The Uncool

A Memoir

By: Cameron Crowe

Narrated by: Cameron Crowe

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Cameron has written a book that feels like music, an intimate souvenir, like a song you can’t stop listening to.” —Stevie Nicks • “A delicious tale of a devotee who worships at the altar of rock and roll….It’s a love letter to fandom, sealed with Cameron’s trademark sincerity and heart.” —Maggie Rogers • “Such a joy and so well written…My favorite book in a long, long time.” —Anderson Cooper

The long-awaited memoir by Cameron Crowe—one of America’s most iconic journalists and filmmakers—The Uncool is a joyful dispatch from a lost world, a chronicle of the real-life events that became Almost Famous, and a coming-of-age journey filled with music legends as you’ve never seen them before.

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 & 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 the 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 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.

Great book!

Extremely well written. Hard to stop listening! I didn’t want the book to end. Best book I’ve listened to in a long time.

The humanity of music

Loved it all. The backstage stories, the revealing human side of artists we worship from afar. And Cameron Crowe’s family dynamics and his humanity. The book is a beautiful experience - especially his narrated version.

I'm gonna start from the beginning and listen all over again!!

Cameron has such an engaging enthusiasm and raw emotion throughout his narration. I really enjoyed when he dialed in on the cadence of some of the notables in the stories. Wow! Just wow!
I'm spreading the word far and wide for my friends to listen to this. Igniting the happy memory chemicals is real good (important) medicine!!!

Reliving my soundtrack through someone who holds it a very sacred regard continues to have me so grateful for the musical times I grew up in.
It doesn't get any better than that !🤩

I'm gonna give it another listen because these are stories worth listening to again, and maybe again! ✨💖✨
Well done Cameron Crowe....all of it!

Loved it, thanks, Cameron!

I loved that Cameron finally opened up and shared the and worst times he had, that he narrated it, and was kind about everyone he spoke about.

Aside from his early start in the rock writing business, I can relate to his teenage foibles and triumphs, though mine weren't as illustrious as his, he just seems like the average kid bluffing his way through life like we all did in high school.

It was an insightful and funny book, even with the tragedy of losing his sister and his really "quirky" mother. Also was glad to hear about his sweet, gentle father and the life lessons he learned from his dad, too.

Relived my music!

Not only was the content a flashback to my early life, Cameron’s narration put me in the interview room. Whether it was backstage or in a hotel room…I felt like I was with them.
I’ll be revisiting many of those Cameron interviewed via my stereo and headsets. Loved it!