To kick off Asian-Pacific Heritage month and formally launch the Northwest chapter of our Asian Affinity Link employee resource group (ERG), Nielsen Gracenote hosted a fireside chat with Ben Fong-Torres, Rolling Stone’s first-ever music editor.
As a Bay Area native, Fong-Torres recalled his early encounters with music working in his family’s Chinese restaurant and explained how a letter to Rolling Stone’s editors as a reader led to a full-time position at the most prestigious music magazine of its time. Fong-Torres is widely known for his coverage of the burgeoning music scene in the 1960s and 1970s with prominent interviews with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Ray Charles and The Jackson 5, among others. He worked alongside other Rolling Stone legends, such as Jann Wenner, Hunter S. Thompson and a very young Cameron Crowe, who would go on to feature Fong-Torres as a character in his hit film Almost Famous.
在访问期间，Fong-Torres 描述了作为一名亚裔美国人在湾区的成长经历，称 20 世纪 60 年代的旧金山是 "开放的大门比关闭的大门多的时代"。他给希望追求自己激情的格莱珉人提出了一些可靠的建议。"他说："在过去的 10-20 年里，亚裔美国人和其他少数民族有了更多的机会。"仍然存在障碍。当然，仍然存在种族主义、偏见和天花板。但总的来说，现在对于那些有抱负、有才能的人来说，机会更多了。如果你不抓住机会，你就没有机会"。
"有时你会有点担心，"他补充道。"也许我应该忍耐一下。现在还不是我这样做的时候，也不是尝试和申请的时候。我说去吧，你能失去什么呢？
