{ "item_title" : "The Uncool", "item_author" : [" Cameron Crowe "], "item_description" : "Click Here for the Autographed CopyThe long-awaited memoir by Cameron Crowe--one of America's most iconic journalists and filmmakers--revealing his formative years in rock and roll and bringing to life stories that shaped a generation, in the bestselling tradition of Patti Smith's Just Kids with a dash of Moss Hart's Act One. The Uncool is a joyful dispatch from a lost world, the real-life events that became Almost Famous, and a coming-of-age journey filled with characters you won't soon forget.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, and 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 a 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 early 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.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers1.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/66/805/943/1668059436_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "35.00", "online_price" : "31.36", "our_price" : "31.36", "club_price" : "31.36", "savings_pct" : "10", "savings_amt" : "3.64", "club_savings_pct" : "10", "club_savings_amt" : "3.64", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "35.00" } }

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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.