In my favorite movie, “Almost Famous,” Lester Bangs tells young journalist William Miller that he’s not cool.
“I know,” William said with resignation. “Even when I thought I was, I knew I wasn’t.”
Tears flooded my eyes when I first watched that scene (at age 25) and they still do today. That statement — Cameron Crowe’s description of himself — was EXACTLY how I felt my entire life.
I was never one of the “cool” kids in school or in life. Even when I felt at the height of “coolness,” I knew deep down it was a temporary high I would ride until the clock struck midnight and my carriage turned back into a pumpkin. … But like Cameron Crowe, I found refuge in writing and music and movies — all the things that inspire and invigorate me, and help me make sense of my life and the world.
I absolutely loved Crowe’s memoir and devoured it on my plane rides to and from San Diego (both of our hometowns). I was enthralled by his stories, his honesty and the descriptions of all the places I know so well. His story inspired me to want to write more, and made me fall in love with the magic of music and movies all over again. … It’s all happening!