We take all kinds of pills that give us all kind of thrills
But the thrill we’ve never known
Is the thrill that’ll getcha when you get your picture
On the cover of the Rollin’ Stone
That was Dr. Hook’s musical homage to that great institution and what it meant to land that coveted spot, the COVER of Rolling Stone magazine.
But if you can find a copy when its released this week at the store of your choice, its famous cover this month isn’t going to Kanye, The Kinks, R Kelly or The Killers, its being bestowed upon – Ka-Tump Ka-Thump – the Boston Marathon Bomber.
That’s right; the cover of this iconic rag has been given up to a terrorist. In the words of Larry the Cable Guy, “Where do we live; RUSSIE?”
The Boston terrorist’s actual name is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev but his local nickname, Ka-Thump Ka-Tump, came from that weenie talk show host Scott Parks on 98.1 KMBZ. Why the nickname? Because Parks, like most of us, can’t pronounce “Dzhokhar Tsarnaev” and Ka-Tump Ka-Thump was the sound it made when he ran over his brother in the car he was driving while trying to escape the police.
Oh, take it easy – just stop – he was probably already dead anyway…..
So what kind of the backlash is this stroke of marketing genius generating?
CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Kmart and the East coast chain Tedeschi Foods say they won’t be carrying it. 7-11 will stock it, but says they need to in order to service their demographic on the East coast.
I say it’s a stroke of marketing genius, because, as The Donald says, any press is good press. Case in point, Craig Glazer on the cover the The Pitch.
But maybe not so much for a rag that’s suffered a serious decrease in magazine sales in recent years. I know, in my case, a lot of luster was lost when the format changed. It’s certainly not what it used to be even though I greatly enjoy Matt Taibbi’s writing – always controversial and always thought provoking.
A simple scan of the Internet shows a somewhat surprising reaction from former Rolling Stone cover folks and celebs:
Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee tweeted; “WTF?”
Jack Osbourne said, “This is exactly why these fuck heads commit terrorism, so they can get the recognition they so desire” and is urging for a boycott of the magazine.
Jacks sister, Kelly Osbourne, called it, “Glorifying a monster.”
“You always think as an artist ‘If I ever get on the cover of Rolling Stone I’ll know I’ve made it!’ That was until they started promoting terrorists,” tweeted country artist John Rich.
Hollywood publicist Roger Neal said, “This magazine has done some outlandish things over the years but this one is way over the top and could cost them readership and subscribers. I don’t think they expected this huge outcry. Somebody screwed up here plain and simple. Advertisers should be concerned, this is about as un-American as you can get.”
Rolling Stone has to support its decision, either out of face saving, damage control or as a result of honest convictions that they really think it was a great move. However senior editor Christian Hoard tweeted, then deleted, “I guess we should have drawn a dick on Dzhokhar’s face or something.”
Rolling Stone managing editor Will Dana supported her questionable move by saying, “I am completely comfortable about the decision that we made. The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone’s long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day.”
The fact that Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue.”
Rolling Stone did, however, release a statement saying that their “hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and that their thoughts are with them and their families.”
I checked with a lifelong friend who is deeply invested in the convenience store biz as an owner and operator. I’ll call him Dan Mers, since that’s his name.
I talked to Dan this morning to get his opinion on the topic. He doesn’t carry Rolling Stone but said, “Hell no, I wouldn’t sell it! If it cost me the contract with the company I would give up the magazines and replace them with a display of t-shirts that said, “Where’s Lee Harvey Oswald When You Need Him?”
I love me some Mers.
Happy Thursday to my devoted readers, fans and “de3iples”.
Right up there with the Al Gore cover where they enhanced his package to Ron Jeremy proportions.
Maybe they were just following the Pitch’s lead and needed a d-bag for the cover and the Beebs wasn’t available.
RS hasn’t been relevant in ages. Getting a lot of press about this but in the end the net-net fallout on this decision will be negative on all fronts.
I vote the D-bag Galzer cheap route attempt to sell mor copy.
I could care less.
Ok, are ya saying Rolling Stone photo shopped Al Gore’s hang down?
I never heard about that. Sheesh…
Great points, Smarty. I read it like the Bible for years, can’t tell you when I bought the last one, also been years.
As for the Beebs, I think you’re going to have a ring side seat to watch him implode; when your prepubescent fans start boo’ing you, its all down hill from there.
Reading through RS’ History of Rock & Roll, there are more errors than you’ll find in the posts from the undisclosed bunker in the Overland Park sewage plant.
TIME took heat when they named Adolph Hitler Man of the Year. I’d have to read the article to see if the cover is justified. I think I’d rather have cancer again.
The d##k on the face would have been a nice touch.
Orphan, I have that digest and agree, at least it goes against my opinion in several areas.
I actually wrote “d**k” but Hearne added the missing letters. I was trying to keep it somewhat clean for my younger readers.
It was a quote….
Lance, the “quote” I referenced took the letters out too, I found that kind of interesting, since it was a, as you said, quote.
The story fits the modern media narrative. Take some clown who is as fvcked up as a soup sandwich and paint a picture of misguided youth. Everyone liked him, such a sweet kid, influenced by an older brother and a misguided desire to right the wrongs committed upon a peaceful poor community of humble goat farmers. Liberal college kids lap that $hit up. Hundreds nay thousands of over privileged college girls, mad at daddy ate fapping to that rs cover this very minute.
Are…..not ate. Excuse the clumsy thumb.
Sadly, Mark, you couldn’t be much more correct. I’m just amazed at what gets digested by the under 30 crowd these days, without the slightest question.
You know that insurance commercial where the girl says she’s having her date with a French model she met on the internet then that troll shows up? Its like that….. but in reality where they just accept with no common reasoning.
At my advanced age, I still remember my naïve youth, what I believed, what I wanted to believe, but its really kind of frightening in today’s world.
I was debating something with a person in that demo earlier this week and ended the conversation admitting I just wasn’t young enough anymore to know it all.
The media focuses on the failures in the time-honored man-bites-dog theme.
Nothing about the kids who live on the same, god-forsaken neighborhoods who don’t resort to violence and crime because of their environment.
Kid grew up in my neighborhood who literally lived in the sewers under 9th Steet his home life was so ugly and brutal. Kid won a Pulitzer.
In today’s world Liberals are no more liberal than Conservatives are conservative.
What a story, Orphan.
As far as the liberal or conservative tag…I think with 90% certainty, they all fit under “criminal”.
History has taught us that men behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives. I’m wondering when todays actions will be exhausted?
People will do good things without religion. People will do bad things without religion.
But religion makes good men do bad things too often. Or I should say their convoluted version of religion.
+1
And I am supposed to be interested in what Ozzy Osboure’s untalented children think about this because…?!?
Mysterious, one and only one reason why, they can still communicate, he can not!
Other than that, its just fluff.
The facts don’t back up the narrative offered by Rolling Stone. The terrorist was not a normal immigrant kid. He was one of only 200 Chechen males let in the country every year on asylum- most are blacklisted due to terrorism concerns.
His father was the General Counsel of the first free Chechen president (who was assassinated by the Russian) and our intelligence services made sure to procure visas for the family to arrive here following his murder.
One or both of them at one point were most likely working as agents or informers to American intelligence services. The older brother even took a trip to the Caucuses last year that appears to have been paid by a US agency.
With NSA wiretapping everybody, don’t you think that someone like this– who had close ties to the free Chechen independence movement- labeled a terrorist group by the USA- would have been monitored more closely by our intelligence services. You would think.
Are we really going to actually believe that he was just a normal doe eyed kid who was ‘turned bad’ by circumstance? That’s what we are going with here?
Sargent, I don’t think for a hot second these were two normal kids, one coopted by the other. I think that’s more bull poo than you’d find in 100 Harley posts combined. Seems you have the most likely bead on the situation at hand….and no, most people don’t buy it, would be my guess. There are too many hidden yet totally visible clues to think much else.
Hey shoot hearne an email, I found a little KC Star hypocrisy today when looking through the front page. Something you may be interested in.
cheers
Sgt, you can find me at paulwilsonkc@gmail.com, I’ll be glad to pass it on. Thanks
That’s one of my alts, I have your email from before. I had just thought you would like some low hanging fruit with the KC Whisky Tango spread…but Hearne beat you to it.
It does look like we gained a Harley and lost a CG recently. Harley is far less self aware of his buffonery but I do like it when you and him rock a good comment section slapfight.
How was Tull?
Double spy hired by the CIA.
That is pretty interesting. I hadn’t read that at all.
And it’s clear you’re the only one who actually read the story. It’s a fascinating piece. It’ll make you think how America is viewed by the world and how it treats them.
Granted Ozzy was no terrorist although he was almost treated as one for a time, but doesn’t anyone else see the irony in the Osbourne children calling out others for seeking attention?
I must be in the minority in that this cover doesn’t bother me in the least. Does everything that happens in the world today have to be an outrage against all humanity? I’m sure the editors figured as much and to that end, this choice was well conceived because as said, you simply can’t buy this kind of publicity. This backlash can only help a magazine that’s been on life support for a while now. Heck, the same can be said for those retailers that are boycotting the mag as it’s much more about the monetary kudos that they might receive from like-minded customers than it is about their moral indignation.
While I do somewhat question the muted, rockstar-like image that they used for the cover, all the naysayers must not have been around in 1970 when the esteemed Charley Manson had his Dr.Hook dream come to fruition. Maybe the difference being that Charley actually was an aspiring tunesmith.
PB, Im not a huge Ozzy family fan so I’m certain Im not up on all things Osborne, but aren’t his kids pretty much marginalized to trust fund baby status? I know they had the show, I know Kelly and Jack have played around the music fringe, but I dont know if they any form of collective enterprises out side of the monthly check from the fund. I could be wrong.
As for the cover, I remember well the Charlie cover and it was more news worthy than this. I think the current cover does a lot to whitewash the kids involvement, selling it off as him being coopted. Its more a fluff piece sending a little hug their way more than Manson ordering all those killings and blood caligraphy lessons.
I fall way short of the moral indignation, just moderate interest is all I had for it.
Kelly does the fashion show with Joan Rivers where they act all catty. She is the nice one to Joan’s hatchet lady.
Ahhh, indeed, you are correct. Ever notice Joan is looking more and more like the Nicholson version of The Joker?
Has anyone seen the Ginger Baker Documentary? “Beware of Mr. Baker”.
Oh my god what a hoot. RS should stick to the whackos in Rock like Baker and let Muslim Terrorists hire their own PR guys. Oh, thats right, they already have.
The Rolling Stone cover is another fall of man. Keep lowering the bar, shocking the hoi polloi and cashing in on the backs of those folks who lost limbs, children and family to a fanatic whose level of narcissim was only surpassed by his level of violence.
If there are 72 virgins waiting for this azzhole, they are all Rachel Jeantel doppelgangers complete with the attitude. Enjoy paradise sh*theel.
RS no longer relevant? Is this the same mag that relentlessly goes after Goldman Sachs and published an article that got the commanding general in Afghanistan fired? Maybe you mean not as musically influential as in its heyday.
In 1980 its post Lennon-assassination cover photo by Annie Leibowitz was boycotted by the usual suspects and the mag took a publicity hit. Thirty or so years later, that same photo was judged best cover by a group of magazine professionals.
If this counts as outrage, than it really must be a slow news week.
I thought gracing the cover of RS was an honor earned by musicians, not terrorists.
RS needs to stick to music, and leave the political scene alone.
Lemme guess, you have never read a Rolling Stone magazine in your life have you? On occasion they put out some of the best political and investigative writing out there.
Matt brought down a General; that’s pretty significant. A little more involved than interviewing the GoGo’s.
Actually, I was given a years subscription as a gift about 20 years ago.
I read all the music stuff, but skipped the political articles.
I didnt think politics fit my motive for reading a music magazine.
putting this terrorists or murderer pic on rolling stone cover reallymean nothing.
I mean bin ladens been on there….and noone screamed….
its all about the publicity…andthey got 100 million dolllars worth of it
and all the readers whowill pick up the magazine and read it….allabout money
and readers.
And the magazine probably loses some readers but its not been the same
mag for 15 years.
It was music…now its music with lots of politics.
Just another way to get americans angry.
Don’t buy it…don’t read it….and pray no young kid reads and decides the
guys a hero. I’ve read stories about this guy on the internet where they make
him out tobe a star. He’s got a fan club/followers. It’s crazy.
But that’s the world we live in.
Should never have been on the cover…and if so…use the pics of him from
the boston police photographer during his arrest.
way too much anger….it too shall pass. Bad decision…but iwht 24/7 news
cycle i’m sure by Saturday something else will popup that’s even dumber.
Nothing more than a Google search shows Bin Laden was never on the cover of Rolling Stone. A simple call to Rolling Stone (212 484 1616), just to confirm, backed that up.
Bin Laden has appeared on the cover of TIME multiple times, Newsweek, Daily News, etc. but not the RS.
RS has done multiple stories and blog entries on him, as late as the 12th of this month, “Four Most Surprising Revelations About Bin Ladens Final Days”. They have done “Lunch with Bin Laden”, “The Hippie Who Took Out Bin Laden”, they have interviewed his son Oamar, but no cover.
Sorry, you’re wrong on that one.
I’LL HAVE TO CHECK little man.
You actually spent probably a half hour of your day trying
to correct me.
Maybe if you spent more time working and not trying to
prove me wrong ONCE you might not be where you are
today…
have a great day and keep trying…..what a loser!
As soon as Harley’s comment escapes from moderation, you will see his well reasoned reply to an intellectual debate. He made a comment that was wrong, I called Rolling Stone, who I needed to talk to any way… proved him wrong, (which he never is, you know), and here’s his reply;
E-mail : harleyiscool@hotmail.com
Whois : http://whois.arin.net/rest/ip/64.1.210.159
Comment:
I’LL HAVE TO CHECK little man.
You actually spent probably a half hour of your day trying
to correct me.
Maybe if you spent more time working and not trying to
prove me wrong ONCE you might not be where you are
today…
have a great day and keep trying…..what a loser!
(Actually, it took 3 minutes, loser)
Now, there you have it. An intellectual discussion and there is his reply. See why I ignore him?
He’s wrong, but he’ll resort to a personal insult about “where I am today”, of which he knows nothing.
I’m really sorry, Harley, Rolling Stone knows more about what they have published than you do, so check away.
And while youre at it, you still haven’t posted the link you promised to your “nationul blog” where you score hundreds of likes.
You, my friend, are the loser. You can’t stand up to what you dish out. You want to use your version of facts to prove everyone else wrong, but when you truly are wrong, and its proven, you attack.
Just admit youre wrong, Rolling Stone is the keeper of the facts for who they have put on the cover and who they have not. Not you. So check away, it won’t change a thing.
I love, love, love your diversions you attempt to run.
One THIS ONE… Harley is…… WRONG. He can’t weasle out of that, but he can come back to insult again. Oh, and thats what he preaches against…
He asks to just debate the facts, there they are. Look how he treats them.
Goodbye you worthless, disingenuous loser.
Suck it.
there mya not have been binladen on rolling stone
covers…but I don’t read hard copies anymore but
he has been on the front of their website several times..
sorry little man….please please….the emails I get
show how bad you look in this site. IF YOU NOTICED
I NEVER MENTION YOUR NAME IN THE QOUTE…
BUT YOU’RE OBSESSED WITH HARLEY….
YOU CAN’T STOP MENTIONING ME….ITS CRAZY…
YOU ARE SO JEALOUS OF WHAT I’VE DONE
AND WHERE I’M AT YOU CAN’T HANDLE IT….
you’re never goingto get near what I’ve done…so
stop the jealousy. It’s all a memory for the guy…..
and the quote in tkc was so perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If hearne prints it i’ll buy him lunch at plaza 3…
I will get it….just incredibly perfect descriptin!!!!!I neversay anything bad about you except when
you try to equal me. YES EQUAL ME…BECAUSE
YOU’RE ________________________!
Comeby the mansion and lets have a beer. I’ll show
you how to really live!!!!!! Instead of “trying” to
be a mover or shaker come by
and let me show you how to be successful. Takes
5 minutes…that’s all man….AND MAYBE YOU’LL
LEARN HOW TO LIVE IN LUXURY!!!!!!!!!!!
COMEON BY…..hahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
see you’re the strange one…you read everything I
write….remember every detail…you’re obsessed with
Harley and glaze…..come on by….and lets see
who the real winner in life is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hahahaha……
again…anytime you need to debate any points bring
it on…as the guy on tkc sadi “he claims he was once something”!!!!!! hahahahahha!
oh…and I thought you were ignoring me!!! you can’t
because you aint got what it takes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are hopelessly pathetic.
Just admit you were wrong and move on.
Your commentary on me is just more bloviating and I’d be careful leveling personal charges you can’t back, and trust me, you can’t.
The video clip I saw doesn’t look much like a “mansion”, but you’re welcome to your own facts. Truth has never gotten in your way, why start now?
I’m thankful we don’t live by your measure of success or the worth of a person. No one wants to be as one dimensional and vacuous as you.
And as for petty, Petty personifies your drive to always be right, but again, you asked for intellectual facts to back up arguments. You got that, you were proven wrong, you descend into bat shit crazy Harley talk, diversions and yet another reminder of “all the emails” you get with bad stuff about me. I hope it makes for fun reading, but that claim is as bogus as 6, count um SIX local C level executives who emailed to get your “newsletter” and never even got a reply!
Run your little mouth all you want, I’ll let who I am stand up under the scrutiny of the light of day while you hide in anonymous-ville and take pot shots.
I think that says it all.
Oh, other than, where’s the link to your NATIONUL BLOG? Still can’t locate it? Funny, I can point you to a bunch of mine.
Sorry Harley; you’re irrelevant. I’m putting you back where you belong, on HEAVY ignore.
Ta-ta, Strawman.
harley does just as Glazer does, spews out lies then gets all hateful and nasty if you point out how and where they are wrong. Correcting a lie with the truth in their eyes makes you a loser. Come on you two losers let me have it, tell me how wrong I am pointing out your errors. Go back to TKC, oh wait that’s a another well published lie there harley, you said many times you never going to grace the comments section of KCC again.
Oh you’ve done it NOW, SD! $100 says the first name in his response to you is SuperLooser followed by a weight comment, since original thought eludes him!
But you did hit the nail on the proverbial head, when you brag you’re ALWAYS right that leaves no room for being wrong. When facts prove you wrong, that kind of person only has one rebuttal; short of common decency, or abscent of, it’s time for personal insults, which, he preaches against.
Just this week he asked for an intellectual debate using facts.
He made a claim. He was wrong. I confirmed it with the Assistant Editor of RS. Case closed? Hardly.
It’s personal insult time; I live in the ghetto, I’m a nobody, never got back up (when I never fell to begin with) et al.
He can spend his day telling people they are wrong and HE is right. See what happens when you prove him wrong in THE MANNER HE ASKED?
We should all refuse to acknowledge him, maybe it would push him over the cliff.
He is, was and remains totally….and completely…. Irrelevant.
Jeezuz, Libertarian, did I read a letter to the editor from you in RS way in the early 70s? RS strayed from their bi-monthly Hendrix cover 40 years ago. Everyone from Johnny Carson to John McCain to freaking Daddy Warbucks has been on the cover over the last few decades. Glad to see you’ve been keeping up.
WHAT .. SAY IT AIN’T SO.. The star of the Huffington Post can’t get his facts together. The self proclaimed I know everyone on this blog and where to find them (sounds like a Whitey Bolger threat) didn’t have his Sh!t together? Sadly it’s a shame you boast the name of one of America’s most iconic companies. However, fitting since you like them has diluted views and is now merely a shadow of it’s former self. What say you when we going to get that advanced title for the latest article over there on Huff Po little man Harley?
hahahaha! you guys are a riot. You argue over whether Harley is right or not.
Okay I may have gotten rolling stone and time and newsweek mixed up..
maybe got the front page of the rollingstone mixed up with the magazine cover..
okay…for you old guys who on Friday and Saturday nights (uh davy jones)
who have nothing better to do(while we were eating one of the best steak
dinners til midnight) on Fridays and Saturdays nights…I may have been wrong
slightly.
So there….you got me…but pleaseall you old guys….PLEASE GET A LIFE..
I HOPE YOUR WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND THESE BLOGS AND
YOU’RE POSTING THIS CRAP ON WEEKEND NIGHTS…andit was a beautfil
night….tonight…..paul rudd!!!!!!!!!!!
have a great day ……and keep smiling!
“…I may have been wrong slightly..”
You sociopath, you were wrong slightly? No you’re wrong period. You can be right or wrong, there is no in between or “slightly”. If that was possible its too bad your mom wasn’t pregnant, slightly, with you, the poster child for abortion and birth control all wrapped up in one dysfunctional sociopathic, pathological liar.
I hope your net worth is what you claim because in your shallow life that’s all you have.
+100
-100…..ewe awl are just jellus of mee……wile eye was haveng a wunderfull meal of pickled possum feat…smoaked crow livvers….and thissle greens…..ewe old broke dick…angree…hasben….wgae slave lusers wer on hear talking abowt me……your obsescion with me prooves that im allways write….if ewe need advise to turn youre sorry lifes around…..contac mee at low4rmoflife@aol.com
Hardley, I apologize. I feel really badly for saying what I did. It’s kind of like picking on a short bus kid and I promise to stop. My mom always said, make sure your little pal got his Alpo and remember, he’s a ra-tard, be a good boy and play with him since he’s always picked last. My mom was being kind, in actuality he wasn’t picked at all.
ewe cant agrue facts with mee sew ewe due this…….it gose two show that im allways write……don’t ewe hav anything two dew on satruday nite…….mabee mess with you’re old worn owt discustin g furniture……at leest dew sometheng valuble two soceity beesides you’re obcession with mee………..you’re jellousy of mee is beecouse ewe are a failure and jus t jellus of mi success…….ewe are pathetic……..not a positive purson liek mee
I upologised, Hardley, watt more due you want frum me? I’ve lurned mi lesun. I’ll try to bes mor like ewe, more…….
….posutive, more intelugunt.
Please give me a brake, I’m knot….as
smart as
Ewe, …..I lurn more slower then ewe dew. Butt I promus to change.
Harley, ALPO dog food isn’t steak, your mom lied to you all those years.
Interesting Fact, that’s an interesting fact, thanks for sharing it.
UNITE AGAINST THE PATHOLOGY before it spreads. And be careful, the cause of his illness and the damage it’s done to his brain really can be caught from a toilet seat!