We reach back into the archives again today for five brand spankin’ new album reviews that Cameron did for the San Diego Door circa Spring/early Summer of 1972! First up is a timely look (with Cameron’s The Union Tribeca debut right around the corner) at Leon Russell’s Carney. Cameron has very nice things to say about it and Humble Pie’s Smokin’. Also included are his very brief looks at Cold Blood’s First Taste of Sin, Buffy Sainte Marie’s Moonshot and Lindy Stevens’ Devotion.
Cameron sits down for a chat with Marc Bolan for the July, 1973 issue of Creem magazine. Marc was not shy and shared his thoughts on David Bowie, his band T-Rex and much more. Marc was killed in a car crash in 1977, but he lives on with his music. Cameron also honored him with a line of dialogue in Almost Famous.
Here’s a very rare early piece that Cameron did with the Eagles for Zoo World magazine. This July, 1973 interview is just with singer/songwriter/guitarist Glenn Frey and focuses on the recent success of the band. Topics include their latest album Desperado, touring, working with Jackson Browne and J.D. Souther. Enjoy!
The Crowe’s Nest is a new feature that will collect random tidbits, etc. in one blog post. So without further adieu, let’s get started:
There’s some real nice symmetry between Cameron’s Top 10 Greatest Movies (as he voted for Empire magazine’s 500 Greatest Films of All Time) from November, 2008 and his 10 Essential Films for a Stormy Night from a November, 2005 Elizabethtown cover story in Paste magazine. Please, check out both lists, but more importantly, you really need to see all these films if you haven’t already…
A new addition today as Cameron visits Carole King and her new band (at the time) Navarro in mid-1977 for a Rolling Stone. Carole rarely did press, but Cameron is able to grab a few quotes. The article focuses on Boulder, CO based band Navarro, their history and how they hooked up with Carole. Enjoy!
A new addition to the site is Cameron’s liner notes introduction for the Paul McCartney The Space Within US DVD, Blu-ray and CD. It’s a great concert by Sir Paul, so do yourself a favor and seek it out on the format of your choice.
I’ve received the same question (many, many times) over the years surrounding Cameron’s first novel, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and its availability. As you know, the book has been out of print for a number of years and is currently fetching big bucks on eBay, Amazon and other places. Who owns the rights? Will it ever be re-released? What does Cameron think? Here’s the skinny:
I asked Cameron if the book would ever be put back in print during an exclusive career encompassing interview (Who the Hell is Ricky Fedora?) back in 2002. Here’s what he said:
“I think so. The rights reverted to me a while ago. If I do re-publish it, I’d probably want to write a new introduction… but frankly, we never did a sequel and I’ve never re-published the book because I like the fact that Fast Times at Ridgemont High lives in its own era. It’s sort of a dog-eared memory. I like that. I was reluctant to even do the enhanced DVD, but it was so much fun to sit down with Amy Heckerling again. In a lot of ways, that book is probably the favorite thing I’ve written. It was the first time I’d fully shut the world out, and written something that wasn’t for an editor, or for anybody other than my friends and me. I really related to Brad. The pain and awkwardness of sex, love and friendship. The goal was to write something that was as aching as that time of life was for me (and others), but also funny. It was kind of a Holden Caulfield time. My girlfriend had dumped me, and I went down to San Diego and fell in with a whole new crowd. They were wonderful people. I’m still in touch was a few of them. When people say, ‘I got a beat up copy of that book, it’s really good’. It means a lot to me. For a long time, people didn’t even know the book existed or they would say, “Did you know some guy wrote a book from your movie?’ [laughs]”
So there you go. For now, keep looking at your local book stores, thrift shops, etc. You just might come across a copy and for a decent price! I’ll keep you posted on a future plans to put the book back in print…
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