‘Almost Famous’ Gets a 20th Anniversary Oral History for ‘Origins’ Podcast

With the 20th anniversary of the release date of the film “Almost Famous” approaching in September, the “Origins” podcast is getting a jump of the commemorating by launching a five-part series about the making of Cameron Crowe’s much-loved rock ‘n’ roll comedy-drama.

Writer-director Cameron Crowe, who based the movie on his own experiences as a teenaged Rolling Stone journalist in the 1970s, has been interviewed for the retelling of the making of the film. So have principal cast members Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand and Zooey Deschanel — along with cameo player Jimmy Fallon, who was right in the grey zone between famous and almost famous when the film was made.

Others interviewed include Peter Frampton, one of the many musicians Crowe profiled for Rolling Stone back in the day; Nancy Wilson of Heart, who contributed instrumental music to the film; and the “real” Penny Lane, the “band-aid” upon whom Hudson’s character was based.

The first episode goes up July 8. The series can be found here.

Other “Origins” podcasts have featured oral histories of “Sex and the City,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Saturday Night Live” and ESPN. The show is written and narrated by James Andrew Miller, and executive-produced by Miller with Cadence13 top content officer Chris Corcoran.

A new stage musical version of “Almost Famous” premiered at San Diego’s Old Globe last fall, to enthusiastic reviews, and is hoped for as a Broadway prospect at some point after legit stage productions resume.