Cameron Crowe Recalls Young Sean Penn Giving an Acting Masterclass on ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ Set

Cameron Crowe’s new memoir The Uncool focuses on his years spent as a wunderkind rock journalist for Rolling Stone and other publications, delving into his time capturing the height of ’70s rock with subjects like David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell. The memoir also touches on the beginning of Crowe’s career in Hollywood. After taking a break from journalism, Crowe spent a year posing as a student at a San Diego high school for project that would become the book (and eventually the movie) Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Crowe spent 1979 back in high school, but when he sat down to write, he was having a hard time getting started.

Copyright © 2025 by Cameron Crowe. Audio excerpt courtesy of Simon & Schuster. Audio read by Cameron Crowe from the audiobook The Uncool by Cameron Crowe to be published by Simon & Schuster Audio, a Division of Simon & Schuster,…