The Rolling Stone Staffers Really Lived Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll

A new biography reveals all.

October 24, 2017 10:10 am
Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine by Joe Hagan is the story of of Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine by Joe Hagan is the story of of Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone Magazine. (Bettmann/Contributor)

A new book called Sticky Fingers by Joe Hagan examines the world behind Rolling Stone magazine.

The book is a biography of co-founder and editor-in-chief Jann Wenner. According to the New York Post, many people in the office did, and sold, drugs. One time, when the magazine was moving from San Francisco to New York, Wenner had an employee transport cocaine across the country for him.

The New York Post says that Jann used to snort coke and down vodka at the office. The book claims staff photographer Annie Leibovitz was also among the partiers.

The book is the product of four years of work, writes the Post. Jann gave Hagan full access to his archives and over 100 hours worth of interviews. Hagan also spoke to over 250 colleagues, friends, and family. But after the book came or, Jann disagreed with what was written, and the Post reports that they are no longer on speaking terms

“I gave Joe time and access in the hope he would write a nuanced portrait about my life and the culture Rolling Stone chronicled,” said Jann in a statement given to The New York Times this week and reported by the Post. “Instead, he produced something deeply flawed and tawdry.”

Hagan, meanwhile, said Jann’s reaction was “painful.” But he doesn’t agree with Hagan’s statements.

“I hope that in time, he will come to understand that the book places him at the center of the times he lived in,” he said, according to the Post.

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