Courses and Workshops

Brand New Beat: Rolling Stone Magazine and the San Francisco Counterculture, 1967–1977

Peter Richardson
Monday, Sep. 16, 2024, 12:00 AM – 11:59 PM (PT)
Price: $75.00
59 slots available
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"Pile of old Rolling Stone magazines"

As unlikely as it seemed in 1967, Rolling Stone magazine was recently described as “the journalistic voice of its generation.” How did an undercapitalized West Coast rock publication, edited by a 21-year-old college dropout, become one of the most important magazines of the 1970s? Rolling Stone served up a generous portion of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll to one of the most prominent demographics in recent American history, but the magazine had no monopoly on those topics, and they don’t explain its extraordinary success. What else distinguished the San Francisco upstart from its competitors in a crowded media marketplace?

Guest speakers include Rolling Stone legends:

  • Ben Fong-Torres — conducted many of the publication's famous rock star interviews, from Bob Dylan to Paul McCartney
  • David Weir — investigative journalist who co-wrote the award-winning Patty Hearst story; co-founder of the Center for Investigative Reporting
  • Greil Marcus — considered one of the greatest rock critics of all time and author of many bestselling books

Faculty Bio

Peter Richardson has written critically acclaimed books about Hunter S. Thompson, the Grateful Dead, Ramparts magazine, and radical author/editor Carey McWilliams. A longtime lecturer at San Francisco State University, Richardson has also written for The Nation, The New Republic, Los Angeles Times Book Review, and San Francisco Chronicle.

This is a Best of OLLI Subscription Course

  • Best of OLLI subscription courses are popular courses recorded a previous term
  • All class videos will be available to enjoy from Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 in Member Dashboards. Learn more.
  • Course is available to Annual Plus, Premium Plus, Best of OLLI and Fee Assistance members. Learn about membership.
  • Current Annual and Premium members can upgrade to Annual Plus or Premium Plus respectively for only $10

Member Praise for "Brand New Beat"

I really enjoyed this course! Peter was a fantastic lecturer; had a strong command of the subject; told great stories and I loved the guests! It was a big wow for me.

This class was a wonderful surprise. I was interested to learn about the magazine. This class was so much more. The instructor was engaging and the live interviews enriched the total experience.

Richardson was an excellent teacher who knew his subject matter extremely well. He had outstanding guest speakers.

Faculty Q&A