almost famous essay

                                                                                                            Brian Bass

Speech Communication

3.28.04

Prof. Linda Williams

Almost Famous

Almost Famous, written and directed by Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire), is a coming-of-age story inspired by the director's own experiences during his early years as a music journalist. Almost Famous offers an uncomplicated narration that adheres to a teenager's drive to become independent, to develop his own identity, and to maintain objectivity as a beginning music critic.                                                                 Set in San Diego in the early 1970s, Almost Famous introduces the element of Rock'n'Roll music as a venue for freedom. Finding moral

support in the lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel, 18-year-old Anita (Zooey Deschanel) rebels against her conservative mother Elaine (Frances McDormand). Deciding to leave home, she urges her younger brother William to let himself be influenced by the music of the era. Over the years, William (Patrick Fugit) develops an interest and befriends legendary music critic Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who asks him to cover a Black Sabbath concert for "Creem" magazine. His article earns the mature-sounding 15-year-old an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to join the more accessible "Stillwater" band and interview lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) during their "Almost Famous" concert tour. Postponing his obligations at school and at home, William develops emotional ties with the band and with the seductive groupie Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), and discovers the contradictions of being a subjective journalist.                                        In this film I found there to be many memorable scenes with meaningful dialogue.  Of all the scenes I looked through I found the part where Lester Bangs gives advice to William about love, art and William’s own personal identity to be the most interesting.  He says:

They make you feel cool.  And hey.  I

met you.  You are not "cool."  And

while women will always be a problem for

guys like us, most of the great   art in

the world is about this very problem.

Good-looking people have no spine!

                               Their art never lasts!  They  get the girls, but we're smarter

Yeah, great art is about conflict and

pain and guilt and longing and love

disguised as sex, and sex disguised as

love... Look I'm always home!  I'm uncool!

Listen man The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone when we're uncool.                          

               This film is about many things, the collapse of Rock n’ Roll, sexuality, expression, freedom, drug abuse, friendship, but most of all it is about personal identity and finding yourself where you belong.  After trying to be something he really was not, William realizes his mistakes and writes what he truly experienced with the band Stillwater.  Unfortunately Rolling Stone rejects his piece and claims it is a fabrication.  Thankfully later, the lead guitarist Russell, realizes his mistakes and admits what William wrote was all true.                                            

               In analyzing my speech and the film, I used a more historical approach and then related it to my narrative self.  I chose this film and this specific speech from it because I thought it would not only be entertaining for the class, considering Almost Famous is quite a popular movie, but it provides relevance to all of our lives, bearing in mind that all the students in our class are young, still insecure and are just earning our new found freedom.