Morning Bites: William Gibson’s future, Jim Carroll Vs. Gil Scott-Heron, Alex Gilvarry, Dirty Three, and more

Zach Baron had heard rumors of a high school football rivalry between Jim Carroll and Gil Scott-Heron.  He discusses it at The Daily. Alex Gilvarry talks to NPR about From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant.  Edith Wharton: born into wealth, great writer, kinda awkward. Pay attention to this Leonard Cohen kid who has a poem in this week’s New Yorker.  He’s gonna be huge. We’re living in William Gibson’s future.  The New York Times on Gibson’s Distrust That Particular Flavor. At Slate: Matthew […]

Continue Reading

Bites: The last days of a punk poet, King Dork banned?, the Dickens Question, Chicago Olympics, Park Slope protest, more

The New York Times on the last days of Jim Carroll. Lit. Frank Portman’s King Dork: future banned book? Every now and then, we just have to re-bring up the question “Why are we still reading Dickens?” (The Rumpus reminded us that The Guardian reminded us a few weeks ago.)  Answer: good characters, good stories, social, historical, amusing, etc….  I’m glad we keep ending at the same conclusion. Famous novelists spies.  Very cool.  Tolkien, Greene, Maugham, Fleming… The Millions on […]

Continue Reading

Bites: The Tolkien clan gets their due, People like 2666, Jim Carroll interviews, that guy who knows Chuck Norris, and more

Lit Breaking!  Nerd World scoops EVERYBODY and gets the “terms” that Warner Bros. and the family of J.R.R. Tolkien (above) settled on. Stephen Elliott at The Rumpus on people who have read, who are perpetually reading Bolaño’s 2666. Three Guys One Book review Beg, Borrow, Steal by Michael Greenberg. Boing Boing posts an interview from 1987 with the late Jim Carroll All the cool stuff you didn’t know the Boston Public Library had is going on display. Granta is hitting […]

Continue Reading

Jim Carroll: R.I.P.

“Jim Carroll, the punk rocker who spun engrossing tales of his crazy youth into “The Basketball Diaries,” died Friday in Manhattan, according to The New York Times. He was 60 and the cause of death was a heart attack.”

Continue Reading