Jim Carroll

Diagnoses

Vocation

Notable

American writer, poet, singer and rock composer, a Pulitzer Prize nominee for his 1973 book of verse, "Living at the Movies." A critic in 1969, he also taught at poetry workshops and New York projects from 1968-1971. His 1978 book, "The Basketball Diaries" and his 1980 song, "People Who Died" have established him as something of a post-punk cultural icon. "The Basketball Diaries" was made into a controversial 1995 film starring Leonard DiCaprio. Born in New York City’s Bellevue Hospital, he attended a Catholic grammar school, and entered a public high school when he was in the eighth grade. He was awarded an academic/athletic scholarship to an elite private Catholic high school, Trinity. Sometime in the winter of 1963-1964 he first tried heroin and was addicted by the summer of 1965. In the spring of 1966, he played in National High School All-Star Basketball Game in Washington, DC. He began attending the St. Mark poetry workshops in the fall of 1966, and began writing "Organic Trains," which was published a year later. He briefly attended Warner College and Columbia University, then dropped out to write full-time. In 1970, extensive selections from "Basketball Diaries" were published in "Paris Review" which earned Carroll the Random House Young Writer’s Award. The same year, he met Patti Smith and moved in with her and Robert Mapplethorpe. He began working for Andy Warhol around this time, writing film dialogue and then later co-managing Andy Warhol’s Theatre. In 1973, "Living at the Movies" was published. That same year, he decided to deal with his heroin addiction. In 1974, he moved to California to successfully complete treatment. From 1975-1978, he continued publishing poetry. He married his wife, Rosemary, 9/14/1978 in Reno, Nevada. Also in 1978, he gave his first rock’n’roll performance, opening for Patti Smith in San Diego, then formed the Jim Carroll band. In 1979, he had a record contract from Rolling Stone Records. He toured from 1980-1981 with the band and in 1983 appeared in the film, "Poetry in Motion." More poems and movies followed, and in 1986 he published "Book of Nods" and divorced Rosemary. In the ‘90s, Carroll has continued work on novels, and has begun transforming monologues into short stories. He suffered a fatal heart attack on September 11, 2009 at his Manhattan home. Link to Wikipedia biography