I spent a lot of time seeing Jim Carroll when I was in college. This was when I went to poetry readings and gatherings and everything I possibly could, and Jim Carroll was, well, Jim Carroll. I also got to see his band play, a lot. Lenny Kaye was in his band, and while I would probably cringe today if I found a live recording of one of their shows somewhere, at the time I thought they were great. And Jim still read almost every year at the New Year’s Day reading at St. Mark’s.
Jim was accessible. Jim was kind. Jim never treated me like a stupid kid from the suburbs, which is what I was at the time.
Selfishly, this shit is getting entirely too close to home.
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