Althouse: "Those are people who died, died. They were all my friends, and they died."

September 14, 2009

"Those are people who died, died. They were all my friends, and they died."

"Poet and punk rocker Jim Carroll has died at age 60... after suffering a heart attack.... The track 'People Who Died' was one of the most-requested songs on FM radio [in 1980]... 'He was a sweet, sweet man, and I'm going to really miss him'...."

29 comments:

ricpic said...: Having had a blessedly protected childhood, I can't relate.; 9/14/09, 4:29 PM
KCFleming said...: I loved punk and New Wave.

But after a few listens, nihilism becomes such an awful and pointless bore.

It eventually got parodied, by Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias in their song Snuff Rock.

"'Cause living is a cliche
It's all been done before
Death is the only thing we've got left to live for

Life is cheap, but death is free
Die, die, die, come die with me; 9/14/09, 4:32 PM
Rich B said...: I like that song, but it really has a bouncy beat for a song about young, dead people.; 9/14/09, 4:35 PM
ricpic said...: Come die with me, come die, let's die away...
Let's die away, let's get on board the plan of Obambay...; 9/14/09, 4:37 PM
MadisonMan said...: You know, I hadn't heard that song for probably 25 years. And it all came rushing back to me. Great song.; 9/14/09, 4:40 PM
traditionalguy said...: While Death does focus your mind, Death is everyones' enemy and is a cruel foe. Beware of spending time with anyone who sees death as a friend or as meaningless fun.; 9/14/09, 4:41 PM
Anthony said...: I heard that song on the radio this morning and thought seeing a post about it here was a weird coincidence, but I guess not.; 9/14/09, 4:46 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: I just found out my guitarist friend died.; 9/14/09, 5:01 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: That's a weirder coincidence.; 9/14/09, 5:02 PM
Henry said...: I loved punk and New Wave.

But after a few listens, nihilism becomes such an awful and pointless bore.

It is a necessary evil. You can't just have art rock hanging around unopposed.; 9/14/09, 5:11 PM
Unknown said...: ricpic said...
Come die with me, come die, let's die away...
Let's die away, let's get on board the plan of Obambay...

Priceless!! True, sad to say, but priceless; 9/14/09, 5:13 PM
Fred4Pres said...: RIP Jim.; 9/14/09, 5:19 PM
Methadras said...: I gotta be honest here and say that I hated that song. Hated it.; 9/14/09, 6:11 PM
Anonymous said...: I love that song. Just googled it myself the other day.

However, I am absolutely shocked that Jim Carroll has been alive all these years.; 9/14/09, 6:40 PM
Anonymous said...: There's a guy in the video that sort of looks like Leonardo DiCaprio...; 9/14/09, 6:43 PM
Kirby Olson said...: I loved that song. I knew him as a poet and then was stunned that he became a big rocker for a while. How did he afford his lifestyle? He must have gotten some money from the movie, and from his books, but how much?

I was thinking about him a few days ago, and thinking, whatever happened to Jim Carroll? Then, this?

I really liked the song about all the kids he knew that had died.

Carroll by the way was very big: about 6'8". He was really muscular when he was about 30.

But I agree that the nihilism got to be so much. I couldn't take it.

Why didn't he turn into a Christian like a normal person?; 9/14/09, 6:58 PM
Revenant said...: Speaking of "people who died", Norman Borlaug passed away this last weekend. RIP.; 9/14/09, 7:00 PM
AlmaGarret said...: I loved Jim Carroll. It was great to hear this song again. I was going to UCLA when this song came out, and the LA punk scene was pretty amazing at that time.

Seeing DiCaprio so young is interesting given how he never seems quite a grown up to me, and yet physically he has changed so much and filled out.; 9/14/09, 7:05 PM
Wince said...: Chris Kelly was a shady fund raiser

for Blago in Chicago,

But before Fitzy could get him to testify,

he OD'd on aspirin -- and he died!

[Repeat chorus]

wv - "shemoter" = woman who emotes; 9/14/09, 7:13 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Patrick Swayze saw a ghost he was 57 years old.
He danced dirty, he had pancreatic cancer
then got pneumonia and didn't wake up

Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died

I saw him in the movies and he died.; 9/14/09, 7:18 PM
jayne_cobb said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/14/09, 7:19 PM
Tom Grey said...: It's not the nihilism that's the problem, it's the fact that the song feels like it should go somewhere ... but in the second time thru, it doesn't, quite.

I saw him in San Francisco when he came out, but he was not quite memorable enough.

Joe Strummer, and Joey Ramone; their deaths I'll miss a lot more.; 9/14/09, 7:22 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: ACORN wanted reform now, it was 39 years old.
It was broadly accused of voter fraud then was filmed helping set up a presumed prostitute and her pimp.

Those are people who died, died Those are people who died, died Those are people who died, died Those are people who died, died
They were unethical activists and they died.; 9/14/09, 7:43 PM
rhhardin said...: Turkey Vultures waiting.; 9/14/09, 8:04 PM
Penny said...: "Death is everyones' enemy and is a cruel foe."

A cruel foe, indeed, but for those who are in extreem physical pain with no chance of recovery, I suspect that death would come as a friend.; 9/14/09, 8:06 PM
rhhardin said...: Imus, on NYT crossword puzzle editor Will Weng in the early 90s, ``What word has four letters and begins and ends with D?''; 9/14/09, 9:45 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm shocked he made it to 60. The song is better if you've read The Basketball Diaries, which is a great read. It makes clear just how terrible drugs really are, much better than Burroughs does.

WV: dablip: da sound by cel phone makes when it's out of juice.; 9/14/09, 10:04 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Love the song - it's a classic example of arresting punk and almost THE statement of an age - and Jim Carroll had others that were pretty good as well. He'll be missed at TMR.

Yes, Norman Borlaug died too. He was a great man and it's a crying shame hardly anyone knows his name.

And Patrick Swayze is probably the only NewAger I've felt serious concern for in years. I wanted him to beat that thing but, come on - it's cancer - so the odds were against him. His wife wasn't a NewAger, so he got the best shot he had. Woulda been dead a lot sooner if he'd gone the Steve McQueen/Farrah route - not to mention dying without dignity or with a hell of a lot less money for his family.

Death is nothing. A part of life. Starting from the age of 5, I've seen more people die than I can count - and in more ways than most: premature death from sickness, murders, accidents; saw one guy lose his head, another run over on the freeway, and even a few suicides. So I'll never be "spiritual", or religious, or believe in ghosts. Anyone who does - with all the evidence around that it's bullshit - is a fool. People just die, like animals, which is all we are.

Now kiss your ass goodbye, and try to do something truly "good" before you go:

It's all you got.

The Macho Response; 9/14/09, 10:49 PM
The Scythian said...: The song isn't nihilistic in the slightest.

That jangly spikey guitar and the relentless beat that make you want to dance, or at least bounce in your chair? That catchy refrain that it's almost impossible not to sing along to?

Well, you can dance and sing and, yeah, even miss the people who died because you're not one of them.

It's a big middle finger and a life affirming primal scream of "Fuck you!" in the face of death.

(Even though, you know, we miss the people who died and it hurts.); 9/15/09, 3:55 AM