The Uncool provides a stark example of the adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover – because it has got one of the worst covers I have seen in years. It is bright red with a small photo of a young Cameron Crowe, long hair flowing down on either side of his face, sticking out his big fat tongue at his readers. Why couldn’t you give us a smile instead, Cameron? Whenever I set the book down, I carefully place it with the back side up so I don’t have to look at that bloated tongue. And the irony is that the book itself does not carry that deprecating tone at all. It is smart, funny, friendly, and inviting. Crowe lets us into the extraordinary world of his youth with open mind and open heart.

The book mainly focuses on Crowe’s early years as a music reporter for rock magazines, especially the head of the pack, Rolling Stone. Despite the strong desire of his parents that he should enter law school and become a lawyer, music was Crowe’s true love, and at the age of fifteen he began interviewing rock stars and publishing reviews and interviews in a variety of magazines. His naiveté and sincerity appealed to normally reticent rock stars, which allowed him to befriend and interview celebrities such as the Allman Brothers, the Eagles, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Garcia, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, the Who, and many others. He would go on tours with them and sometimes live with them for weeks, immersing himself deeply into their lifestyles (although as a young minor avoiding the ubiquitous drugs and alcohol). As the famous people he hung out with opened up and shared personal secrets, Crowe’s star as a journalist rose until he was receiving assignments for cover stories for Rolling Stone and other prestigious magazines.

Crowe eventually branched out into writing and directing movies such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky, and, of course, the autobiographical Almost Famous, for which he won an Academy Award for best original screenplay. In The Uncool he alludes to Almost Famous here and there because it is based on his early adventures pursuing interviews with rock stars. However, I would have liked him to delve much more deeply into his film work, which he mentions only in passing near the end of the book. Maybe he’s planning a sequel. If so, I’m in.

The fact is that despite the horrendous cover, this book is a hell of a lot of fun. Crowe is close enough to my age to be a contemporary. I grew up in the era when all these great musicians were making their marks on the world. I listened to their music on the radio and bought their albums. It’s fascinating to accompany Crowe behind the scenes and find out what all these performers were like offstage. Many of them were reserved, uncommunicative, and suspicious, living in isolated bubbles containing drugs, drink, groupies, and parties, and often feeling lonely in spite of it all. Others were light, carefree, friendly, and magnanimous, content to kick back and ride the wave of fame for as long as it lasted. Because Crowe had a talent for gaining their trust, which mainly consisted of his sincere infatuation with and appreciation of their music, his behind-the-scenes reportage consists of genuine revelations that are a delight to read.

So get past that dreadful cover, folks, so that you might be able to delve deeply into the riches within. This is a great book full of exciting wonders. And when you’ve finished reading it, watch or re-watch Crowe’s cinematic masterpiece Almost Famous.