The Uncool by Cameron Crowe
I flew through Cameron Crowe’s upcoming memoir, releasing on October 28th. If you were born or raised in the 70s like I was, or if you just like rock music from that generation, you will probably find it as frothy and fascinating as I did! Crowe was the youngest music journalist in Rolling Stone’s history, touring with and interviewing the likes of Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and The Allman Brothers at just age 15. It is his life on which his movie, Almost Famous, is based. The memoir is made up of short, fast-paced chapters. We learn of his early family life, including his sister’s depression and subsequent suicide, and his relationships with his colorful and quirky mother and father. He imparts the history of where his love for music began and delves into his very first articles for small music magazines, followed by his early foray into writing for Rolling Stone as just a teen. The reader also learns of his movie writing career (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), but this is first and foremost a front row ticket to the music and bands of the 70s in their earliest iterations. The writing is honest and vulnerable, capturing the essence of youth, uncertainty, self-doubt, and the push-and-pull of those early core family relationships. While I picked up this memoir for the behind-the-curtain glimpse into music history, I didn’t expect to be so touched. Some of the chapters, particularly those about the death of his sister and the loss of his parents, elicited all the feels. There are some things about your parents that you might only come to appreciate in their absence. This was unlike other music memoirs I have read. There was less grit and more heart, humor, and humility — probably because this is a story originally written by a 15-year-old! There are many people in my life I look forward to recommending this to.
The Uncool by Cameron Crowe, (List Price: $35, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668059432, October 2025)
Reviewed by Sarah Goldstein, Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia
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