The second half is actually more enlightening, though, as Gibney and Foster do a remarkable job of explaining the challenges that Rolling Stone faces, while still celebrating its significance.
The first half of the documentary captures that well, as it covers the magazine’s creation as just another one of the “Stories From the Edge.” Some of the stories are stunning, including writer Ben Fong-Torres’ encounters with Ike and Tina Turner and the depth of the relationship between the magazine and John Lennon and Yoko Ono, especially poignant in its coverage after his murder. MY SAY In its heyday, Rolling Stone was youth culture’s most important magazine because it was one of the only outlets to take it seriously, one of the only places that understood how much sway musicians could have, not just on their audiences, but on society as a whole.
The documentary has Jeff Daniels read parts of stories from the magazine to narrate events ranging from the breakthrough of Bruce Springsteen to the election of Donald Trump, with interviews and archival footage of the magazine’s reporters providing analysis. Part 1 tackles the years from Jann Wenner’s creation of the magazine, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, through the death of John Lennon, while Part 2 goes from the birth of punk until today. WHAT IT’S ABOUT Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney (“Taxi to the Dark Side”) and Emmy-winning director Blair Foster (“George Harrison: Living in the Material World”) team up to deliver a two-part documentary about the past 50 years of pop culture as seen through the lens of Rolling Stone magazine. WHEN | WHERE Monday and Tuesday at 9 p.m. THE DOCUMENTARY “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge”