Clerks For College Classic
Have any of you seen Clerks? Well, in case you haven't, I think playing street hockey on the roof of a store, discussing whether bj's count as sex or not and fucking a corpse are solid material for a college classic.
-- Andre L.
Editor In Chief Ryan McNally replies: Yo Dre, like Dante says, "Don't suck any dicks on your way through the parking lot." Just kidding, bro. You're absolutely right. Clerks is prime college classic material and will be featured on the site in the near future. In the meantime, check out our review of the Kevin Smith helmed Chasing Amy and our Top 10 Sing-A-Long Scenes list, which includes the tremendous "Beserker" song from Clerks.
Stillwater: Truth or Fiction?
I found your review (Almost Famous) because indeed I was wondering whether the band Stillwater really exists. I totally agree with you that every little detail in this film sounds absolutely authentic -- this is the sound of my teenage years, so I had to buy the soundtrack right after watching the film. Yet unfortunately they don't tell you anywhere how much of it is remixed or original or simply made up. I don't recall any group of the name Stillwater. Since you seem to know so much about it, perhaps you could tell me? By the way, your review is very good.
-- Gudrun P., Germany
There was a band called Stillwater. They formed in the early '70s and produced 3 albums. They were from a town called Warner Robins, about 10 miles south of Macon Georgia. They were made up of local talent from Northside High School and Warner Robins High School. They jammed with the best of the Southern Rock Bands at the time. I have two of their albums and am curious how the name Stillwater was picked. The story line is so close to their story -- let me know.
--Karen B., Independence, OR
Editor in Chief Ryan McNally replies: I've done some digging, but I haven't been able to uncover how the name Stillwater was picked. However, numerous articles I researched stated that the Stillwater of Almost Famous fame is a fictional band, making no mention of the Stillwater that Karen references. According to Creative Screenwriting magazine, "Stillwater was a composite of a number of bands Crowe toured with." The following excerpt from an interview with Director Cameron Crowe on E-Online also sheds some light on this topic:
E-Online: Is Stillwater more or less Led Zeppelin?
Cameron Crowe: Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers. There's a lot of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Eagles in there, too.
In reference to Gudrun's question regarding the music of Stillwater, check out the following excerpt from an Entertainment Weekly article: "If you find yourself enjoying a few songs by a phony band called Stillwater, don't be TOO embarrassed. The 1973 mustache collective featured in writer/ director Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous has a legitimate rock pedigree. Pearl Jam's Mike McCready is the real talent behind Russell Hammond, the band's charismatic lead guitarist (played by Billy Crudup), while ex Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson (Crowe's wife) plays rhythm guitar for the group. What's more, '70s vet Peter Frampton penned several of the Stillwater tunes heard in the movie, and Wilson and Crowe cowrote the band's bass driven anthem 'Feverdog,' which made the film's soundtrack." Also contributing to the Stillwater sound include Marti Frederiksen (Motherland) on vocals, John Bayless (The Lovemongers) on bass, and Ben Smith (also of The Lovemongers) on drums. Hope that helps!
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