
newsOct 28, 20251:38:30pending
Cameron Crowe, Pt 2: Backstage Passes & Lost Youth, Lester Bangs & Jeff Spicoli
About this episode
In the second installment of John’s conversation with Cameron Crowe about his new memoir, “The Uncool,” the Oscar-winning writer-director explores his relationship with legendary rock critic Lester Bangs (and casting Philip Seymour Hoffman to play him in “Almost Famous”); the previously unacknowledged teenage suicide of his elder sister and how it fed into the complex family dynamics that compelled him to spend much of his adolescence on the road with rock stars; the end of his career as a music journalist at age 21; how writing “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” helped Crowe reclaim his lost youth and opened the door to Hollywood; and how Tom Cruise convinced him not to cut the most famous line in "Jerry Maguire."
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Get every episode summarized
Each time Impolitic with John Heilemann publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Impolitic with John Heilemann

Sebastian Mallaby: The Ghost in the Machine
Impolitic with John Heilemann
Apr 20, 20261:19:48failed

Peter Hamby: Swalwell’s Fall, POTUS v. Pontifex, & The VP’s Podcast Mouth
Impolitic with John Heilemann
Apr 17, 20261:04:53failed

Does Kara Swisher Really Want to Live Forever? Should We?
Impolitic with John Heilemann
Apr 13, 202655:58failed

George Conway’s Single-Issue Congressional Campaign: “Get the F*cker Out”
Impolitic with John Heilemann
Apr 10, 20261:25:52failed