Writer and director Cameron Crowe has left an indelible mark on pop culture: He’s given us classic movies including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Singles, Jerry Maguire, Say Anything and Almost Famous. The latter is loosely based on Crowe’s experience as a (very) young reporter for Rolling Stone. In The Uncool, Crowe gives us an even fuller, more rollicking account of his years traveling with and writing about some of the biggest musical acts of the 1970s. He reminisces about partying with David Bowie and Gregg Allman (or, more accurately, watching while they did copious amounts of drugs), interviewing Ozzie Osbourne at the age of 14 and profiling an affable Kris Kristofferson when those artists came through his hometown of San Diego.
The Uncool is a pure treat for lovers of classic rock. It’s the kind of book that has you constantly reaching for your album collection or streaming music service, whether to remind yourself what Allman sounds like singing “Statesboro Blues” or to get a sampling of the band that Crowe and David Bowie bonded over (the Philadelphia-based group The Spinners).
It feels unkind to quibble with such a generous, entertaining memoir. Still, The Uncool is maybe a little too humble. While Crowe reflects on his parents’ complicated feelings about his chosen career (they wanted him to be a lawyer) he does not dive into why he believes he was such a prodigious interviewing and writing talent. How did he, at the tender age of 15, have the insight and vocabulary to interview and write about rock legends who were creating timeless music? By the time he was 21, he’d profiled Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Ron Wood, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jerry Garcia.
“I’m washed up,” Crowe lamented to his parents when his Rolling Stone assignments started petering out. Turns out that was not even close to true: Crowe’s second act would garner him an Oscar, a Grammy and generations of fans. The Uncool is funny and honest, like the best of Crowe’s work.