“So Russell… what do you love about music?” - “To begin with, everything,”
“I always tell the girls, never take it seriously, if you never take it seriously, you never get hurt, if you never get hurt, you always have fun, and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.”
“They don't even know what it is to be a fan, you know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts.”
September 13th marks 20 years since the release of the timeless classic, Almost Famous, written and directed by Cameron Crowe. From the famous ‘Tiny Dancer’ bus scene to ‘Tangerine’ by Led Zeppelin playing as the film closes to ‘Feel Flows’ by The Beach Boys in the ending credits, it’s perfect for any rock ’n’ roll lover.
Not only is this a quintessential film for music lovers everywhere, it’s an inspiration to those wanting to follow after a certain career path: a music journalist.
If you’re an aspiring music journalist or you’re living and breathing the dream of being a music journalist in this generation, chances are this film was a big inspiration for you to take that step forward into this career path. At least, that was the case for me at 17.
At the age of 12, I knew I wanted to be a writer. At that same age, my passion for rock ’n’ roll had been ignited after I saw The Runaways and began listening to their music. It wouldn’t be long before I decided that I wanted to be a journalist. However, at the time, I was unaware of Almost Famous or music journalism.
Now, fast forward a few years. In 2014, just over 14 years after the film was released, I was a junior in high school. One day after school, I was looking for a movie to watch on Netflix, when I came across Almost Famous. Little did I know that this movie would change everything for me.
Halfway through the movie, I began to fall in love with the characters, the music, and the storyline. I even found myself wishing that Stillwater was a real band. Throughout the entire film, one theme seemed to stick - INSPIRATION. Seeing a 15 year old, William Miller, go on this journey with Stillwater, a band he loved, and just live life as a music journalist sparked an inspiration in me. In that moment, I remembered thinking, “This is what I want to do.”
Needless to say, Almost Famous was a huge game changer for me as a then-17 year old aspiring writer. To this day, I credit this movie as my inspiration and now, I AM a music journalist. If I had never found this movie, I wouldn’t be where I am now. William Miller taught me to follow my dreams and I have done just that.
This film is perfect for aspiring writers of any kind. Maybe you know you want to write music or maybe you have no idea which route you want to take. Regardless, if you’re looking for that writer’s spark, turn on the TV and go visit this film.
To all of the aspiring William Miller’s out there, you’ve got this. YOU can interview your favorite band one day.
Here’s to the William Millers of the world.