C&L's Late Nite Music Club with Jim Carroll (RIP)
By MaxMarginal Monday Sep 14, 2009 7:00pmPoet, author, and musician Jim Carroll passed away from a heart attack this weekend while working at his desk. Known best for the autobiographical book and film The Basketball Diaries, Carroll turned his personal struggles into art with tremendous amounts of humor and honesty, but somehow staying out of overearnest territory.
Howie Klein sums it up well at his place:
Jim led a poet's life, a beatnik's life, a free spirit's life. He died in his home in New York City on Friday. He left the world a better and a more beautiful place by his brief presence.
The Jim Carroll's band's 1980 single "People Who Died" is his best and most widely known musical work, but is merely a skinny slice of his very rich body of work over the years. Enjoy.
(The 50 State Strategy post has been moved to tomorrow)
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I'm sorry to hear of Jim Carroll's death at such a young age. RIP.
was my fav along with Three Sisters. It was big music in my life. True talent.
I'm glad I quit smoking over five years ago. Maybe I'll live a bit longer. R.I.P. Mr. Carroll, my condolences to your family.
ok god...im ready now
Jim Carroll I salute you my brother!!
It's an open field. RIP bro. If there is such a thing.
ever! I loved People Who Died! Gonna have to turn that song on and crank it for Jim! sadly ironic!
Pale Blue Eyes
From The Velvet Underground Live at Max's Kansas City.
If you listen closely to the person speaking as the song begins, you'll be listening to a young Jim Carroll, who was holding the mic during the recording of the performance. He pops up all over the album.
I had/have everything else from Velvets up until the (relatively) recent releasing of the post-Loaded(OK, post-VU, of course, recorded pre-Loaded), but I never got ...Max's. Guess I've now got a reason, so to speak...
. . . what a cheery frickin' song.
I mean, I liked it, the guy lived it, it's not a pose, but Jeziz.
Condolences to the family. 60 is far too young. Makes me wonder if his youthful vices may have damaged his heart.
probably just his body...
My bet is on the Catholic schooling...
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Goddamn it--way to ruin my day, mofu!! People who write songs like that aren't supposed to die!
Well, he apparently died at his desk while working. With the state of today's economy--loss of retirement monies, 401k's, etc and the healthcare boondoggle--Jim apparently died at a place more and more of us probably will as well...
And I didn't even know that The Basketball Diaries was his!!
RIP, and strength to his family. I hope I'll be able to play "People..." again and crack up laughing like I used to ('cause it pissed most people off at my neighborhood bar!) rather than just crack, like I'm sure I will for sometime.
Loved him, loved that entire era, somehow had more meaning that today. Been playing the song all day --- as Uncle Joe mcCarthy says ' ok god, I'm ready'.
I saw him in New Haven in the 80s reading poetry talking about Warhol.
One of my all time favorite song lyrics is from People Who Died. "Johnny got busted on a narco rap. He beat the rap by ratting on some bikers. He said, hey I know it dangerous, but it sure beats Rykers. The next day he got offed by the very same bikers".
Mine to bro
......
Fuck!....
back in the early '80's.
I was bartending in a small Ukrainian bar/restaurant in the East Village. He, Allen Ginsberg, and other local and national poets used to meet on Monday nights on St. Marks and come to the bar for drinks afterward. This was a weekly occasion while I was there.
I knew of him because I was into punk. We used to get Blondie and others show up once in awhile. Joe Jackson was one of my favorites, a great guy -
but that's a story for another time.
While Ginsberg was a bit arrogant, Carroll was always nice, and from what I remember, a good tipper - the rest of them were poor tippers. Carroll never acted like he was better than anyone, even though he was very well known. He showed respect to other poets who wanted to share material with him in the bar.
I wish I had better memories of those times. But, after all, I was bartending, and this was the era when everyone I knew in NYC did Columbian Marching Powder, drank like a fish, and screwed like rabbit's (this was just before AIDS became what it is now, and the city shut down sexually for a while).
But, I remember I liked him, his music, and his writing. He will be missed...
this ruined my day. heard about it right after watching the movie the Wrestler, so that was weird. I always liked this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdftnLhRCuQ, and heard it live way back when when we opened up for his band locally. what a raw, powerful band.
but there is even better lyricism on Catholic Boy. Some of the best in pop music.
Too bad, but luck of the draw I guess assuming heart attack working at the desk isn't a euphemism. Hell, I always say that Marianne Faithfull and Iggy Pop are still alive so what is the moral compass for clean living?
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