If I were a real, professional blogger with industry cred, I might be compelled to cover the following topics:
- Kayne West pulling the VMA trophy from Taylor Swift and making a complete ass of himself and all the white folks who fell for him in the first place because his album titles promote the fact that he’s a credible hip-hop musician who also graduated college, or something like that.
- Jim Carroll‘s death. Don’t get me wrong, I loved “People Who Died” as much as the next guy, but the rest of that debut album was kind of pedestrian to my ears and, maybe sadly, I never got around to checking out his poetry. The little bit I once saw of that Basketball Diaries movie looked good, though. If Carroll looked like Leslie West rather than a cross between David Bowie and Kevin Bacon would I be feeling less compelled to cover the man’s passing?
Sorry, I’m in a bit of a grumpy mood today after a blow-out, fun weekend only interrupted by my boys’ soccer team’s second-half collapse and news of a friend dying. My friend Tim never wrote anything as catchy as “People Who Died” or chronicled his life as a teenage basketball star and junkie, but in his short life he lived through more hardships (eg, heart transplant at 16, loss of his seemingly healthy nonsmoking wife to lung cancer at the age of 33, a few battles with cancer himself until this last one beat him) than any hardships most celebrities can cook up to induce on themselves. Tim was a solid, soulful guy from the time my friend Mary Beth first introduced him to me as her new boyfriend to the last time I saw him. I’ll always remember the penultimate time I saw him.
Last October, my friend Pete and I met up with Tim and his brother at the prescribed inning along the concourse down the third base line at Citizens Bank Park to watch an inning of the Phils-Brewers’ division playoff game. Throughout the second half of the 2008 Phillies season, we’d been making a habit of meeting during the same inning of all games on our season ticket plan. It was becoming a good luck inning, and that night we got to witness Brett Myers‘ shocking and epic at-bat against CC Sabathia, which was punctuated by Shane Victorino‘s grand slam! As the ball traveled before our eyes, we grabbed each other and hugged with all our might. We hugged anyone in reach. Man hugs. Women hugs. Kid hugs. Love was in the air, and it wouldn’t surprise me if a couple of complete strangers conceived that night, seconds after the ball cleared the leftfield wall.
I still have no interest in discussing Kanye West, but I’m now better able to empathize with whatever some of you may be feeling about Jim Carroll.
What!!!???!!!! Jim Carroll died??
I didn’t know this. I saw him give spoken word performances (i.e. readings from his book) a few years ago and thought he was great.
I’m surprised by his death… but not shocked.
Carroll isn’t one of the greats, but I do think he deserves credit for being someone who actually created work of distinction in more than one art form. Sort of like an athlete who can play more than one sport on the professional level. Carroll’s achievement wasn’t large, but it was real. Basketball Diaries is a pretty good book, and he was a pretty good poet too. In fact his rock and roll achievement is significantly lesser than his literary one.
How many other people who played rock and roll actually created good work that meets the standards of quality in other art forms? Sorry, Morrison and Dylan don’t count: as poets, they suck. Jimmy Buffett’s novels blow post-tequila chunks. Richard Hell has written a few pretty good pieces, and he maybe gets over the bar. Although I have mixed feelings about it, maybe Henry Rollins counts; his poems are often self-indulgent and crappy, but are sometimes actually good.
This question could be another thread, by the way, or we could discuss it right here.
Thanks for checking in on Carroll, Mwall. I was hoping you would. I’m cool with us discussing this right here, in honor of Jim Carroll.
I’ve got Catholic Boy and it’s okay. It’s not something I listen to on a regular basis, but “People Who Died” rocks well enough for me.
I like Rollins spoken word stuff. I could care less for his music.
I’ve never liked Dylan the poet.
TB
First of all, sorry to hear about your friend. That’s a rough one.
As for Jim Carroll, I agree: People Who Dies was pretty entertaining but the rest of the album is Meh. I didn’t see the BB Diaries movie but I recall the book being really good.
I’ve not read any of his books (and I only know a few of his songs) but what about Nick Cave? I thought his first book was supposed to be pretty good. Or are we just talking about poets? If that’s the case, then how about Leonard Cohen? He lettered in a couple of sports.
I was thinking any second art form. Beefheart’s supposed to be a pretty good visual artist, am I right about that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that part of his work.
What does Nick Cave write?
Beefheart’s paintings are pretty cool to my eyes. They make up the core album cover imagery for Doc at the Radar Station and the other late-period albums surrounding that one.
Cave writes books, poems, and screenplays, if I’m not mistaken.
I think I’ll have a PERnod tonight in Carroll’s honor, even if I have to go downstairs to get it (cf. VU @ Max’s Kansas City LP).
Well, as I say, I’ve not read it but if Wikipedia is to be believed, his first novel “And the Ass Saw The Angel” was compared by the critics to William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. It went on to win what I can only assume is the prestigious Time Out Magazine: Book Of The Year award in 1990.
If we’re talking about painters then Tony Bennett is supposed to be good. I don’t know if Ron Wood is really good or just someone famous who paints.
If we’re talking about acting, Tom Waits does pretty well.
I’d still go with Leonard Cohen as the guy who has the most artistic success in two different fields.
Ok, this isn’t my typical Chickenshit; but I think Brian May is actually a respected astrophysicist.
I just checked out some of Ronnie’s stuff on line. He’s just a famous guy who paints. He appears to be one step away from knocking out a series of Elvi on black velvet.
Yes, Wood is a terrible painter. The stuff I’ve seen by Tony Bennett isn’t bad. It could at least cut it as decor in a fancy Italian restaurant or nice hotel.
If talk show host counts as a lettered sport, Elvis Costello qualifies as a two-sport competitor. He’s fine on his own show, and he was very good subbing for Letterman.
Wow, I never knew that Dr. Brian May had a second life as a respected astrophysicist. That’s insane to me, for some reason.
It’s always hard to tell what these rockers do when they’re not rockin’. I picked up Macca’s book of paintings from the bargain bin and was left to wonder: If I had painted the same thing, would I get a big coffee table book published? Is he only getting notice in this field because of who he is? Which brings me to offer Macca up as he has done several things. I know there’s a book of his poetry/lyrics out there. He produced those animated films. Classical composer. Painter.
Dylan dabbles with the brush, too. So, he’s done a little of it all.
I don’t consider myself enough of an expert to adequately judge art (paintings), so I don’t know. I like the pretty pictures fine enough, though.
TB
Skunk Baxter is probably a better missile defense analyst than I am, unless you agree that ‘melt the guns’ is great analysis.
Mekon Jon Langford does cool folk art style portraits of musicians:
http://www.lemieuxgalleries.com/artist_langford.html
Kevin Coyne was a pretty good writer.
I never got Kevin Coyne. I always figured he was one of those people who must have had access to the best drugs, to get people to play with him.