Almost Famous - Wow, I'm old...

Musically I came of age with punk rock. Dead Kennedy's, Ramones, Billy Idol, Sex Pistols; Sid Vicious singing about "We don't give a ---- about your generation!"
I watched Almost Famous last night and really enjoyed it, for different reasons. I dislike the whole babyboomer "me" don't trust anyone over 30, free love, if it feels good do it, turn on tune in drop out, generation.

Oddly, I identified most with the Mom who struggles with being too-overprotective and then setting her 15 yo son loose with a rock band. I have 2 teenagers now, soon to be 3.

A couple of thoughts;
This is semi-biographical. Cameron Crowe did write for RollingStone after traveling with the AllmanBand. There was a real PennyLane, but the character is also based on some other skank/****/groupie bebe buell. There was a real StillWater Band, but they were not really the inspiration.

PennyLane - Was she supposed to be some kind of tragic hero? Some mythical freespirit that can't be caged? I saw her as a low self esteem tramp. A petri-dish of disease and emotional baggage.

Lester Bangs - Loved this guy but what a cynical pathetic person. PSH was outstanding.

The music - a lot of it was original from Nancy Wilson of Heart.

It didn't do that well. What did other people think. There is a new generation of kids who wished they grew up in that time. It was probably a lot of fun. I grew up in the wake.

I was a teenager in the Seventies. I LOVE this movie. It's definitely a Valentine to those times. It absolutely skates over the drug abuse and groupie sex. But it gets the youthful good will and the spirit of rebellion in the music right. The scene where the band starts to sing along to Elton John's Tiny Dancer... that's the heart of the film in a lot of ways. Hippies are easy to make fun of. But I miss that spirit. I'm too cynical.

They're on pot. You see?

Great Movie.

I've got Jeff's (Jason Lee's) Blue Henley that he wore though a chunk of this film if anyone is interested.

-Rylo

Just watched this again the other - the "bootleg cut" - such a great film... Cameron Crowe gets it... or gets me at least, lol... He had me at hello... hahaha

I loved this movie when it came out and yes I'm a child of the '60's & 70's so I loved the music. I was never the hippie type though so maybe this was my way of reconnecting to the music in my way. I started working for my father at 9 years old and was working 40+ hours a week during the summer by the time I was 13. I actually became part owner of a fireplace shop when I was 18 so, I spent my youth working and not "into" music until my late teens/ early 20's. So maybe I'm playing catch up some how.

The bootleg cut is great. It has that deleted scene of william in the boys shower at his high school when he gets made fun of for having no body hair. Really funny. Cameron Crowe can be such a good writer... though I will say I didn't like We Bought A Zoo. Felt like he phoned it in a bit... way too cute in places...

I met Cameron Crowe's personal assistant about ten years ago and told him how much I enjoyed the movie.

He gave me two out of three prop record album covers and a Stillwater backstage pass that he had in the trunk of his car.

Great movie!

Yeah, it's a great movie. Hard to believe that the guitar player is Dr. Manhatten.