The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Stephen Presents: Cameron Crowe

Date: November 28, 2025
Guest: Cameron Crowe
Host: Stephen Colbert

Episode Overview

This special Thanksgiving episode of The Late Show Pod Show features Academy Award and Grammy-winning filmmaker and journalist Cameron Crowe. From sharing cozy Thanksgiving family traditions to deep dives into music, memory, and belonging, Stephen Colbert and Crowe discuss Crowe’s new memoir, The Uncool, the meaning of “uncool,” and the singular intimacy of music as both home and haven for outsiders. The episode also marks the ongoing collaboration between Crowe and Joni Mitchell and features a touching, personal message from Mitchell to Colbert.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thanksgiving Traditions and Memories

(00:50–09:09)

• Family and Food:
  • Stephen and producer Becca swap Thanksgiving plans, family menus, and rituals.
    • Stephen’s hosting: 27 people, two turkeys, “four pies, a cake… two of everything.”
    • “We kind of collect people around Thanksgiving… Like, what are you doing? Come on.” — Stephen Colbert [02:29]
  • Becca’s making homemade English muffins, and shares small-group traditions from Chicago.
• Cooking Tips:
  • Stephen details his dry brine turkey method:
    • “Give like a 36-hour dry brine. That thing’s gonna be juicy as the pilgrims needed.” [04:35]
  • Both share favorite side dishes and debate dressing versus stuffing, peas and pearl onions, oyster pie, and the origins of “chess pie.”
• Nostalgia and Inclusion:
  • “We usually have a sing along afterwards. We just get out the sheet music and we just sing.” [02:53]
  • Both show how food rituals keep alive memories of loved ones.—
    • “We always do a bag of microwave corn… to honor them, we do microwave corn every year.” — Becca [06:33]

2. Introducing Cameron Crowe: The Spirit of Rock and Roll Thanksgiving

(09:09–10:57)

• Rock and Roll Week:
  • Becca segues to “Rock and Roll Thanksgiving,” noting that Crowe, though not a musician, sets the theme.
• Gratitude and Musical Connections:
  • Crowe has a note from Joni Mitchell to Stephen — an example of artists expressing thanks for each other.
    • “He brought along a note from Joni Mitchell saying… that she enjoys our work and what more do you want?” — Stephen [09:43]
  • Stephen reflects on how much these symbolic gestures mean, referencing previous messages from other musical legends.

3. In-Depth Interview: Cameron Crowe

(10:57–19:47)

A. Memoir and Musical Origins

• The Uncool: Reclaiming Outsider Status
  • Crowe describes being both a “pack rat” historian and a perennial outsider.
    • “I was not A part of any real friend group. I was somebody who later found community in the musicians I would go to interview, because they, too, had kind of been outsiders.” — Cameron Crowe [12:55]
  • Title explained: Crowe felt uncool growing up, eschewing rock at his mother’s insistence, feeling “outside,” and finding home among other misfits.
    • “Music kind of grabs you and says, there’s a place in the world where people like you, outsiders, belong.” — Cameron Crowe [13:14]
• Music as Emotional Connection:
  • Music’s unique ability to make people feel seen and known.
    • “You hear this and it makes you want to listen to a song, like, 50 times because you feel heard and known. And that’s the greatest feeling, I think.” — Cameron Crowe [13:47]

B. Formative Experiences

• First Concert:
  • Bob Dylan, Riverside, CA, 1964 (“The local gym”), when Crowe was seven.
    • “This guy…jauntily with, like, you know, loose Levi’s and a big white shirt, and it was Bob Dylan. And he had just written Times They Are a Changin’.” — Cameron Crowe [14:20]
• Early Journalism & Being Out of Place:
  • Interviewing Kris Kristofferson at 15, learning to let the silence work for the interview.
    • “I realized the more I didn’t speak, the more he enjoyed the conversation, which was a key to interviewing.” — Cameron Crowe [16:21]
  • Back at school, feeling disconnected: “I played [David Bowie] in my class, and they fell asleep, basically.”

C. Rock and Roll Education

• Touring with Led Zeppelin for School Credit:
  • “I have an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine…go on the road with Led Zeppelin. Can I get a class credit for doing that? And he said, sure.” — Cameron Crowe [16:48]
  • Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stone, directing movies instead of law school—a chronology of rebellion (and familial trepidation).
    • “It was sitting on the table, the Oscar, and my mom leaned forward and said, like, it’s not too late to go to law school.” — Cameron Crowe [17:51]

D. Collaborating with Joni Mitchell

• Joni Mitchell Biopic:
  • Crowe reveals their process: ongoing, personal, collaborative, and shaped by Mitchell’s deep archival instinct.
    • “She’s kept all her costumes, all of her clothes, all of her instruments…This is a really personal, wonderful kind of look at her life and music.” — Cameron Crowe [18:31]
  • Special Message:
    • “I spoke to her the other day and I said I was going to see you, and she said to give you this message: ‘As a proud Stephen Colbert fan, I appreciate how you always stand your ground.’” — Cameron Crowe, quoting Joni Mitchell [19:21]
  • Colbert, amused: “Joni, if you’re listening, I’ll come to wherever you wanna be. Let’s get on Brandi Carlisle’s boat. I’ll interview you there. No cameras. We can just hang.” [10:40]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Music kind of grabs you and says, there’s a place in the world where people like you, outsiders, belong.” — Cameron Crowe [13:14]
• “You hear this and it makes you want to listen to a song, like, 50 times because you feel heard and known. And that’s the greatest feeling, I think.” — Cameron Crowe [13:47]
• “There’s so much to talk to you about…you’re working on a biopic for Joni Mitchell right there. You’re working on this with Joni, I assume?” — Stephen Colbert [18:18]
• “As a proud Stephen Colbert fan, I appreciate how you always stand your ground.” — Joni Mitchell, via Cameron Crowe [19:21]
• “I was not a part of any real friend group…I later found community in the musicians I would go to interview.” — Cameron Crowe [12:55]
• “It was sitting on the table, the Oscar, and my mom leaned forward and said, like, it’s not too late to go to law school.” — Cameron Crowe [17:51]
• “We usually have a sing along afterwards. We just get out the sheet music and we just sing.” — Stephen Colbert [02:53]

Essential Timestamps for Key Segments

• Thanksgiving Cooking and Traditions: 00:50–09:09
• Introducing Cameron Crowe & Joni Mitchell’s Message: 09:09–10:57
• Cameron Crowe Interview – Memoir & Roots: 10:57–14:03
• First Concert & Early Journalism: 14:06–16:43
• Rock and Roll School Credit & Film Career: 16:48–18:12
• Joni Mitchell Biopic & Message: 18:18–19:47

Tone & Style

Warm, nostalgic, and touched with whimsical humor and reverence, the conversation blends the coziness of a Thanksgiving table with the awe of meeting musical legends. Both Colbert and Crowe lean into the theme of gratitude—toward family, tradition, and the power of music to connect outsiders.

For Listeners Who Missed It...

This episode is a must-listen for anyone fascinated by music history, filmmaking, or the unconventional paths that lead from feeling like an outsider to telling the stories of icons. Cameron Crowe’s stories are full of humility and heart, paired with Colbert’s trademark wit and warmth. The highlight: Joni Mitchell’s handwritten message—reminding us all that gratitude and artistic connection can be passed, hand-to-hand, from one generation to the next.