The Uncool: A Memoir

Filmmaker and former Rolling Stone writer Crowe (Conversations with Wilder) revisits his formative years in this lively autobiography. Growing up in 1960s Palm Springs with strict parents, Crowe found freedom in rock music, a passion that led—by age 16—to writing for Rolling Stone, where his youth, candor, and curiosity earned him the trust of artists including Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, and Rita Coolidge. (Crowe’s backstage encounters with Led Zeppelin and his tour experiences with the Allman Brothers inspired his Oscar-winning screenplay for Almost Famous, providing plenty of breadcrumbs for fans to connect the film’s events to his real life.) After burning out on music criticism at 21, Crowe received a copy of Slouching Toward Bethlehem from Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner, and the quality of the writing inspired him to start the book that would become Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The account also covers Crowe’s films, including Fast Times and Jerry Maguire, though he dives into those projects with less detail than he does his heady days at Rolling Stone. Readers who only know Crowe from his screen credits will savor the behind-the-scenes insights, but the book’s real power lies in its portrait of a teenager chasing his heroes. It’s a delight. Agent: Albert Lee, UTA. (Oct.)