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This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross.

My guest Cameron Crow is known for writing the screenplay for fast times at Ridgemont High,

and writing and directing, say anything, Jerry McGuire, Vanilla Sky, and Almost Famous,

for which he won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. It's the story of a 15-year-old who in 1973

manages to become a rock critic and somehow get backstage interviews with important musicians.

By the age of 16, he's published in Rolling Stone and even writes a cover story.

As improbable as that may sound, it's based on Crow's own life as a teenage music writer.

His new memoir, The Uncool, is about that period of

his life and more, including his adventures and misadventures, writing about musicians like

Greg Allman, Chris Christofferson, Jimmy Page, and David Bowie. He also writes about what life was

like in his family when he was growing up and how reluctant his parents were to allow him to go on the road with musicians before it even graduated high school.

Let's start with a clip from early on and almost famous.

The Cameron Crow character, William, is about 11, listening to an argument between his mother, played by Francis McDormand,

and his older sister, played by Zoe Deschanel.

The mother speaks first.

You've been kissing.

No, I have.

Yes, you have.

No, I haven't.

...