Fresh Air Weekend: Best Of – Guillermo Del Toro & Cameron Crowe
Date: November 1, 2025
Podcast: Fresh Air (NPR)
Host: Terry Gross (with Sam Bricker introducing segments)
Episode Overview
This Fresh Air Weekend episode features two in-depth interviews with acclaimed filmmakers: Guillermo del Toro discusses his deeply personal new adaptation of "Frankenstein," while Cameron Crowe reflects on his coming-of-age as a teenage rock journalist, now chronicled in his memoir "The Uncool." Both interviews explore how formative experiences, family, and personal philosophy shape great storytelling.
I. Guillermo del Toro on "Frankenstein", Faith, and Misunderstood Monsters
Interview Start: [02:42]
Main Themes
- Del Toro’s lifelong obsession with Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
- Personal parallels between del Toro’s life and Frankenstein’s themes — misunderstood outsiders, father-son dynamics, and existential isolation
- Reflections on Catholicism, empathy, and the "uneasy truce" between science and faith
- Artistic choices in his film and its narrative structure: shifting perspectives between creator and creature
- Thoughts on artificial intelligence, immortality, and acceptance
Key Discussion Points
1. First Encounter with Frankenstein & Spiritual Impact
- Del Toro first saw the 1931 "Frankenstein" film at age 7, which instilled in him a profound spiritual connection:
"I realized I understood my faith better through Frankenstein than through Sunday Mass... the creature of Frankenstein was going to be my personal avatar and my personal messiah." — Guillermo del Toro [04:48]
2. Changing Perspective Over Time
- As a child, he identified with the son (the Creature); as an adult, with the father (Victor). This mirrored his own evolving relationship with his own often-distant father.
"I saw it as a son when I saw it first, and now I see it as a father... I had become my father whilst trying to run away from the same mistakes..." [05:50]
3. The Trauma of Kidnapping & Its Influence
- Del Toro’s father was kidnapped for 72 days, influencing del Toro’s storytelling about pain, trauma, and the longing for connection:
"A lot of the moments that happened during that kidnapping are actually obliquely reflected in the film. I tried to make it an autobiography of the soul for me." [07:36]
4. Faith, Fairy Tales & Narrative Structure
- In his adaptation, three distinct styles distinguish Frankenstein’s viewpoint (horror/monster film), the Creature’s journey (fairy tale in the woods), and a parable about the "prodigal father":
"The fairytale breadth of it all and the parable, it feels like a parable of the prodigal father." [10:23]
5. Religious Parallels: Frankenstein, Jesus, and Pinocchio
- Strong thematic links drawn:
"I triangulate the creature with Jesus and Pinocchio." [11:21]
Del Toro underscores his own lapsed but inescapable Catholic view and fascination with myth, the problem of suffering (the Book of Job), and spiritual exclusion.
6. Feeling Like an Outsider
- He relates personally to being seen as “unholy” (like the Creature):
"I'm very used to not fitting. I'm always looking through the window into the world..." [13:06]
He channels that sense of outsider-ness into all his films, not just Frankenstein.
7. Commentary on Artificial Intelligence
- Compares Frankenstein’s creation to A.I.:
"My concern is not artificial intelligence, but natural stupidity. I think that's what drives most of the world's worst features." [16:07]
He rejects generative A.I. in his filmmaking entirely:
"I am not interested, nor will I ever be interested. ... somebody wrote me an email [about AI]. My answer was very short: I said, I'd rather die." [17:42]
8. Immortality as Torment, Not a Gift
- The Creature’s endless life is not a blessing:
"Oh, I do. I'm a huge fan of death. I'm a groupie for death. ... Without rhythm, there is no melody." [19:30]
9. Death, Anxiety, and Acceptance
- Early preoccupation with death (his grandmother’s farewells at night); eventual acceptance:
"I don't fear it anymore. ... But me, I'm not afraid of dying, I hope." [20:45]
Final acceptance as life’s lesson:
"When the lights flutter and you are no longer a director or a general or a pope. ... you realize what you did or didn't do in your life. And that's the most momentous thing anyone can experience." [21:13]
10. Philosophical Underpinnings: Job and Tao
- He asked his cast to read the Book of Job and the Tao Te Ching for their parallel to the Creature’s suffering:
"Because ultimately, that's the plea of the creature too. The plea of the creature is why..." [22:11]
Acceptance and non-attachment as central messages.
11. On Criticism and Insignificance
- No longer reads reviews; sees feeling insignificant as liberating:
"I'm 61. I don't. But I did... I remember a few that are really well phrased." [23:29]
"So you found feeling insignificant... liberating." (Terry) — "Oh, great." (Guillermo) [23:20]
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
Spiritual Epiphany:
"I had St. Paul on the road to Damascus kind of experience." [04:48]
-
On Artificial Intelligence:
"I'd rather die." [17:42]
-
On Death:
"I'm a huge fan of death. I'm a groupie for death." [19:30]
-
On Acceptance:
"Acceptance is so profound. ... At the end of the day, they are what they are. ... The Tao says all pain comes from desire, which is absolutely true." [22:14]
Interview End: [24:22]
II. Cameron Crowe on Music, Memory, and "The Uncool"
Interview Start: [24:31]
Main Themes
- Crowe’s real-life story as a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone and the basis of "Almost Famous"
- Navigating a controlling but intellectually demanding mother
- The inner workings of rock culture in the 1970s—on the road, backstage, and the power of music as personal identity
- Legendary mentorship by rock critic Lester Bangs
- The complexities of proximity vs. objectivity as a journalist
- Recollections of interviews with music legends like David Bowie
Key Discussion Points
1. Family Roots & the Almost Famous Dynamic
- Crowe’s mother was cautious, controlling, and wary of rock music, yet gave Crowe intellectual freedom:
"She always respected intellectualism. If I could somehow pin it to intellectual success, I had a way in. So to go on the road with Led Zeppelin at 15, I had to really sell Led Zeppelin to her as, like, music that's based on Tolkien." [28:30]
He highlights her "truth-teller" nature and the real dialogues dramatized in "Almost Famous."
2. Sneaking Into Rock via Journalism
- Used the "writer" angle to gain parental permission to tour with bands:
"Ultimately ... she said ... put on your magic shoes. Call me every night and don't take drugs. And that was my ticket out." [28:30]
His refusal to indulge in drugs built trust and professional rapport with musicians:
"The best response is no... They generally say, smart kid, more for me." [29:29]
3. Early Experiences with Live Music
- Crowe’s early concerts attended with his mother—Bob Dylan (1964) and Eric Clapton—resulted in powerful moments of connection:
"Even she kind of understood what the power of rock sometimes could be. ... When the concert was over, we were walking out and she said, you know what? Your music is better than mine." [33:28]
4. Age Gap and the Life of a Young Reporter
-
Awed as a teenager by young musicians (who now seem just "kids" to him):
"I thought they were ... seasoned adults ... they were 22 ... the distance between 15 and 22 is enormous." [34:57]
-
Built trust partly because San Diego was an "end of tour" town and he stood out as a young, eager fan:
"Here's a kid ... with a notebook full of questions based on the music ... they're like, get that kid in here. ... They really talked to me. They really opened up." [37:14]
5. Lessons from Lester Bangs (as played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Almost Famous)
- Bangs advised him:
"You cannot make friends with the rock stars... You have to make your reputation on being honest and unmerciful." [39:36–41:15]
Crowe describes Bangs as a "politician for the soul of rock" and a personal legend.
6. Navigating Objectivity vs. Friendship
- Crowe skirted the line between insider and objective writer:
"Generally, I thought, like, be the guy that's there to document it. And when you're done, go home. Don't stay out or try and hang out in the hotel rooms. Go back to your room and transcribe the interview." [43:24]
Tells a story about almost jamming with the Allman Brothers before being gently “dis-invited” (guitar taken away):
"Hands appeared kind of behind me and lifted the guitar out of my hands... and I just felt like, oh, that's cool. I'm in heaven. And there goes the guitar." [45:17]
7. The David Bowie Assignment
- Bowie asked Crowe to "hold up a mirror":
"He said to me, hold up a mirror to me. I want to see what you show me." [45:33]
Bowie’s realness amid constructed personas:
"You're meeting David Jones, who's aggressively throwing David Bowie at you." [47:59]
On Bowie’s "managed" departure:
"He knew he was dying ... and he did this album, Black Star, which is his statement about the death that was coming." [48:33]
8. Groupies, "Band Aids" and Penny Lane
- The real and fictional Penny Lane: privacy, emotional carnage, and the centrality of loving music above all:
"Penny Trumbull was one of the ones that really opened up to me and told me what it was like emotionally to follow a band and to crave that experience of being in an empty arena after you'd seen the show that meant so much to you." [50:39]
Favorite "Almost Famous" scene: Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane, alone dancing in an empty arena.
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On mother's attitude:
"She always respected intellectualism...I had to really sell Led Zeppelin to her as, like, music that's based on Tolkien." [28:30]
-
On objectivity:
"You have to make your reputation on being honest and unmerciful." — (Lester Bangs in Almost Famous) [41:15]
-
On Bowie:
"You're meeting David Jones, who's aggressively throwing David Bowie at you." [47:59]
-
On letting go as a reporter/insider:
"Be the guy that's there to document it. And when you're done, go home." [43:24]
Interview End: [52:28]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Del Toro on Faith, Frankenstein, and Personal Mythology: [02:42]–[24:22]
- Crowe on Teenage Journalism, Family, and Rock's Golden Era: [24:31]–[52:28]
Tone & Style
Both interviews are highly personal, introspective, and often humorous, blending sharp wit with emotional candor. Del Toro speaks in metaphor and parable, elegantly mixing the philosophical with the practical. Crowe’s stories are warm, self-deprecating, and affectionate, giving a nostalgic yet clear-eyed look at youth, music, and vulnerability.
For Listeners Who Missed the Episode
This episode offers moving insights into how formative traumas, family, faith, and a sense of not belonging can fuel artistic vision — whether it's del Toro’s monstrous parables or Crowe’s rock and roll memoirs. Both guests share how their most personal moments became their richest creative material, making for an episode about storytelling, survival, and the messy humanity behind legends and legends-in-the-making.