This is a true story. In the fall of 1979 Cameron Crowe at 22 years of age walked into the office of principal William Gray's office and asked permission to attend classes for the full length of the school year to resear...This is a true story. In the fall of 1979 Cameron Crowe at 22 years of age walked into the office of principal William Gray's office and asked permission to attend classes for the full length of the school year to research a book he was to write of his experiences inside the walls of ridgemont high and redondo beach, California.