page 12
daily nebraskari
friday, february 11,1977
Rolling
Stone proc
By Douglas R.Weil
Maybe it's because he writes for Rolling Stone
magazine.
Maybe it's because he writes for Rolling Stone, is only
19 years old and has written for it since he was 14.
Maybe it's just his writing style, but Cameron Crowe
seems to be an interesting person.
In a long-distance telephone interview with the Daily
Nebraskan, Crowe talked about being one of the youngest,
if not the youngest, journalist writing for a national
magazine.
Crowe began his career as a rock journalist at the San
Diego Door, a newspaper that Crowe referred to as the
heaviest underground newspaper in the city".
While the Door was an underground newspaper, sup
posedly representing the anti-establishment, Crowe landed
his job there through a typically establishment
technique-'the connection."
My sister was living with a girl whose boyfriend was
the brother of the girl that was married to the art direc
tor of the paper," Crowe said, pausing to take a breath be
fore continuing. "Through all these people I got invited
to a staff meeting."
Unknown to his editors, Crowe was only 14 years old
when he began writing record reviews for the Door.
"I didn't tell them how old I was," Crowe recalled.
"My sister was living with a
girl whose boyfriend was the
brother of the girl that was
married to the art director
of the paper. .
"They later found out through my sister, but by that time
I had established myself as a good writer.""
No salary
Eventually Crowe became disillusioned about not re
ceiving a salary though he was writing a considerable num
ber of reviews and interviews. The Door could not quite
manage to break-even, he said.
Frustrated, Crowe wrote to Crcem magazine in hopes
of landing a job with the nationally circulated publication.
Creem 's editors were impressed with Crowe's work at the
Door and he subsequently became a Creem staff member.
After working at Creem for a short while, Crowe be
. came acquainted with Ren Fong-Torres, an editor for
Rolling Stone magazine. "Fong-Torres, and Crowe talked
about musjc and journalism. Crowe mentioned that he
would like to write for Rolling Stone and Fong-Torres
encouraged him to submit an article.
Crowe did a story on Poco and Richie Furay. Rolling
Stone like it, and Crowe became a writer for them at age
14;
How did nationally known music personalities react
to doing interviews with a "kid" from Rolling Stone"!
Refreshing
"They made me feel real comfortable," Crowe said "I
guess it's refreshing to have someone young doing inter
views, someone who still enjoyed the music. I was into the
music and a lot of the people that I wrote about didn't
seem to care about my age. I guess I should thank them a
whole lot, he said.
Dealing with personalities in the music business is dif
ferent from dealing with personalities in other environ
ments such as the business and political worlds, he said.
Unique business
The unique nature of the music business and a host of
social factors have created a new form of journalism lias
labeled by some as "New Journalism."
This New Journalism is not really as revolutionary as
the term might suggest. Logically, the writing style is the
"I didn't tell them how old I
was (1 4), by the time they
found out I had established
myself as a good writer. . ."
most visible change. New Journalism is more literary and
to a degree more complex in structure than the traditional
press in America.
While the writing style is the most apparent difference,
the tone and atmosphere in the New Journalism setting
are the style's most important traits. New Journalism pro-,
fesses to emphasize informality, candor and depth, in
short a tearing down of barriers that may hinder a forth
right exchange between reporter and subject.
Informality essential
According to Crowe, informality is essential to inter
viewing, especially when interviewing music celebrities.
"Most of the time I don't even prepare questions, he
said. "It's much better if you don't have things written
out and if you re not sure what you want to ask.
"If you know what you want to get out of a person
youu invariably get that out of them. In that situation
theyH realize what it is you want and they 11 tell you just
that. It's easier for them."
Crowe said he thinks interviewers are beginning to
better understand the purpose of an interview.
"Nowadays when anyone consents to an interview, es
pecially a Rolling Stone interview, I think they resize
they arent going to be able to get away with rehashed
publicity release material," he said. They had better be i
link forthcoming."
iigy advocates New Journalism
As an example of this frankness, Crowe mentioned the
controversial interview in which Betty Ford told a nation
al newsman that she would not be shocked if Susan told
her she was engaging in premarital sex.
"In the past, those things were not asked," Crowe said.
Today people are expected to answer those questions. I
think you could say that New Journalism has influenced
this whole mood of candor."
Sometimes the openness and informality is so direct
that it even surprises Crowe, he said, although he has been
working with it for nearly five years.
Rortstadt interview
Crowe said he was taken back by the candidness of
singer Linda Rondstadt in an interview that he did for a
recent issue. He explained that although he knew Rond
stadt only casually, she bared her soul to him, talking
about all her problems and even some of her experiences
with psychoanalysis.
"Sometimes it's almost embarrassing," Crowe said.
Crowe said he thinks Rolling Stone is more likely to
get the complete story from someone than does the tradi
tional press, he explained.
"Rolling Stone has the space to write about what is
really going on without having to condense it into a com
promising story. In the end, I think people are happy that
there is space available in Rolling Stone so that the whole
story can be written."
New Journalism is the norm for interviewing music
personalities. People in the music business are used to its
frankness, depth and informality. But what about celebri
ties trom other fields that come into contact with this
new journalistic form?
has grown to be," Crowe said. "As a music magazine, its
coverage has become 4real slick
Tm real close to Rolling Stone so it's hard for me to
have an overview. In the end, I write for Rolling Stone but
I also read Rolling Stone. Tve read it for a long time."
As for the tales about editor Wenner, Crowe hedges a
bit. "Maybe the stories are true, maybe they aren't."
'Td like to say (Rolling Stone
Editor) Jann Wenner is a
saint I'm sure he's not ..."
Think about it, how many publishers and editors-in:
chief have been really closely scrutinized? I think an
editor understands the frenzy that comes with putting out
a magazine of a hundred- odd pages every two weeks."
"rd like to say Jann Wenner is a saint, I'm sure he's
not. Personally 1 get along with Jann very well, rfc sent
me a Christmas card and signed it 'Uncle Jann'."
Crowe said he realizes he cannot remain at Rolling
Stone forever. He looks for even better thing in the
future.
"I'd really like to get into writing screenplays," Crowe
said. I guess a lot of people say that like a lot of people
say, "I play guitar -a little bit.' Everyone has a screenplay
they want to do."
Most of all, Crowe said he hopes his life and career do
not become routine.
Or as Crowe said, "I dont want to be interviewing the
Grateful Dead when I'm 40 years old."
arts and entertainment
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Credit Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe has been writing for Rolling Stone magazine since he was 14 years
old.
What about politicians? Politicians are extremely
guarded in what they say and they are especially sensitive
about how they appear in print.
Although most of Crowe's reporting experiences have
involved music celebrities, he has had contact with politi
cians in a New Journalism setting.
"I spent a lot of time with (Indiana Sen.) Birch Bayfi
recently," Crowe said. "He was very open to that kind of
interview, lie said fuckMIe was very relaxed."
Magazine criticized
Although Rolling Stone is one of the leading propon
ents of New Journalism, the magazine recently has been
the subject of considerable criticism. Some have charged
that it has become elitist and corporate. One national
magazine did a two-issue feature story portraying Rolling
?a nltotT m r".." a temperamental tyrant, a
1 970 s Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. I fyde.
Crowe said he views Rolling Stone u the mirror -image
of the music world as it is today.
"I think Rolling Stone has grown to be what the music
Classical guitarist
performs Sunday
Classical guitarist Javier Calderon will perform in the
Nebraska Union Ballroom Sunday at 8 p.m.
A native of Bolivia, Calderon was recommended to the
North Carolina School of Arts, where he studied and
taught, by the famed guitarist Segovia. lie also studied
with Segovia at Segovia's home in Spain.
Calderon has soloed with the Cincinnati Symphony
and the Minnesota Orchestra. He has performed solo
recitals in the United States, Europe, South America,
and Canada.
Gary Gilgcr of the Union Program Council said he
hopes to persuade Calderon to teach a workshop when he
is in Lincoln, Saturday through Monday.
Tickets, SI. 50 for UNL students and S2.50 for the
general public, are available at the Union South Desk and
Dirt Cheap.
