With Christmas officially in the rearview, it’s time to sit back, relax and look back on the year that was. Even briefly looking back at 2023, we must say this year was kind of a weird, chaotic one.
This fun, whimsical list isn’t meant for recapping earth-shattering things. Oh, no…this list is meant for the leftfield things that seemed to happen for truly no reason whatsoever. Again, 2023 was far more random than any of us realize until you actually sit and think about it. We cannot stress this enough!
Before moving forward, we would like to make one thing clear: This list isn’t about looking back and saying, “Hey, do you remember that (insert celebrity here) died in 2023?” Sadly, we have a whole separate list just about notable celebrity deaths in 2023. While 2023 was whimsically unique, it was also pretty brutal. Many true icons and legends sadly left us.
A lot of strange things happened, as you’ll see in the list below. We saw country stars dabbling in rock, and in the process, showing that they were much cooler than we thought. We had rock stars sharing some very personal things, like confirming they’re on the dating apps and even a story about a notable rock star almost soiling themselves while shopping.
On top of all of that, we saw one notable figure in rock have a fall from grace that was equal parts shocking and laughable. Plus, there were unexpected and welcomed returns, both at festivals and during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.
Without further ado, here are 14 things that happened in the rock world in 2023 that you may have forgotten about. Repeat: This year was friggin’ weird! That being said, enjoy this trip down memory lane. Here’s hoping 2024 is just as random. It just makes life more interesting.
Jann Wenner Goes Off the Deep End.
In an interview with The New York Times published in September, Rolling Stone/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame co-founder Jann Wenner was pressed on why he didn’t highlight any Black people or any women in his book, The Masters. The book is a collection of interviews Wenner conducted with seven rock subjects. All seven subjects were white men.
Wenner said, in part, “The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.” Wenner went on to namecheck the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. However, he stuck to his “articulate” reasoning even with these beloved and respected music icons.
After the interview went viral, Wenner was removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
Jann S. Wenner, Mick Jagger and Ahmet Ertegun at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 19th Annual Induction Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel March 15, 2004 in New York City.
