Cameron Crowe
Writer-director. My memoir “The Uncool” is out NOW, order below ⬇️
Articles by Cameron Crowe
You Never Forget Your First Backstage Pass
Skip to main content Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty Images This story was originally published in the May 15, 2003, issue of Rolling Stone. Read more from that issue and the 2026 American Icons package here. S urely, in caveman days, there were the heavier dudes — the artists, the shamans — and you can bet there was a bouncer at their cave opening, requiring the proper polished stone or shell, keeping out the riffraff and protecting the vibe. Years later, little has changed.
WGN Radio’s December Book Club choices
Are you looking for some suggestion of books to read over the holidays or during the new year? Or maybe some gift ideas? Here’s a new list of recommendations from John Williams, Steve Alexander, Bob Kessler and Sara Tieman. We’ll discuss many of these books on the air today after the 1pm news and post the segment here later this afternoon.
Welcome Back en replay
| Films comédie 2015 1 h 40 min Tous publicsSous-titréVO | VOST Disponible jusqu'au 30/06/2025 Brian, un ex-militaire de renom, revient à la base de l'US Air Force à Hawaï où il a vécu, en vue d'honorer un contrat pour une société civile de lanceurs de fusées. Il retrouve son ancien amour de jeunesse, Tracy. Cette dernière est maintenant mariée à un pilote, ancien collègue de Brian, avec qui elle a eu deux enfants.
Linda Ronstadt: The Million-Dollar Woman
Los Angeles — “Miss Ronstadt’s line is busy. You’ll have to wait. I gotta check you.” The beefy guard at the front gate of Malibu Colony waits and dials again. Still busy. Twenty minutes later, the guard gives up and waves me through. “You could be here all day,” he cracks mirthlessly “But listen … if I don’t hear from her within five minutes” … he pauses for effect … “you’ll meet the sheriffs. You don’t want to meet the sheriffs.” More from Rolling Stone David O.
Eagles: Chips Off the Old Buffalo
Hiya! This is ‘Superjock’ Larry Lujack! Sitting with me right here in the Super CFL Studios – straight from California – are everybody’s favorite hitmakers . . . those darn Eagles!” In town for two concerts at the Arie Crown Theater, the band is visiting one of Chicago’s top jocks to play, for the first time, the title track and single from One of These Nights. “How ya doin’ guys?” Lujack winks.
Peter Frampton: The Year of the Face
After years of struggle, the English guitarist is finally 'Coming Alive' IT’S LIKE STEPPING INTO A SCENE from Blow Up. The white walls of Francesco Scavullo’s Manhattan photo studio are covered with Black and white portraits of blank-expressioned models. Young male assistants scurry around, each of them trying to act more hassled than the next. “I am not smiling,” whines one. “Streisand’s new hairstyle?
Fleetwood Mac: 1977 Cover Story by Cameron Crowe
The long hard drive from British blues to California gold Fuck it . . . Peter Green didn’t want his £30,000 a year. The money was royalties from his work with his old blues band, Fleetwood Mac. He’d quit the band in 1970, saying he wanted to live a Christian life. He gave his money away and eventually took various menial jobs, including one as a gravedigger. But now, as more and more people acquaint themselves with Fleetwood Mac and dig back to old reissues, this money keeps arriving.
Nicks' Coat Gets Nicked
It began when an FM station accidentally played the Atlanta Rhythm Section album cut "Imaginary Lover" at the wrong speed – 45. Favorable calls began to light up the switchboard, so the disc jockey let it play. Speeded up, the song sounded unmistakably like Fleetwood Mac, with Stevie Nicks warbling lead vocals. News quickly reached Nicks in Los Angeles. She rushed out to buy the record and played it at the wrong speed. "I got chills," says Stevie.
Cameron Crowe Remembers 'Say Anything' Actor John Mahoney
While filming his 1989 debut, Say Anything, director Cameron Crowe found himself working with esteemed character actor John Mahoney. Mahoney, who died Monday at age 77, was a formidable stage performer before portraying Jim Court, the divorced father of Diane (Iona Skye) who becomes embroiled in an IRS investigation while simultaneously trying to deter his daughter's budding romance with Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack).
Cameron Crowe Remembers 'Say Anything' Actor John Mahoney
While filming his 1989 debut, Say Anything, director Cameron Crowe found himself working with esteemed character actor John Mahoney. Mahoney, who died Monday at age 77, was a formidable stage performer before portraying Jim Court, the divorced father of Diane (Iona Skye) who becomes embroiled in an IRS investigation while simultaneously trying to deter his daughter’s budding romance with Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack).
Cameron Crowe Talks to Tom Petty for First Rolling Stone Story
Excerpted from the October 19th, 1978 issue of Rolling StoneTwo rent-a-cars carrying Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers roll toward Vancouver International Airport for an early-morning flight back to Los Angeles, where the band will take a two-day break from touring before heading to England for more shows. Suddenly, one of the cars pulls up alongside the other.
The Second Coming of Steely Dan
Their new album, held throughout the product-glutted summer for just the right moment, accidentally came out the same afternoon as the new Rolling Stones LP. Their first tour in three years was canceled. They haven't had a hit single since 1974's "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." And still, their sixth and most esoteric effort yet, Aja, is one of the season's hottest albums and by far Steely Dan's fastest-selling ever.
Harry Styles: Singer Opens Up About Famous Flings, Honest New LP
One Direction's Harry Styles goes deep on love, family and his heartfelt new solo debut in our revealing feature. Theo Wenner for Rolling Stone January 2016. There's a bench at the top of Primrose Hill, in London, that looks out over the skyline of the city. If you'd passed by it one winter night, you might have seen him sitting there. A lanky guy in a wool hat, overcoat and jogging pants, hands thrust deep into his pockets. Harry Styles had a lot on his mind.
Harry Styles: Singer Opens Up About Famous Flings, Honest New LP
January 2016. There’s a bench at the top of Primrose Hill, in London, that looks out over the skyline of the city. If you’d passed by it one winter night, you might have seen him sitting there. A lanky guy in a wool hat, overcoat and jogging pants, hands thrust deep into his pockets. Harry Styles had a lot on his mind. He had spent five years as the buoyant fan favorite in One Direction; now, an uncertain future stretched out in front of him. The band had announced an indefinite hiatus.
Harry Styles: Singer Opens Up About Famous Flings, Honest New LP
January 2016. There’s a bench at the top of Primrose Hill, in London, that looks out over the skyline of the city. If you’d passed by it one winter night, you might have seen him sitting there. A lanky guy in a wool hat, overcoat and jogging pants, hands thrust deep into his pockets. Harry Styles had a lot on his mind. He had spent five years as the buoyant fan favorite in One Direction; now, an uncertain future stretched out in front of him. The band had announced an indefinite hiatus.
Remembering Glenn Frey: Cameron Crowe on Eagles' Teen King
It was 1972, and "Take It Easy" was on the charts. The Eagles came to San Diego, where I was working for a local underground paper. I grabbed my photographer buddy Gary from school and made a plan. We were going to sneak backstage and grab an interview with this new group. I loved their harmonies, and the confident style that charged their first hit.
David Bowie: Ground Control to Davy Jones
Corinne Schwab is probably the last holdover from David Bowie's glitterglam phase — the days of Aladdin Sane, Moonage Daydream, gaudy costumes, hulking bodyguards, ex-manager Tony De Fries and the back-room-at-Max's-Kansas-City mystique. In her three years as his secretary, Corinne has watched Bowie shrewdly work up to his most difficult move yet: the switch from cultish deco rocker to a wide-appeal film and recording star/entertainer. "I want to be a Frank Sinatra figure," Bowie declares.
Eagles: Chips Off the Old Buffalo
Hiya! This is 'Superjock' Larry Lujack! Sitting with me right here in the Super CFL Studios – straight from California – are everybody's favorite hitmakers . . . those darn Eagles!" In town for two concerts at the Arie Crown Theater, the band is visiting one of Chicago's top jocks to play, for the first time, the title track and single from One of These Nights. "How ya doin' guys?" Lujack winks.
Cameron Crowe Looks Back on His 1975 Eagles Cover Story
“Take It Easy” had only been out a few months in the summer of 1972. I was a big fan of the song, and was still in high school when the Eagles came to the San Diego Civic Theatre. They were the opening act on a bill with Procol Harum and Cold Blood, and the Civic Theatre was a few blocks from my house. I bought a ticket, and brought my tape recorder. The idea was to slip backstage and talk the band into an interview for a local underground paper, The San Diego Door.
Cameron Crowe Looks Back on His 1975 Eagles Cover Story
"Take It Easy" had only been out a few months in the summer of 1972. I was a big fan of the song, and was still in high school when the Eagles came to the San Diego Civic Theatre. They were the opening act on a bill with Procol Harum and Cold Blood, and the Civic Theatre was a few blocks from my house. I bought a ticket, and brought my tape recorder. The idea was to slip backstage and talk the band into an interview for a local underground paper, The San Diego Door.
Linda Ronstadt: The Million-Dollar Woman
Los Angeles — "Miss Ronstadt's line is busy. You'll have to wait. I gotta check you." The beefy guard at the front gate of Malibu Colony waits and dials again. Still busy. Twenty minutes later, the guard gives up and waves me through. "You could be here all day," he cracks mirthlessly "But listen ... if I don't hear from her within five minutes" ... he pauses for effect ... "you'll meet the sheriffs. You don't want to meet the sheriffs." The Colony.
Legendary Singer/Songwriter Joni Mitchell Defends Her Stubborn Originality
Several days before beginning these interviews, I overheard two teenagers looking for a good party album in a record store. "How about this," said one, holding up Joni Mitchell's 'Miles of Aisles.' "Naaaaaah," said the other. "It's got good songs on it, but it's kind of like jazz." They bought a Cheap Trick album. When I told this story to Joni Mitchell later, I could see the disappointment flicker across her face for an instant. Then she laughed and took a long drag from her cigarette.
Elton John: My Life in 20 Songs
“You don’t mind if I play it loud, do you?” It’s morning in Las Vegas, and sunlight fills the condo that serves as Elton John‘s home during his latest run of shows at Caesars Palace, part of the residency known as “The Million Dollar Piano.” Wearing a white terry-cloth robe, he moves to the stereo system like an athlete, arms swinging crisply at his sides. Soon, he’s locked and loaded his latest album, The Diving Board.
Elton John: My Life in 20 Songs
October 10, 2013 2:45PM ET Cameron Crowe explores Elton’s journey from Reginald Dwight to technicolored pop sensation to rehab and back Terry O'Neill/Getty Images “You don’t mind if I play it loud, do you?” It’s morning in Las Vegas, and sunlight fills the condo that serves as Elton John‘s home during his latest run of shows at Caesars Palace, part of the residency known as “The Million Dollar Piano.” Wearing a white terry-cloth robe, he moves to the stereo system like an athlete, arms...
Elton John: My Life in 20 Songs
"You don't mind if I play it loud, do you?" It's morning in Las Vegas, and sunlight fills the condo that serves as Elton John's home during his latest run of shows at Caesars Palace, part of the residency known as "The Million Dollar Piano." Wearing a white terry-cloth robe, he moves to the stereo system like an athlete, arms swinging crisply at his sides. Soon, he's locked and loaded his latest album, The Diving Board.
The Rebellious Neil Young
Nearing 30, Neil Young is the most enigmatic of all the superstars to emerge from Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. His often cryptic studies of lonely desperation and shaky-voiced antiheroics have led many to brand him a loner and a recluse. Harvest was the last time that he struck the delicate balance between critical and commercial acceptance, and his subsequent albums have grown increasingly inaccessible to a mass audience.
Rolling Stone cover story features Fleetwood Mac
Fuck it . . . Peter Green didn't want his £30,000 a year. The money was royalties from his work with his old blues band, Fleetwood Mac. He'd quit the band in 1970, saying he wanted to live a Christian life. He gave his money away and eventually took various menial jobs, including one as a gravedigger. But now, as more and more people acquaint themselves with Fleetwood Mac and dig back to old reissues, this money keeps arriving. He tries to get rid of it, but it's all just such a bother.
Allman Brothers Story: Cameron Crowe Interviews Gregg Allman After Brother's Death
The accent comes up out of Nashville, by way of Georgia, makes a dash across the States and ends up vaguely California. He sounds a bit like Kris Kristofferson; looks uncannily like his late brother, Duane. The hotel television is on; the sound is off. It is late, and the black and white movie – something surely about horror and death at this small hour – glows up on Gregg Allman's tired face like a moonscape in Macon's Rose Hill Cemetery.
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Released: Friday, December 14, 2001 Studio: Paramount Pictures Rating: Under 17 requires accompanying parent or guardian. Synopsis of Vanilla Sky (2001) The tale of a young New York City publishing magnate who finds himself on an unexpected roller-coaster ride of romance, comedy, suspicion, love, sex, and dreams in a mind-bending search for his soul.
Pearl Jam: Five Against the World
There are two Eddie Vedders. One is quiet, shy, barely audible when he speaks. Loving and loved in return. The other is tortured, a bitter realist, a man capable of pointing out injustice and waging that war on the home front, inside himself. On a warm and windy late-spring day in San Rafael, Calif., it's easy to see which Eddie Vedder is shooting baskets outside the Site, the recording studio where Pearl Jam are finishing their second album.
Pearl Jam: Five Against the World
There are two Eddie Vedders. One is quiet, shy, barely audible when he speaks. Loving and loved in return. The other is tortured, a bitter realist, a man capable of pointing out injustice and waging that war on the home front, inside himself. On a warm and windy late-spring day in San Rafael, Calif., it’s easy to see which Eddie Vedder is shooting baskets outside the Site, the recording studio where Pearl Jam are finishing their second album.
Making the Scene: A Filmmaker's Diary by Cameron Crowe
October 1, 1992 Bridget Fonda and Matt Dillon in 'Singles.' Rex Andy’s dead” the voice said flatly, It sounded so unlike my old friend Kelly, this dispassionate monotone on the answering machine. Kelly was one of the most excitable guys I knew. In recent years he’d become a rock manager, guiding the career of a fledgling seattle band named Mother Love Bone. It’s lead singer and frontman, Andy Wood, had been successfully battling a nagging heroin problem.
Joni Mitchell Defends Herself
Several days before beginning these interviews, I overheard two teenagers looking for a good party album in a record store. “How about this,” said one, holding up Joni Mitchell‘s Miles of Aisles. “Naaaaaah,” said the other. “It’s got good songs on it, but it’s kind of like jazz.” They bought a Cheap Trick album. When I told this story to Joni Mitchell later, I could see the disappointment flicker across her face for an instant. Then she laughed and took a long drag from her cigarette.
Joni Mitchell Defends Herself
Several days before beginning these interviews, I overheard two teenagers looking for a good party album in a record store. “How about this,” said one, holding up Joni Mitchell’s Miles of Aisles. “Naaaaaah,” said the other. “It’s got good songs on it, but it’s kind of like jazz.” They bought a Cheap Trick album. When I told this story to Joni Mitchell later, I could see the disappointment flicker across her face for an instant. Then she laughed and took a long drag from her cigarette.
Richard Dreyfuss: The Rolling Stone Interview
Richard Dreyfuss sat shifting his weight on a stool, face to face with an audience of 2000 Minneapolis housewives. The actor had come to tape ‘The Phil Donahue Show,’ to talk about his new movie, ‘The Big Fix,’ and maybe even to get a little zetz going with Donahue, whose political barbs during interviews had impressed him. Instead, Donahue introduced Dreyfuss as “a real hit in this business” and began to field inquiries from the audience.
The Kristoffersons Make It
HE CAME WOBBLING straight toward me, aiming himself somewhere in the direction of the stage. I was fifteen, had obtained my first backstage pass as a representative from the local underground paper …… and I knew this was my shot. I introduced myself to an amiably blitzed Kris Kristofferson and, for the length of my interview pitch, the singer/songwriter/actor sincerely tried to focus on exactly who was talking to him.
Fleetwood Mac: 1977 Cover Story by Cameron Crowe
Fuck it . . . Peter Green didn’t want his £30,000 a year. The money was royalties from his work with his old blues band, Fleetwood Mac. He’d quit the band in 1970, saying he wanted to live a Christian life. He gave his money away and eventually took various menial jobs, including one as a gravedigger. But now, as more and more people acquaint themselves with Fleetwood Mac and dig back to old reissues, this money keeps arriving. He tries to get rid of it, but it’s all just such a bother.
Linda Ronstadt: The Million-Dollar Woman
Los Angeles — “Miss Ronstadt’s line is busy. You’ll have to wait. I gotta check you.” The beefy guard at the front gate of Malibu Colony waits and dials again. Still busy. Twenty minutes later, the guard gives up and waves me through. “You could be here all day,” he cracks mirthlessly “But listen … if I don’t hear from her within five minutes” … he pauses for effect … “you’ll meet the sheriffs. You don’t want to meet the sheriffs.” The Colony.
David Bowie: Ground Control to Davy Jones
Corinne Schwab is probably the last holdover from David Bowie’s glitterglam phase — the days of Aladdin Sane, Moonage Daydream, gaudy costumes, hulking bodyguards, ex-manager Tony De Fries and the back-room-at-Max’s-Kansas-City mystique. In her three years as his secretary, Corinne has watched Bowie shrewdly work up to his most difficult move yet: the switch from cultish deco rocker to a wide-appeal film and recording star/entertainer. “I want to be a Frank Sinatra figure,” Bowie declares.
The Rebellious Neil Young
Nearing 30, Neil Young is the most enigmatic of all the superstars to emerge from Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. His often cryptic studies of lonely desperation and shaky-voiced antiheroics have led many to brand him a loner and a recluse. Harvest was the last time that he struck the delicate balance between critical and commercial acceptance, and his subsequent albums have grown increasingly inaccessible to a mass audience.
Neil Young: The Rolling Stone Interview
Skip to main content N earing 30, Neil Young is the most enigmatic of all the superstars to emerge from Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. His often cryptic studies of lonely desperation and shaky-voiced antiheroics have led many to brand him a loner and a recluse. Harvest was the last time that he struck the delicate balance between critical and commercial acceptance, and his subsequent albums have grown increasingly inaccessible to a mass audience.
The Durable Led Zeppelin
John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin‘s bassist and keyboard player, was quietly playing backgammon and half listening to a phone-in radio talk show on New York FM. “I was in a club last night when someone asked me if I wanted to meet Jimmy Page,” the show’s host suddenly offered between calls. “You know, when I think about it, there’s no one I’d rather meet less than someone as disgusting as Jimmy Page.” Jones bolted up from his game.
The Durable Led Zeppelin
John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin‘s bassist and keyboard player, was quietly playing backgammon and half listening to a phone-in radio talk show on New York FM. “I was in a club last night when someone asked me if I wanted to meet Jimmy Page,” the show’s host suddenly offered between calls. “You know, when I think about it, there’s no one I’d rather meet less than someone as disgusting as Jimmy Page.” Jones bolted up from his game.
A Child’s Garden of Jackson Browne
It’s a long way Jackson Browne has come —– from his whining days at the Paradox in Orange, at the Dom in the Village, and at Troubadour hoots in Hollywood. No longer the high-schooler/songwriter with the unharnessed voice, Jackson has become a shiny, if not perfectly polished performer. With two successful albums –— and even a hit single –— behind him, he is a recording star. And, most recently, the man with the forever-young face has become a father.
Allman Brothers Story: Cameron Crowe Interviews Gregg Allman After Brother's Death
The accent comes up out of Nashville, by way of Georgia, makes a dash across the States and ends up vaguely California. He sounds a bit like Kris Kristofferson; looks uncannily like his late brother, Duane. The hotel television is on; the sound is off. It is late, and the black and white movie – something surely about horror and death at this small hour – glows up on Gregg Allman‘s tired face like a moonscape in Macon’s Rose Hill Cemetery.
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