
Jim Carroll
Writing
Biography
James Dennis "Jim" Carroll was an author, poet, autobiographer, actor and punk musician. He was the author of “The Basketball Diaries,” a cult-classic memoir of his drug-fueled misadventures as a teenager in the 1960s. Then he became a celebrated downtown poet; and then in 1980, the star of his own hit rock band. With the help of the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, Carroll signed a record deal and in 1980 the band released its first album, "Catholic Boy. He appeared in two feature films and a couple of documentaries.
Known For

A high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
The Basketball Diaries

Fridays is the name of ABC's weekly late-night live comedy show, which aired on Friday nights from April 11, 1980 to April 23, 1982.
Fridays

The new guy in a Los Angeles high school, Morgan, does some singing and fights hotshot Nick over disco dancer Frankie.
Tuff Turf

Maria Beatty's documentary exploring the insights and influences of the American Beat Poets. The film conveys their consciousness and sensibility through interviews with William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Diane Di Prima, among others. Also weaves in additional commentary from contemporary musicians, poets and writers such as Marianne Faithfull, Richard Hell, Lydia Lunch and Henry Rollins. Also expands upon how the poets reached new levels of creativity and inspired social change.
Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets

Hupar wakes up from a 20-year coma. Disoriented, he soon meets Arete, a young poet and Sophis, a TV newswoman. Together, the three team up to expose corporate crime in a crumbling city scape of the very near future.
Listen to the City

More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Early in the film, Charles Bukowski talks about the energy of poets and of a poem. These poets are the children of Walt Whitman and of Charles Olson, incantatory and oratorical, radical, sometimes incorporating contemporary political imagery. Black Mountain poets, the Beats, minimalists like John Cage, the wordless Four Horsemen, Tom Waits, and others capture aspects of poets as troubadours.
Poetry in Motion

This film, based on a Jim Carroll short story, recounts the tale of Curtis and his encounter with voodoo. Curtis is a drug addict who has become paranoid, thinking that his wife's mother has cast evil spells on him. He meets his friend Jim and asks him for help in counteracting her black magic. Jim tries to reason with his friend, but when that fails, he decides to play along and make him a talisman. Drawing a snake on a scrap of paper and mumbling an incantation, Jim gives him this charm. This immediately solves Curtis's problems...or does it?
Curtis's Charm

A look at the life and work of American publisher Barney Rosset, who struggled to bring controversial works like "Tropic of Cancer" and "Naked Lunch" to publication.
Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press

Lou Reed was wise to chronicle a concert by his early-'80s band, featuring lead guitarist Robert Quine and bassist Fernando Saunders. Reed had used them on his trilogy of strong albums -- The Blue Mask, Legendary Hearts, and New Sensations -- released between 1982 and 1984. This 52-minute video, shot at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ, in 1984, is a straightforward, no-frills live show. Reed, in black T-shirt and black leather pants, stands on-stage before a cityscape background and makes his way through a set that features both a selection of Velvet Underground songs, and his sole hit single, "Walk on the Wild Side," plus highlights from his three recent albums, notably such songs as "I Love You Suzanne." As such, the video makes a good Lou Reed career sampler.
Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby Live in Jersey
A unique and insightful documentary following the experiences of college baseball players as they compete in one of the most prestigious amateur leagues in the country, The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). There are currently over 200 MLB players that have spent time in the Cape Cod League. Filmed over the summer of 2003, Touching The Game takes viewers behind the scenes of the CCBL, from host families and hot dog vendors, to fans and former players, now household names through their own Major League careers. Featuring extensive interviews, incredible aerial footage, and a local soundtrack, Touching The Game shows baseball in its purest form.