The Uncool by Cameron Crowe

Cameron Crowe was an unlikely rock and roll insider. Born in 1957 to parents who strictly banned the genre from their house, he dove headfirst into the world of music. By the time he graduated high school at fifteen, Crowe was contributing to Rolling Stone. His parents became believers, uneasily allowing him to interview and tour with legends like Led Zeppelin; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Bob Dylan; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Fleetwood Mac.

The Uncool offers a front-row ticket to the 1970s, a golden era for music and art when rock was young. There’s no such thing as a media junket—just the rare chance a young writer might be invited along for an adventure. Crowe spends his teens politely turning down the drugs and turning on his tape recorder. He talks his journalism teacher into giving him class credit for his road trip covering Led Zeppelin’s 1975 tour, which lands him—and the band—on the cover of Rolling Stone. He embeds with David Bowie as the sequestered genius transforms himself into a new persona: the Thin White Duke. Why did Bowie give Crowe such unprecedented access? “Because you’re young enough to be honest,” Bowie tells him.

Youth and humility are Crowe’s ticket into the Eagles’ dressing room in 1972, where Glenn Frey vows to keep the band together forever; to his first major interview with Kris Kristofferson; to earning the trust of icons like Gregg Allman and Joni Mitchell, who had sworn to never again speak to Rolling Stone. It’s a magical odyssey, the journey of a teenage writer waved through the door to find his fellow dreamers, music geeks, and lifelong community. It’s a path that leads him to writing and directing some of the most beloved films of the past forty years, from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Say Anything... to Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. His movies often resonate with the music of the artists he first met as a journalist, including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Who, and Pearl Jam.

The Uncool is also a surprisingly intimate family drama. If you’ve seen Almost Famous, you may think you know this story—but you don’t. For the first time, Crowe opens up about his formative years in Palm Springs and pays tribute to his father, a decorated Army officer who taught him the irreplaceable value of the human voice. Crowe also offers a full portrait of his mother, whose singular spirit helped shape him into an unconventional visionary.

With its vivid snapshots of a bygone era and a celebration of creativity and connection, this memoir is an essential read for music lovers or anyone chasing their wildest dreams. At the end of that roller-coaster journey, you might just find what you were looking for: your place in the world. - Simon & Schuster

On January 7, 2023 my dad and I saw one of the final Broadway performances of Almost Famous: The Musical,  based on Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical film of the same name.  We are both big fans of Carmeron’s work, musical theater and Almost Famous so these tickets were a delightful Christmas gift. It was my dad who introduced me to Cameron’s work by recommending his film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High way back when renting VHS tapes at your local video store was still a thing.  A lot of people I’ve spoken to about Fast Times at Ridgemont High don’t know the movie was based off of Cameron’s long out of print novel of the same name and based on his experiences “going undercover” at a real California high school.  I was elated to be gifted a copy for Christmas a few years ago by you guessed it, my dad and fellow Crowe fan.   

You can imagine our enthusiasm when I discovered that Cameron was finally publishing his memoir, The Uncool.   I tried to savor this and read slowly but it was just so engrossing that I burned through it in just a few days.  If you’ve seen Almost Famous, you may be familiar with some of the beats of Cameron’s life as teen journalist who went on the road with rock bands and wrote for music magazines such as Rolling Stone as did William Miller in Almost Famous.  However, Cameron’s life was much richer and his family dynamics much more heartwarming, heart wrenching and at times dysfunctional.  His experiences on the road with artists such as The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and many others will likely leave your jaw on the floor.  The book ends as Crowe transitions from rock journalist to screenwriter and I hope there is a follow-up to his memoir that explores more of this transition to writer and director.  I’d love to read more about my  other Crowe favorites such as Vanilla Sky.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of The Uncool by Cameron Crowe thanks to the publisher, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

You can find your copy at your favorite local bookseller, online retailer or library.