Born January 7: Jann Wenner

After dropping out of Berkeley, Jann Wenner founded Rolling Stone when he was twenty-one. At thirty-one he started Outside; at thirty-seven he formed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; at forty-six he launched Men's Journal; and at fifty-four he turned US magazine into a weekly, which now has eleven million readers. In 1995, many people were surprised to learn he was leaving his wife Jane and their three sons to live with former model/fashion designer Matt Nye, nineteen years his junior -- surprised that he wouldn't just continue to be bi in their open marriage and surprised that the heretofore closeted mogul's private life was being reported against his wishes on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. Despite the fact that he and Jane have never divorced (she owns a large share of Wenner Media and remains on the board), and despite those Neal Boulton rumors, Wenner and Nye are still together. Via a surrogate, they have three children. Last January, they bought the Teviot estate, built on the Hudson in 1843. Yes, he looks good for sixty-three, but no, his publications rarely cover gay artists or gay issues. Undoubtedly good for business, the recent decisions to shrink Rolling Stone and put celebrities on the cover of Outside rob those magazines of what used to be special about them.