Shortly after the start of the film Crazy Heart, while watching the flirtatious conversation between Jeff Bridges and the younger Maggie Gyllenhaal, it’s easy to forget that Gyllenhaal’s character Jean is actually working (and not the kind of working that’s done on a street corner). As an aspiring music journalist based in Santa Fe, Jean secures the opportunity to interview legendary country star Bad Blake thanks to her uncle’s local music connections. After only a brief courtship lasting two nights, she ends up in bed with Blake, throwing her journalistic integrity out the window.
I know it’s a movie, but it doesn’t seem the most sensible choice for a thirty-something single mom, risking her career (and her heart, aw) for a washed up alcoholic. But I guess there lies the film’s conflict.
NY mag’s Vulture blog researched the portrayal of music journalists in film over the years, to determine the most realistic characterization of the profession. Turns out, the reporter-subject affair story line isn’t that uncommon.
One of my favorite journalist-turned insider roles is that of William in Almost Famous (2000). Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, and allegedly based on his teen years writing for Rolling Stone, William carefully treads through the uncertainty of traveling with the band Stillwater, and struggles with growing close to his subjects while attempting to remain objective in his writing. Like a younger Tom Wolfe, minus his three-piece white summer suits, William experiences life as Stillwater lives it, from the parties and the groupies (or “band aids” as Penny Lane describes them), to management disputes, and acid trips.
Wolfe himself originated this “new journalism” in the 60′s. His book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test tells the tale of Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters as they traveled the country in their loud colorful school bus, dropping acid, and tuning out amidst an era of change.
As far as I know, Wolfe was not romantically involved with any of his subjects (but who knows, it was the sixties), but it’s completely possible that other ethically questionable behavior did occur. The kind of writing that Jean and William attempt (and Wolfe succeeded in creating) is challenging. Having so much access to a subject can produce great insight without the boundaries that are often so hard to break down in a traditional interview. But as one grows closer to a subject, the stakes become much higher. In Crazy Heart, the outcome of Jean’s interview with Bad is never revealed. Her profession becomes secondary, which is fine, but ultimately I was left wondering: Did she write a story? Did anyone ever find out about their relationship? If so, would any former employer recommend her for another job afterwards?
