Jim Carroll R.I.P.

living in Ft Lauderdale when i was 12 yrs old my clock-radio was set to wake me up with the classic rock radio station -- probably SHE 103.5 FM -- which sprinkled in amongst the AC/DC and Journey the occasional curveball, and one song that i started hearing before school every morning for awhile there was "People Who Died" by the Jim Carroll Band. it was so different from everything else on there that even without the provocative chorus it would have stood out, but the lyrics blew my mind...how could such a dark song be so catchy? how could they be allowed to play it on the radio in between "Wheel In the Sky" and "You May Be Right"? I loved it.

it wasn't until a few years later that i really dug into that whole first album and read "The Basketball Diaries." what a great record and a great book....i need to go back to the poetry.

sad news this weekend that Carroll died of a heart attack at age 60. according to the CatholicBoy site he was at his desk working.