Widely regarded as the magnum opus of filmmaker Cameron Crowe, “Almost Famous” is a comedy-drama film that centers around a teenage journalist named William Miller (Patrick Fugit), who finds himself embroiled in the chaos of the ’70s rock scene while writing for Rolling Stone.
Because “Almost Famous” is semi-autobiographical (being loosely based on Crowe’s experience as a teenage rock journalist), the film features several real-life journalists and historical figures. These include the music journalist Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), well-known socialite and philanthropist Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), and the “Legendary Red Dog,” played by Zack Ward. The real “Legendary Red Dog” was a longtime roadie for the Allman Brothers Band, whose real name was Joseph L. Campbell.
Campbell was a well-known figure in the world of ’70s Rock and Roll, and he eventually compiled all of his stories from that time into a book called “The Legendary Red Dog: A Book of Tails.” Ward certainly did more than enough to bring this legendary roadie to life on the big screen, and many fans of the movie will undoubtedly remember his iconic and absurd line, “You can taste the color with your mind, brother.”
