In the span of about six years, music journalist Cameron Crowe had interviewed many musicians for Rolling Stone magazine and written the book that would eventually become the 1982 classic teen movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. What’s even more fascinating about those six years? This all started when he was just 15-years-old.
Crowe would go on to write and direct some memorable and influential movies, including a couple of my favorite films: the critically acclaimed 1989 movie Say Anything, starring John Cusack and Ione Skye; Singles, the 1992 film set amidst the Seattle grunge scene; and the 2000 cult classic Almost Famous, a film based on Crowe’s early years writing a cover story of the fictitious band Stillwater while touring with them.
But I’m digressing—The Uncool focuses mostly on Crowe’s work as a music journalist. And this book is a popular music lover’s dream.
Growing up in Southern California, Crowe, propelled by his intelligent, controlling, yet charismatic mother, was on his way to graduating high school at age 15. Her plans for him included college, then law school. According to his mother, he was to be the youngest lawyer in the country.
But in April 1964, Crowe attended his first concert—a young Bob Dylan in a school gymnasium. Crowe writes about the performance “I was seven years old, and I was going to be a lawyer, like my great-grandfather. Like Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. But I did know this: I sure wanted to go to another concert.”
When Crowe was 14-years-old, his older “cool” sister Cindy introduced him to the local underground newspaper the Door, where she was working. By this time Crowe had been consuming as much music and music reviews as he could get his hands on and the editor of the Door agreed to let him write his own record reviews, which eventually led to him interview bands.
One of the first bands Crowe interviewed was Wild Turkey in 1972. The interview was set for a concert where they would be opening for Black Sabbath, who he was able to sneak an interview in with. Crowe would go on to interview Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Allman Brothers Band, Elton John, Joni Mitchell and many, many others. His young career reached new heights when Rolling Stone magazine began publishing his interviews as cover stories.
Crowe’s writing is solid, but what makes this book shine is the way that Crowe, now in his late 60s, can conjure what it was like for his 15-year-old self meeting these now legendary bands and musicians, and how he was able to connect with them.
At times I found myself outright jealous of this teenage boy. Hanging out with Led Zeppelin? Bruce Springsteen? Meeting a young new singer named Emmylou Harris? Many of these artists famously would not allow interviews, especially with Rolling Stone magazine yet Crowe often got unprecedented access, with some artists specifically asking for him by name.
Speaking of names, there’s a good amount of name dropping in The Uncool, which I found entertaining, and an interesting glimpse into a world unknown to most of us. Crowe’s prank phone calls to Cary Grant and Lucille Ball are particularly delightful and I hope you get a chance to experience them.
At some point however, the ride ended. His relationship with Rolling Stone began to show cracks, despite the exclusive interviews he was providing them. This however, provided Crowe a chance to reflect on where he’d been and where he’d go next.
Now only 21, he muses “I never really had the time to do the things that most kids my age did… I’d jumped into the ocean of adulthood and ultimately got caught in a riptide…I skipped too many grades. I skipped adolescence. I’d traded it for a backstage pass.”
Crowe would go on to enroll undercover as a senior at a local high school, giving him a chance to have a real senior year, and to write about a typical American high school experience. This led to his book and subsequent movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Crowe’s mother Alice remains a touchstone throughout The Uncool. While she doesn’t give up hope that Crowe will eventually go to law school, she doesn’t stand in his way of traveling all over the country with rock bands, knowing the rumors of rampant sex, booze and drugs. Alice never stops offering advice through her famed aphorisms which are peppered throughout the book: "Turn every loss into a victory" or "Count your blessings! Leave the funeral.” Crowe leaves plenty of room in The Uncool to show love to his family.
The Uncool gifts us with our own backstage pass to a bygone era of music. Crowe’s experiences astounded me, especially his one-on-one time with artists. He spent weeks with David Bowie and with Led Zeppelin. He even lived with Glenn Frey and Don Henley for a short time and was there in person at the inception of some of the Eagles’ biggest hits.
But most importantly, The Uncool is a reminder of how music moves us, brings us together, and stays with us like the best memories.
More information on Cameron Crowe and his book The Uncool can be found here.
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