The influx of rock music and counterculture in the 1960s signaled a new era for music journalism, and Rolling Stone became the venue for documenting this revolution. As counterculture evolved in San Francisco, as well as the rest of the country, Rolling Stone, founded in the Bay Area, became an influential outlet for discovering music that embodied the changing zeitgeist. 

For those of us who worship at the altar of pop culture, it’s easy to suffer crises of faith. We look at television ratings and see crime dramas and reality shows dominating the landscape while critically acclaimed comedies stand constantly at the brink of cancellation. We look at box office returns, where sequels and CGI-heavy blockbusters make hundreds of millions at the expense of smaller, more original films. We shake our heads when manufactured hits (or their inevitable Glee a capella cover versions) come across our radio airwaves.