Jim Carroll died on this day in 2009 at 60 years of age. He struggled most of his life with severe drug & alcohol dependency. He was a brilliant novelist, poet and musician. This is one of his songs he recorded with his band, certainly one of the most powerful songs ever about the demons many have fought. James Dennis “Jim” Carroll (August 1, 1949– September 11th, 2009) was an American author, poet, autobiographer, and musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, which inspired the 1995 film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll.
In 1978, after he moved to California to get a fresh start since overcoming his heroin addiction, Carroll formed The Jim Carroll Band, a new wave punk styled rock band , with encouragement from Patti Smith, with whom he once shared an apartment in New York City, along with writer and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
He performed a spoken word piece with the Patti Smith Group when the support band dropped out at the last moment. Carrolls band originally formed and were based in theBolinas California. The musicians were Steve Linsley (bass), Wayne Woods (drums), Brian Linsley and Terrell Winn (guitars). They released a single “People Who Died”, from their 1980 highly acclaimed debut album, Catholic Boy .
Carroll, 60, died of a heart attack at his Manhattan home on September 11th, 2009. He was reportedly working at his desk when he died.He left us on this day (Sept. 11th) in 2009: poet, author, post-punk rocker & basketball player Jim Carroll (heart attack, age 60); his troubled early life was documented in best-selling 1978 memoir ‘The Basketball Diaries’; he published his first book of poetry at 17, then worked for Andy Warhol, script-writing & co-managing his theater; he formed The Jim Carroll Band in 1978 with the help of Patti Smith & released his 1980 debut album ‘Catholic Boy’ – its “People Who Died” was an instant underground hit, considered a staple of the New York punk scene; the song eulogized his real life childhood friends, the “characters” from ‘The Basketball Diaries’; albums ‘Dry Dreams’ (1982) & ‘I Write Your Name’ (1983) followed; Jim also collaborated with the likes of Lou Reed, Blue Öyster Cult, Boz Scaggs, Ray Manzarek of The Doors, Pearl Jam, Electric Light Orchestra & Rancid; ‘The Basketball Diaries’ was made into a 1995 film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jim
The Fat Angel Sings 