He began writing for Rolling Stone magazine as a teenager. Today, he continues to contribute to the influential magazine. But most of all, he writes and directs movies. Although only a few, his movies have achieved great recognition as well as a handful of awards. The best one of all (in my eyes) is Almost Famous, his semi-autobiographical story of a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone magazine who goes on tour with an aspiring rock band in the 1970s. Yes, he is Cameron Crowe. This man needs to write a novel (again) and send it my way. I'm sure I'd be mesmerized by it. My firm motto is that the book is always better than the movie. Almost Famous is by far one of my favorite films: hippies, journalism, and rock and roll. I was blissfully entertained. I could watch it over and over and never lose interest. Recently I've contemplated over Crowe's role as the writer and director of the movie. He began as a journalist and author before heading into the film industry. But as a former journalist for Rolling Stone magazine, he wrote about some of the greatest bands and artists of all time: Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Deep Purple, The Eagles, The Who, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton. Most of these experiences came in his teenage years alone. Almost Famous is roughly based on his time in the early 70s touring with The Allman Brothers. (In the flick, The Allman Brothers are symbolized by the fictional group Stillwater, and Crowe is portrayed as William Miller.) The movie focuses around the love, drugs, and rock and roll mentality of the hippie era. Crowe captures the experiences of youth, friendship, family, and passion (especially for music) in an intense perspective in this film.
So it got me thinking. It would certainly be a gripping novel if he wrote about his entire experiences as a teenage journalist in the 70s. Tell us all about it. Not just about The Allman Brothers, but Bob Dylan too! What was it like to interview members of one of your favorite bands of all time, Led Zeppelin? How did it feel to have Rolling Stone, Creem, and The Los Angeles Times publish your work at such a young age? What was it like to be a teen during one of the best rock decades?
Having already wrote a novel, this would not be something he isn't accustomed to. Fast Times at Ridgemont High was a book before it was put onto the big screen. So why he can't he do it again? I only question whether it would be a tough debate on which would be better. Almost Famous covers an important time in his teenage years as a journalist, but it certainly doesn't cover it all. Even if the book did dig deeper into his experiences and give readers a broader look at what happened during this period in his life, would the book be better? Being both the film writer as well as the author, could he really outshine himself? Would the pages of Crowe's potential novel really be more captivating than his cinematic artwork of Russell Hammond and Penny Lane? One can only imagine. But it would be definitely be a book I'd push to the top of my reading list.
