I should expect to be called out as Captain Obvious for noting that the expectations set by Rolling Stone are, at their apex, lying flat and solidly glued to the granite floor found in the dank basement of journalism. Aside from the utter mindlessness and complete shirking of any journalistic responsibility and intellectual integrity of the article (at least try and fake it, please), what I find disturbing is the seamless integration of the Rolling Stone into the world of "journalism". At least as far as the oatmeal brained masses of its readers is concerned. That it is taken seriously at all speaks to the state of journalism in general. That is to say that it is a symptom of the degraded state of journalism, rather than the elevated stature of Rolling Stone.
Rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, in order to provide articles for people who can't read.
-Frank Zappa