He's With the Band

And yet, unto the end, William is convinced that his story will not be complete unless Russell shares with him the Secret of Rock. Who'd trust a mere critic to discern the true meaning behind the artist's music? Certainly not this critic-turned-artist behind the camera.

It reminds me of a story that a teacher friend of mine told me about discussing poetry with her ninth grade class. "Why don't we just ask the author what it means?" one student asked. The teacher smiled a little at this naive approach to lit crit. "We can't. He's dead." The kid's face dropped in horror. "Then I guess we'll never know what it means."

Let it bloat: Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, left) and friend (Patrick Fugit) witness rock's commercial girth in Almost Famous

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Almost Famous starts Friday at area theaters.