4thestatebooks

We are delighted to announce THE UNCOOL, the long-awaited memoir from one of America’s most iconic journalists and filmmakers of beloved hits including Jerry Maguire, Say Anything and Almost Famous 🎸
 
Cameron Crowe was an unlikely rock and roll insider. Born in 1957 to parents who strictly banned the genre from their house, he dove headfirst into the world of music. By the time he graduated high school at fifteen, Crowe was contributing to Rolling Stone. His parents became believers, uneasily allowing him to interview and tour with legends like Led Zeppelin; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Bob Dylan; Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young; and Fleetwood Mac.
 
THE UNCOOL offers a front-row ticket to the 1970s, a golden era for music and art when rock was young. There’s no such thing as a media junket—just a rare chance a young writer might be invited along for an adventure. Crowe spends his teens politely turning down the drugs and turning on his tape recorder. He talks his journalism teacher into giving him class credit for his road trip covering Led Zeppelin’s 1975 tour, which lands him—and the band—on the cover of Rolling Stone. He embeds with David Bowie as the sequestered genius transforms himself into a new persona: The Thin White Duke. Why did Bowie give Crowe such unprecedented access? “Because you’re young enough to be honest,” Bowie tells him.
 
With its vivid snapshots of a bygone era and a celebration of creativity and connection, this memoir is an essential read for music lovers or anyone chasing their wildest dreams. At the end of that roller-coaster journey, you might just find what you were looking for: Your place in the world.
 
COMING OCTOBER 2025.
 
#4thEstateBooks #TheUncool #CameronCrowe #NonFiction #Memoir #AlmostFamous

Catalogue No: 9780008697853 (Signed)

Seattle in the early 90’s wasn’t just making noise, it was *becoming* the noise. 

While working on “Singles, I’d listened to bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Mudhoney create this magnificent racket that felt like both rebellion and communion.

The “Singles” soundtrack became my love letter to that moment—that fleeting, electric time before the world caught on. 

Before Kurt became an icon rather than a person. Before record labels descended like locusts. The songs weren’t just tracks; they were the heartbeat of a city finding its voice.

While writing #TheUncool, I realized Seattle taught me something essential about authenticity—that sometimes the most powerful art comes from simply documenting what’s happening around you, not trying to invent it. 

The uncool becomes the unforgettable.