree with Riva as well.

Come to the next Downtown Gotham meeting on September 17th after clearing your spot with me. Andy is a new member of the Group and recently "pinned" by Fred. Riva's husband, Alan is attending as a guest. Just getting in a plug and not Padding the comments. Fair is fair!

NULL

I agree with everyone. This noise is nonsense. If Hit;er can make the cover, as many other villains did as news stories,sure ly this would qualify.

Corey Bearak

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Since no mentioned it: "The BOMBER, How A Popular, Promising, Student Was Failed by His Family, Fell Into Radical Islam and Became a Monster" is the article's title. No one seems to focus on the title. I suspect the controversy will sell more issues and generate more article views than if no one raised an issue of the cover. The pic alone is one thing; the pic with the title -- I still need to read my mag -- suggests that absent vigilance by people who know a person, especially one's family, left alone on the island, almost anyone could be turned. That does not make it ok; that suggests the community/ society/ all of us should take notice of those in our circles and if something appears awry find the right way for each of us to respond (the response will vary but be something that makes sense in any given situation).
Below is URL Link to the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ux3-a9RE1Q
If you need to know the artist (and song name), you will have to copy and paste the link.
P.S. While I read the darn thing, I remain very angry at publisher Jann Wenner who dominates the mis-selection of artists into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many more than just POCO remain overlooked and much more deserving that many of those already in. It could be a great column for someone. Bet mucho that it will generate the most comments.

Erik Scheibe

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Of course they have the right to print it, and to take it off their shelves for its insensitivity so soon after the tragedy. There is a huge difference between Adolf Hitler and this clown. Hitler was an insidious madman who systematically killed millions and came close to taking over the entire planet. This maggot was simply disgruntled with his life and built a pipe bomb to blow up some women and children in order to bring some relevance to his personal chaos. The difference is that nobody reading Rolling Stone could become the next Hitler. However, putting him on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine (which I would describe as more of a feature and cultural opinion publication than a news publication) essentially helps him in what he was trying to accomplish.

He was looking to get noticed, to make a statement whether it was about a cause or just his twisted internal workings. Rolling Stone has helped him to accomplish that. It's bad enough that he probably now gets to sit back and look at himself as a glorified martyr, but now how many people out there like him, like that Joker character from the movie theater shootings, like the two losers who committed the Columbine shootings or the deranged kid from CT (which is the way they should be remembered) can envision themselves taking the easy way out of their troubles in a blaze of infamy.

Erik Scheibe

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Just as it was the right thing to do to criticize news agencies for publicizing the names of these killers and rewarding them with the celebrity they sought, it is right to criticize and hold Rolling Stone (commercially) accountable for their poor decision to try and use this tragedy to scare people and sell magazines (I believe the alleged point of the article was that this kid was just like all the rest of our kids). I understand there may have been a point to the article, but that does not allow you to myopically bury your head to all of the other ramifications of your actions. If it was just about journalistic integrity, they could have just not out it on the cover and nobody would have ever said anything. If you are not sure if they glorified him, re-read the lyrics that Riva posted or refer to the song in the movie Almost Famous.