(Sub)Culture
Rolling Stone’s Top Longreads of 2020
Each year we publish tens of thousands of stories, covering music news and trends, political analysis, how culture is constantly shifting, and critical takes on our entertainment landscape. So we realize some may get lost in the shuffle — especially in a year when it seemed we were consuming more media than ever before as we tried to make sense of the world in which we live.
And there are always interviews, investigative features, and provocative storytelling that deserves to be revisited. Our most-read story of the year was an essay by anthropologist Wade Davis, titled “The Unraveling of America,” which ricocheted around the internet and was shared far and wide on social media and debated for months during the global Covid-19 quarantine measures.
Below, we offer a selection of some of our most-read and thought-provoking longform features from 2020, a year that felt like it might never end.
POLITICS
America’s Radioactive Secret
by Justin Nobel
Oil-and-gas wells produce nearly a trillion gallons of toxic waste a year. An investigation shows how it could be making workers sick and contaminating communities across America
Killing the Truth
By Andy Kroll
The murder of Seth Rich was a family tragedy. Fox News helped make it a national spectacle that has haunted his loved ones for years
The Unraveling of America
By Wade Davis
How Covid-19 signals the end of the American era
Rudy Giuliani: What Happened to America’s Mayor?
By Seth Hettena
Rudy Giuliani was once a national hero who refused to let Donald Trump buy him breakfast. How did he become who he is today?
The President and the Plague
By Jeff Goodell
How Donald Trump failed at the single most important task of the Oval Office: keeping the American people safe from harm
The Four Men Responsible For America’s COVID-19 Test Disaster
By Tim Dickinson
The White House’s inability to track the disease as it spread across the nation crippled the government’s response and led to the worst disaster this country has faced in nearly a century
Matt Gaetz Is Having a Bad Hair Day
By Ryan Bort
The 37-year-old Florida representative and MAGA mouthpiece has used an aggressive media strategy to become one of the most high-profile Republicans in Congress. But at what cost?
Uganda’s ‘Ghetto President’: How Bobi Wine Went from Dancehall Grooves to Revolutionary Politics
by David Peisner
One of Africa’s biggest music stars hopes his country’s young, impoverished masses can make him their next leader. But can he survive until Election Day?
Why Policing Is Broken
By Matt Taibbi
Years of research on brutality cases shows that bad incentives in politics and city bureaucracies are major drivers of police violence
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on How to Build a Green New Deal
By Tessa Stuart
The congresswoman on her vision for a post-fossil-fuel future and an economy that works for working people
An American Powder Keg
By Andy Kroll
In Alamance County, North Carolina, the nation’s future and past collide — often in terrifying fashion
Erik Prince’s Private Wars
By Seth Hettena
The Blackwater founder wants to bring back his company’s glory days — and he’s campaigning for Donald Trump’s help to do it. But he’s haunted by past failures and is facing questions about a mercenary fiasco in Libya
CULTURE
Loving the Alien
By Stephen Rodrick
How UFO culture took over America
Pleas of Insanity: The Mysterious Case of Anthony Montwheeler
By Rob Fischer
In the wake of a vicious murder, the state of Oregon wrestles with what went wrong in its mental health system
Planet Plastic
By Tim Dickinson
How Big Oil and Big Soda kept a global environmental calamity a secret for decades
The Price of Isolation
By Alex Morris
America faces a hidden epidemic of loneliness that may make us more vulnerable to the pandemic
The Power of Black Lives Matter
By Jamil Smith
How the movement that’s changing America was built and where it goes next
How Ron Jeremy Allegedly Used His Porn-Star Image to Sexually Prey on Women
By EJ Dickson
From movie shoots to industry conventions to sex-positive campus events, women who encountered the adult-film star have come forward alleging he used his schlubby image as a cover for harassment and assault
Children of the Climate Crisis
By Alex Morris
A generation of kids faces a more dangerous world as they come of age in the era of eco-anxiety
Rising Tides, Troubled Waters: The Future of Our Ocean
By Jeff Goodell
The ocean is undergoing unprecedented changes. What does it mean for marine life, the planet, and us?
Sex, Drugs, and the Glory Days of NYC Nightlife: Peter Gatien Looks Back
By Shawn McCreesh
The one-eyed club impresario is back in the city he once called home — and ready to tell his story
Sin and Scandal at Liberty University
by Bob Moser
Jerry Falwell, Jr. turned a struggling Christian school into a billion-dollar enterprise and became Donald Trump’s evangelical wingman — until his demons caught up with him
Inside the Bright Life of a Murdered Hollywood Sex Therapist
By EJ Dickson
Amie Harwick was found strangled and thrown out of her own window on Valentine’s Day. When her abusive ex was arrested, advocates were horrified: Could her death have been prevented?
How Climate Change Is Ushering in a New Pandemic Era
By Jeff Goodell
A warming world is expanding the range of deadly diseases and risking an explosion of new zoonotic pathogens from the likes of bats, mosquitoes, and ticks
Inside the Race to End the Pandemic
By Elizabeth Yuko
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine put their lives on hold to create a Covid-19 vaccine — and with the weight of the world on their shoulders, there’s no end in sight
A History of Violence: Why I Loved Cop Shows, and Why They Must Change
By Alan Sepinwall
I broke into television criticism because of my love for a show about a racist, sexist, alcoholic cop who used the N-word and beat confessions out of suspects. I’ve been thinking about that a lot over the past few months.
The Untouchables: An Investigation Into the Violence of the Chicago Police
By Paul Solotaroff
Why does the department protect its most dangerous cops while retaliating against officers who tell the truth?
The Unanswered Questions of Tamla Horsford’s Death
By Nile Cappello
A black mother of five died at an all-white party in Georgia. It might have been a complete accident. But because of a compromised investigation, we may never know
Will Furries Ever Go Mainstream?
By EJ Dickson
At Midwest FurFest, people donning human-size animal costumes came together for an inclusive, uplifting convention. But will their community ever be widely accepted? And is that even what they want?
Inside Operation Gideon, a Coup Gone Very Wrong
By Kevin Dugan
Why did three American ex-Special Forces soldiers try to overthrow the Venezuelan government?
MUSIC
The Joy of Lizzo
By Brittany Spanos
She has become a new kind of pop superstar, full of relentless positivity. But it took a long time and a lot of heartache
The Rebirth of SZA
By Emma Carmichael
She transformed R&B with her honesty and warmth. Fans are desperate for new music — but first, she’s working on herself
From Big Pink to Whitney’s Dream House: Here’s What It’s Like to Live in a Pop Star’s Former Home
By Brenna Ehrlich
Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, the Grateful Dead, and Patti Smith all made these places famous. Meet the residents who inherited the homes’ legacies — and sometimes find fans picnicking on their lawn
Bad Bunny in Captivity
By Suzy Exposito
How does a Latin-pop superstar spend lockdown? Hanging out with his girlfriend, watching ‘Toy Story’ and surprising the world
Grimes: Live From the Future
By Brian Hiatt
The real life and fantastic visions of a digital warrior
The Remarkable Rise of Lil Baby
By Charles Holmes
Four years ago, Atlanta’s Dominique Jones got out of prison and learned to rap. Now, he’s a superstar who’s streaming in the billions and helping to shape a new vision for America
The Week the Music Stopped
By Samantha Hissong, Ethan Millman and Amy X. Wang
In March, Covid-19 wiped concerts and festivals off the calendar — and that was just the beginning. Inside music’s unprecedented crisis
Pay-for-Play Was Banned From Radio — But Texts Reveal It May Still Be Thriving
By Elias Leight
Among the 2,500 text messages obtained by Rolling Stone, several suggest a link between airplay and record label payments
Little Richard: The Wild Heart of Rock & Roll
by Joe Levy
From the moment Little Richard shouted “A wop bop a loo bop a wop bam boom!” in 1955, the world was never the same. His life was full of painful internal conflict, but no one better defined the freedom and raw energy of rock & roll
John Prine: The Last Days and Beautiful Life of an American Original
By Patrick Doyle
His wife, Fiona, son Jody, and others remember a big-hearted genius who championed new artists and made the most of the small things in life
And in the End: The Beatles’ Breakup and Why Their Music Matters 50 Years Later
By Rob Sheffield
Fifty years ago, the Beatles went through rock’s most famous breakup. Inside the heartbreak, the brotherhood, and why the music still matters
Linda Martell: Country’s Lost Pioneer
By David Browne
Linda Martell was the first black female solo artist to play the Grand Ole Opry, but her promising country career was plagued by racism and ended almost as quickly as it began. Fifty years after her only album, she’s speaking out
Melody and Mischief: How Adam Schlesinger Built a Career Like No Other Songwriter
By Simon Vozick-Levinson
From Fountains of Wayne to ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,’ Adam Schlesinger, who died of coronavirus complications at 52, wrote songs with wry humor and lots of heart
Laughter, Tears, and Harmony: How Phoebe Bridgers Made ‘Punisher’
By Angie Martoccio
Today’s bleakest, funniest folk rocker took her time working on her second solo album
‘Freedom-Loving People’: Behind the Scenes at That Controversial Smash Mouth Show in South Dakota
By Jon Blistein
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally will likely draw hundreds of thousands to the Black Hills, and one campground/venue is hosting bands like Smash Mouth, Lit, the Guess Who, and more
Eddie Van Halen: The Joy and Pain of Rock’s Last Guitar Superhero
By Brian Hiatt
Eddie Van Halen reinvented the electric guitar by the age of 22 — and that was just the beginning. Here’s the full story of a rock legend
For Music’s Crew Workers, 2020 Has Been Devastating
By Samantha Hissong and David Browne
These road warriors were planning on a huge year. Seven months into the pandemic, they’re struggling to get by, dealing with crippling mental health issues, and contemplating new careers
Fighting to Be Heard: The Story of the Black Country Music Association
By Jonathan Bernstein
How a group of black country singers came together in Nashville to create a once-thriving community
Heavy Metal, Year One: The Inside Story of Black Sabbath’s Groundbreaking Debut
By Kory Grow
Half a century since Ozzy Osbourne first bellowed, “What is this that stands before me?” the band and their collaborators look back on the album that kick-started a worldwide movement
Bless the Rains: Inside Toto’s Slow Fall and Surprise Resurrection
By Andy Greene
How the self-described “most critically-reviled band of all time” staged an unlikely comeback — until a lawsuit nearly ended it all
‘He Made the World Bigger’: Inside John Zorn’s Jazz-Metal Multiverse
By Hank Shteamer
For more than 30 years, the maverick composer has been splicing genres and unifying disparate scenes. Zorn and collaborators from Mike Patton to Bill Frisell reflect on why music has never been the same
Against All Odds, Live Concerts Are Coming Back This Fall
By Jon Freeman & Amy Wang
Nashville’s Opry House and Ryman, and a handful of other U.S. live-music venues, are opening their doors. From limited-capacity clubs to outdoor farm shows, this is how concerts will look
Ghosts, Guitars, and the E Street Shuffle
By Brian Hiatt
How Bruce Springsteen confronted death, saw Clarence in his dreams, and knocked out a raw and rocking new album with the world’s greatest bar band
A Reggae King Rises Again
By Jason Fine
Toots Hibbert is one of the pioneers of reggae — and wrote many of its classic hits. After a devastating injury, the man they call Fireball is back to reclaim his throne
‘Hollaback Girl’ With Metal Guitars’: Sleigh Bells Look Back on ‘Treats’ at 10
By Claire Shaffer
A decade on from their heady ascent through the blogosphere, Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller discuss the origins of their signature aggro-pop sound, getting co-signed by Beyoncé, and what their debut means to them now
Yacht Rock Babylon
By David Browne
The epic journey of the Doobie Brothers, from Seventies biker bars to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame