Reconciliation

Jim Carroll was late. The couple we were drinking and waiting with at the Magic Stick in Detroit were proof of the old adage that married couples hanging out with singletons is a dangerous proposition. When I immediately realized the other woman was far cooler than my wife, I knew we were in trouble. And when I looked at the other man, I saw proof that Piltdown Man might really have existed --with the help of horn-rimmed glasses and a stroke of good luck. On the way there, the steam rising from the street grates had looked hellish, even though it was winter -- February 21, 1998, in fact. When Jim Carroll finally came on stage, he looked to be in an altered state. By then, so was I.

I'd seen The Jim Carroll Band play in the early 1980s, in a dive in Raleigh, North Carolina. "People Who Died" was a personal favorite, and I remember him being late then, too. In a van, coming from New York City, the band had been pulled over, he'd said then. "I thought they might make me squeal like a pig," he'd quipped in his quavering voice. This time, in Detroit, he did a pitch perfect impression of William S. Burroughs and read poetry, told stories, looking as cool and deranged as ever. I don't remember how the night ended, but I remember how it all began.


My sister Linda and my brother-in-law (i.e her husband) Roy recently saw The Drive-By Truckers do their sizzling cover of "People Who Died" in Greensboro, North Carolina, which triggered a number of memories. The dive where The Jim Carroll Band played also showcased Steppenwolf (the real deal) and The Violent Femmes. The place was so small, I got to talk to members of the Femmes. What I remember most was Gordon Gano's dismissal of the beer on tap: "It tastes like piss," he said.

Above: A picture of Monokini, an early 2000s tribute album dedicated to 1960s French pop.

Todays Rune: Defense.

Birthdays: Francis Scott Key, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Herman Melville, Mother Jones, J. Lee Thompson, Dom DeLuise, Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, Étienne Roda-Gil, Jerry Garcia, Jim Carroll, Robert Cray, Chuck D (Carlton Douglas Ridenhour), Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey, Jr.), Sam Mendes, Valery Ortiz.

Oui, joie de vivre!