His readings in the '90s were terrific. He was frail and a little burnt out but he so damn glad to be there, signing books and answering questions.
Think I'll start collecting now for a Ft. Tryon Park bench nameplate...
n 1978 I lived at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. One afternoon I heard a knock on my door. When I opened it there stood a tall, drugged out looking, skinny guy about my age with stringy red hair. With him were 2 other guys that were larger and even scarier looking than him. With a fast talking New York accent and a desperate tone the red headed one held up an LP and blasted into this rapid fire sales pitch:
"Listen, I know you don't know me but my name is Jim Carroll and I have a band called The Jim Carroll Band and I am on Rolling Stones Records and Tapes. I have a single coming out next month called "People Who Died". I just this minute got back from England and what I have here in my hand is a copy of the new Rolling Stones album called "Some Girls". This THE ONLY COPY THAT EXISTS IN THE UNITED STATES. I haven't even heard it. Nobody has heard it, not one single person in the U.S. has heard it, but YOU can be the first. My only question to you is: DO YOU HAVE A STEREO?"
Now wait a second, yes I had a stereo, a very nice one as a matter of fact. More importantly I also had a fair amount of drugs in my room that took a whole day of hustling to get and I wasn't about to let this trio of losers bust into my room and take my shit.
The album did look authentic though with the Rolling Stones logo and what have you so I let them in.
As everyone knows the first song is "Miss You" which begins the that opening line "nah nah nah nanana" in falsetto. We all had a hard time figuring out if I had the turntable set at the right speed but of course I did.
We listened to both sides of this fabulous album. On the way out Jim flipped a paper back book to me which of course was "Basketball Diaries" and said:
"Check it out, this is the story of my life. One day you can say you met me."
Jim Carroll was a great author and a good man. He took the time to help a number of my friends beat their addictions. I heard him read from "4 ups and 1 down" a couple of years ago and the performance was magnetic. I hope that his publishers re-release some of his work that's been really hard to find. His spoken word albums are excellent. RIP
Nowadays in the EV, one is addicted to cupcakes, fro-yos and ramen, and their idol is Carrie Bradshaw. Wonder what prose or poetry these Scary Sadshaws will be writing, or if any of them will be remembered when they die?
I know it's been said, but this has been a simply awful year, hasn't it? It's one thing if we lose heroes in a world that feels like it's being renewed by the young, but who is coming up to take the place of these dead heroes? Where are men with the artistic courage to live like Jim Carroll and create genuine, emotional works surrounding topics that we've completely sublimated as a society? RIP.
Jim Carroll was one of the best rocknrollers I ever saw/reviewed, at J.B. Scott's in Albany in the early '80s. A passionate singer and committed, hallucinatory rocknroll poet, the guy led a fabulous band that was the last word in punk-inflected rock. He'll be missed.
Really sad. I have a thing against addicts, but from everything I saw/read about him he really did struggle and make efforts to renew his life. He was aware of the damaged done to him and worked with it and worked past it. And most of all, he was really in touch with the good and bad of it all and that’s why I think he never really relapsed or became a sad caricature of a former addict.
@EddieTheDane: Oh, E the D, me too, only I was playing the basketball players. Come over to my house and sing me "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" by the Ramones and I'll let you go to third.
09/15/09
09/14/09
Think I'll start collecting now for a Ft. Tryon Park bench nameplate...
09/14/09
09/14/09
"Listen, I know you don't know me but my name is Jim Carroll and I have a band called The Jim Carroll Band and I am on Rolling Stones Records and Tapes. I have a single coming out next month called "People Who Died". I just this minute got back from England and what I have here in my hand is a copy of the new Rolling Stones album called "Some Girls". This THE ONLY COPY THAT EXISTS IN THE UNITED STATES. I haven't even heard it. Nobody has heard it, not one single person in the U.S. has heard it, but YOU can be the first. My only question to you is: DO YOU HAVE A STEREO?"
Now wait a second, yes I had a stereo, a very nice one as a matter of fact. More importantly I also had a fair amount of drugs in my room that took a whole day of hustling to get and I wasn't about to let this trio of losers bust into my room and take my shit.
The album did look authentic though with the Rolling Stones logo and what have you so I let them in.
As everyone knows the first song is "Miss You" which begins the that opening line "nah nah nah nanana" in falsetto. We all had a hard time figuring out if I had the turntable set at the right speed but of course I did.
We listened to both sides of this fabulous album. On the way out Jim flipped a paper back book to me which of course was "Basketball Diaries" and said:
"Check it out, this is the story of my life. One day you can say you met me."
Now I am glad to say that I did.
09/14/09
09/14/09
I saw the Jim Carroll Band on SNL and bought the first album the next day. Only later did I discover his writing.
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R.I.P.
09/13/09
Nothing was ever really the same after that.
09/15/09