Testament’s Alex Skolnick recently spoke on X in defense of Joni Mitchell’s influence on rock music, addressing Jann Wenner’s recent controversial statements.
The guitarist wrote, expressing his disagreement with Wenner:
“Joni Mitchell is ‘not a philosopher of rock’ n’ roll?’ Excuse me? ‘Woodstock’ is rock philosophy. Does he not know she wrote it (not CSNY)? Or that w/out Black artists, rock wouldn’t exist? Jann Wenner’s role as rock ‘expert’ & preeminent music authority now seems misplaced & weird.”
Skolnick’s words came after the Rock Hall co-founder’s racist remarks in a new interview with the New York Times. When asked about the absence of female and Black artists in his latest book, ‘Masters,’ Wenner responded that the selection wasn’t deliberate. Still, he also suggested that women lacked the necessary articulation on an intellectual level. He then added:
“It’s not that they’re not creative geniuses. It’s not that they’re inarticulate, although, go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. Please, be my guest. You know, Joni [Mitchell] was not a philosopher of rock ‘n’ roll. She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test. Not by her work, not by other interviews she did. The people I interviewed were the kind of philosophers of rock.”
One user responded to the musician’s words under his post, referring to Wenner’s dismissal from the board of directors of the Rock Hall:
“And he’ll be back on the board when the backlash quiets down. Mark my words.”
Later, Jann shared an apology through his publisher, Little, Brown and Company, expressing:
“In my interview with The New York Times, I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius, and impact of Black and women artists, and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks.”
Wenner’s book includes interviews with white male musicians like Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, and U2’s Bono. ‘The Masters’ is set to be released on September 26.
You can see the tweets below.
@jonimitchell “not a philosopher of rock’n’roll” ? Excuse me? “Woodstock” IS rock philosophy. Does he not know she wrote it (not CSNY)? Or that w/out Black artists, rock wouldn’t exist? #JannWenner’s role as rock “expert” & preeminent music authority now seems misplaced & weird https://t.co/b6Ayy8dhF7
— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) September 17, 2023
And he'll be back on the board when the backlash quiets down. Mark my words.
— Jason Hillenburg (@jasonhillenburg) September 17, 2023
