Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge

It's the 50 year anniversary of the iconic music magazine. The first part of this HBO documentary follows the magazine's inception to John Lennon's assassination. The second part looks at the changes during the more recent years. The first part is fun and nostalgic. Honestly, I was waiting for Cameron Crowe and any similarities to Almost Famous. The Tina Turner section runs too long and only hints at the later revelation of the domestic abuse. The Hunter S. Thompson section is the most fun and the most relevant to today's politics. Each section depends on how one feels about each artist. I particularly like the Sex Pistol section. There is a little too much worshipping of Lennon. The second part is less about music and more about social issues. Again, Hunter S. Thompson is a real character and his section is interesting although he's not doing anything about music. The most compelling is Ice-T although the irony of him in a cop uniform is left unsaid. Do I want to rehash Britney? No. Of course, they go through McChrystal which is probably the highlight of this era. Right after, they go through the UVA dark times. The most problematic is reliving the 2016 election. In 2017, it may be what Rolling Stone want to do but they aren't doing anything anybody else is doing. They are no longer different from anybody else. They may get inspiration from Hunter Thompson but they are no Hunter Thompson. It looks like a magazine lost in time and lost in direction. Looking back to Dylan does nothing to assuage that feeling of irrelevance and old age. This documentary may have stumbled onto an essential truth. It was a magazine of the youth at the beginning but it has growth too long in the tooth.

I was never a faithful reader of "Rolling Stone" magazine still I knew that it was much more than a music or rock n' roll magazine. I saw many covers and bought a few to read about entertainment and politics. And this recent "HBO" doc done a fine job to tell the 50 years about the times and highlights of the publication. Interviews and footage are provided to take you back in time to memorable moments of music, culture, events and happenings. It tells the story of how Jann Wenner created an empire.

Stories showcased were the rise of Tina Turner and black music and how times changed with music and politics and how it blended culture and race. The death of John Lennon, the rise of rap and the coming of Bill Clinton along with the religious scandals and Trump being elected were all shown as being some of the publication's most remembered printed stories.

Overall good doc that showed how a publication reported and tied everything together from social commentary and opinion to blend with music, style, culture, race and politics proving that each is different still each theme and topic came full circle together to affect the readers life and daily thoughts.