Musings of the Uncool

People often ask me about my username, things like “Why uncool when you’re clearly cool?” or just generally wondering where it came from. Well good people, it’s time to share the story…

Many years ago (we’re talking 2002) I was trying to develop a new screenname for AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). I wanted something that expressed my love for music, my work within the music industry and to show my behind-the-scenes nature. I’ve always been a rock n roll lover and thus while watching Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous it came to me.

There’s a scene between Lester Bangs and William Miller late at night on the phone where Lester tells William there’s nothing cool about him and that THEY are uncool. And earlier in the movie Lester talks about the industry becoming an industry of cool. Since I started writing for music publications at the age of 14 (similar to William’s character and of course Cameron Crowe himself), I felt this described me as well.

Why rockstar? Sure it may seem like a contradiction but I take “rockstar” to mean you excel at what you’re doing. Since “uncool” meant being a journalist/writer in the music industry to me, I figured “rockstar” showed excellence while being music related.

And thus, Uncool Rockstar was born and my various blogs since then always entitled Musings of the Uncool. I also love that my idol Cameron Crowe now calls his website the same. Great minds think alike…