To say that growing up is awkward in the best of circumstances doesn't quite encompass what it would be like to do so around those who you idolize. Few movies have really embodied this experience as well as Cameron Crowe's (loosely-auto-biographical) flick, Almost Famous (2000). In my view, it's one of the best movies about rock-and-roll, and the knocks that come from seeing the reality of your fantasies.
Some people love this movie because they want to be journalists, some musicians or critics, but what I really love about this movie is that it's about passion. I can relate to knowing what I wanted to do from a young age, and sharing that curiosity, that single-handed pursuit to find some answers in an overwhelming and personally uncharted landscape, is as engrossing as it is occasionally cringe-worthy. That's just good entertainment in my books.
At its core, Almost Famous idealizes both the positive and negative rock stereotypes with successful twists, painting a great visual portrait of the '70s scene. The fictional up-and-coming group Stillwater experiences an entertaining range of hiccups on their tour, as high school student William accompanies them to write an article on the group for Rolling Stone magazine. The scenes with Will are arguably the best, not only because he's playing a fly on the wall a lot of times, but because his vulnerability brings out the utter absurdity of the culture he's thrown into. Despite William's love of being there, his reactions and reasoning are often the glue holding things together in a cast of conflicting personalities and superficial egos.
Almost Famous has a grit and rawness about it that makes it feel genuine, almost like shuffling through a stack of old records. There are enough little pop history references mixed in to make even the casual music fan feel in-the-know. Even with the characters having pretty clear flaws, their predictability is kept in check by William's curiousity to understand it, and because of that everyone is along for the ride.
The relationships between Will and his mom, Will and Penny (the lead groupie), and Will and the band all paint a different picture of the rock lifestyle. It's apparent that the fine line between living the fantasy and dealing with the reality hits everyone hard when they suddenly stumble into either too quickly. And that's probably what I like best about Almost Famous, it makes you feel like you're right there on the bus, on that tour. You feel privy to inside information, and even though you know the fantasy can't last forever, you're still rooting for it to continue.
Cameron Crowe is great because he really thinks about the music that he uses. More often than not, he allows his song choices to really be featured in his films, not as a crutch to aid in false emotion, but as an exclamation point to enhance the scene and allow viewers to really listen to the lyrics. The Tiny Dancer scene in this flick is the clear standout, but there are numerous examples in his work (like Secret Garden in Jerry Maguire or In Your Eyes from Say Anything).
Almost Famous is addicting. And just maybe, it might leave you with that post-concert buzz, like you just skirted euphoria and witnessed something truly amazing.
After adding a few more coins to my collection recently, I wanted to share a few more of my random coins from around the world. Just like I mentioned the first time around, I'm just as fascinated by the stories that may accompany how these coins made there way to me as I am by the currency itself.
Once again, none of these coins are particularly valuable. They are all low denominations and have been in circulation, but that's also part of the fun in collecting them. I like that they've been used and one way or another have made their way to Canada. Let's have a look.
1950 - Somalia - One Centesimo
At the time Somalia was an Italian protectorate so Roma can be seen on the reverse of this coin. The country has since become one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
1936 - USA - Buffalo Nickel
A popular US coin from the early 20th century, the Buffalo (or Indian Head) nickels were notorious for their dates wearing off in circulation. On this one the 1936 is just barely visible below the head.
1942 - Australia - Penny
What I love about this coin is its size. It has an almost 4cm diameter, making it one of the larger coins my collection.
1964 - Fiji - Penny
Coins with interesting shapes or holes in them are always interesting just because they're so obviously different. Not surprisingly, they're often used to make jewelry.
1954 - Austria - 20 Groschen
I have to admit that what I love about this coin is the texture of the embossed eagle and the bold font used. It's a very visual coin.
I explored the old Hillside Cemetery in the early spring before the trees had began to blossom, which admittedly gave the area an added eeriness. In documenting points of interest around Medicine Hat a graveyard may seem like a strange choice, but this was actually one of the city's first. As the city grew, the site became increasingly cut off and neglected and as such, the area has been maintained by the city as a park since around 1945. It's easy to drive right by it and not pay much attention, but the gravestones tell some interesting stories.
St. Barnabas was the first church to use the cemetery in 1884, a date which paints a picture of how secluded these stones would've been from the rest of town at the time. This replaced a small plot directly behind the church. Reading the grave stones is a bit shocking when you realize how many children are buried at the site. Combine this with the aged stones, some of which are badly cracked, have fallen over, or sit behind severely rusted gates, and it's difficult not to feel like you're on the set of a horror film. Everything seems staged given that much of it is comfortably over 100 years old without any modern additions.
The old Hillside Cemetery has been preserved almost in a state of limbo. It's not a park to picnic in, and yet it hasn't been an active cemetery for over 60 years. Aside from being a great place to tell ghost stories on Halloween, I think it's best left to the deer that enjoy wandering through and those who might be curious about some of the city's first residents.
