-Guys, thank you for that. -Congrats.
"Almost Famous" on Broadway. -It's wild.
-Let's talk about this. This is unbelievable.
I mean, you've directed some of
the most beloved movies ever made --
"Almost Famous," "Jerry Maguire,"
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
You've written for "Rolling Stone."
I mean, how does it go from creating
books, articles, movies to Broadway?
-And getting to direct you along the way in the movie.
-No big deal. Yeah.
My first big movie role ever was in "Almost Famous."
No big deal. [ Cheers and applause ]
-Yeah.
-But is it tough? Who did you meet with?
You must have studied. I know you.
-Yeah. -You must have jumped into this.
-I did.
My friend Lia Vollack is a huge music fan,
and she kind of turned into a Broadway producer of renown.
And she said to me, "You know, I can make this fun for you."
And "Almost Famous" is the one thing, I think,
I've been involved with that had the most recurring fan talk,
and people would always want to talk about
the feeling that the movie gave them.
And I thought, "You know, if we can get that feeling
on a live stage in a theater, that's almost like
the 1973 world that the movie is based on."
-Yeah.
-So just to kind of get that kind of --
You're immersed in 1973, and that music feeling
with this cast has been totally exciting.
-Yeah. You get to -- Obviously,
some of the songs that we know from the movie are in this.
But there's also some original great songs in here, as well,
that you had your hand in writing.
How is Cameron Crowe writing a real song?
-Well, you know, I don't have the body of work that
"Weird Al" Yankovic has
or you with "Almost Too Early for Christmas" and stuff.
-We're currently in litigation. We'll figure that out.
-I'm rooting for it. -Thanks. Me too.
-Yeah. Tom Kitt, the wonderful composer,
was involved in this from the very beginning.
And we kind of wrote songs together,
and he showed me how you can actually jump over into
writing story songs that the characters can sing.
And in musical theater, that's the close-up you get.
Because they always say, "Well, you don't get
a close-up in theater,"
but you get those songs, which give you
the deep feelings of the characters.
And Tom kind of, you know, was involved in teaching me
how to do that, and it's been a blast.
-When you went on tour, no matter who it was,
you were a kid with "Rolling Stone."
You were with Led Zeppelin.
You were with The Allman Brothers.
-You never go like, "Oh, maybe I'll be a rock star.
Maybe I'll start doing --
Maybe I'll start writing songs or performing." No?
-I never could really play and I never was in a band, really.
But there was one moment about kind of --
I think it was 16 or 17, and I was writing about
The Allman Brothers Band and on tour with them,
which is a lot of what
the "Almost famous" story is based on.
And we were in this hotel room in the Continental Hyatt House.
And The Allman Brothers Band is like a family,
and they've all got guitars and they're playing this blues song.
And Gregg Allman is right in front of me,
and he's playing this blues song, "Come On in My Kitchen."
And I see this great guitar next to me that nobody's playing.
-Yeah.
-So I thought, "You know, this is how it works."
So, I pick up this guitar, not knowing how to play at all,
and just start strumming.
-Yeah. -And feelin' it.
-Oh, yeah. -Yeah.
And Gregg Allman looks over at me
and then he kind of looks over -- just over my shoulder
and gives a nod, and I'm thinking,
"He digs what I'm doing."
And then, a moment later, these hands appear
and kind of lift the guitar out of my hands.
And it was like, "Your moment in heaven is over."
[ Sad tuba plays ] You know.
Love the band, like the band, interview the band.
-Yeah. -Don't jam with the band.
-They don't want you to jam with them.
-No.
-No. When we shot this,
it was the most fun experience of my life.
I had so much fun, and you loved everybody.
Everyone loved you.
It was just magic when we were doing it.
And I remember, about halfway through, maybe towards the end,
there was no real title for the film.
-Yeah. -Do you remember this?
-I do.
-Or you had an idea for it -- to call it "Untitled"? No.
-I thought we could call it, like,
after a Led Zeppelin album, you know?
Where it has no title, it has symbols.
So, the idea was we'd have this movie that was untitled,
but you could ask for it by symbols.
And the DreamWorks department marketing
really just did not groove with me on that.
-So, yeah, you have this great movie.
You have no title for it?
-Yeah, they would say like, "You know, nobody's going to
come up to the box office and say,
'I want two tickets for the symbols movie.'"
Or the untitled movie.
-So, we -- As you remember, we had such a good time
making the movie, but we were so addicted to
the idea of no title that one day,
we knew we had to come up with something.
So, there was a suggestion box on the set,
and people would stuff all these names in there
for what the title could be.
And you, my friend, came up with a very significant list,
which I kept.
-Are you serious?
-And I would like to share this with you
20-some years later.
Here are your ideas for the title
of what would become "Almost Famous."
-This is actually -- This is really my --
This is how bad my handwriting is.
You kept this?
-Yes. -I'm freaking out. Cameron...
-No, it's good. -But this is wild.
-Yeah. -This is real.
That's legit. -Yeah.
"Vinyl Days" was my favorite, Jimmy.
I thought that was pretty great.
-"Vinyl Days." Not bad. "I'm with the Band."
[ Light laugher ]
It's getting chuckles.
"Pages."
-"Pages." Interesting. -It's deep.
-Yeah.
-'Cause I thought "pages," like you're writing pages for
a magazine, but, also, it's pages of your life.
-Exactly. I like -- I'm with you.
I'm with you on this.
"I'm on the List" is kind of interesting.
-"I'm on the List." [ Laughs ]
"The 33 1/3 Incher"?
-Yeah. -It's about a record.
-It's about up there with the symbols.
-Yeah, yeah, symbols. Yep.
What -- Then I started getting just silly.
-"Doin' It." -Yeah, "Doin' It."
That was like 'cause, "Hey, we're doin' it."
-Yeah. -Yeah.
Wow. Yeah.
Some of them are real bad, too, yeah.
"Vinyl Reality." -I like "Vinyl Reality."
-Yeah, that was before "Virtual Reality," right?
-These are big swings you're taking.
-I'm taking -- Yeah, I'm taking big swings on this.
Oh, my gosh. "Gather No Moss"?
That's a little embarrassing.
But I thought "Rolling..." Yeah, yeah.
-I like it. -Yeah, nope.
I'm so happy you went with "Almost Famous."
-It seems to fit.
-You know, the last time -- I'm not kidding.
The last time I grew a beard in my entire life ever
was for you and for this movie.
This is me as my chara-- your character, Dennis Hope,
in "Almost Famous."
Yeah, that's me right there, everybody.
Yeah. [ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you.
Is Dennis Hope -- is my character still in the play?
-I'm really glad you bring this up,
because, Jimmy, we love Dennis Hope of the movie,
and, as you know, we became kind of a family making the film
because we were together for a long time,
kind of going through rock school
and teaching Billy Crudup how to play guitar and everything.
You came in and rocked your scene so well
as the manager of the future, who kind of glimpses
all that's coming in terms of rock getting bigger.
So of course it's in the play.
And my dream has always been to have you
come and be the link between the two casts,
the cast of the musical, who also became
a really tight family, and the movie.
So I would like you to come on the Broadway stage
and play your part again of Dennis Hope.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Really? -Yes.
-I am in!
I would be -- I would -- Absolutely, I am in.
Oh, my gosh! ♪♪
Who plays it now?
-We have a wonderful actor named Jakeim Hart, a great musician.
-I'll talk to Jakeim. We'll work it out.
-Jakeim will be around.
But the thing is, like, knowing you might step in,
I rewrote the scene for, you know,
kind of advanced Jimmy fever.
Like, I really wanted to get a scene worthy of you, you know.
And the beard. -Yeah.
-And so I wrote a new version of the scene for you,
which turned out to be so great that that's what's in the play,
and Jakeim does that version.
-Is that right? -Yeah.
So, it's got some new jokes that I bring to you.
And it's fun.
But it's kind of like a band, right?
It's like the cast is a little bit like a band.
Come and jam with us. -I want to jam.
-Yeah. -I'm going to jam with the band.
[ Cheers and applause ]
I also want to say, in the playbill,
you dedicate the show to your mom,
who, luckily, I got to meet.
And she would have been so proud of this.
-Thanks, buddy. -This is a giant deal, buddy.
I'm so happy for you. It is so fun.
It is, again, musical. It is funny.
It's got heart.
And it's written by an Oscar-winning writer.
So what more do you want?
I love you, buddy. -Love you, man.
-Cameron Crowe! -Thank you.
-When we come back, the cast of the Broadway show
"Almost Famous" is performing "Tiny Dancer."
Stick around, everybody. Come on back!