{"id":10333,"date":"2025-06-10T23:56:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T06:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/?page_id=10333"},"modified":"2025-06-10T23:57:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T06:57:00","slug":"breathtaking-performance-new-york-based-spoken-word-artist-author-dazzles-ann-arbor-by-mackenzie-a-wilson-the-state-news-michigan-state-university-23-february-1998","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/performance-reviews\/breathtaking-performance-new-york-based-spoken-word-artist-author-dazzles-ann-arbor-by-mackenzie-a-wilson-the-state-news-michigan-state-university-23-february-1998\/","title":{"rendered":"Breathtaking Performance: New York-Based Spoken Word Artist, Author Dazzles Ann Arbor (1998)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Mackenzie A. Wilson
The State News<\/a>, Michigan State University
23 February 1998<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
The State News \u2022 MIEKE ZUIDERWEG

Beat poet and rock performer Jim Carroll reads one of his poems for a standing room only audience at the Blind Pig, 208 S. First St. in Ann Arbor, on Friday night. Carroll touched on topics ranging from social taboos to Kurt Cobain\u2019s death.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

ANN ARBOR<\/strong> \u2014 The colors of maize and blue remain the heralding empire of nearly everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have the endless streets of art galleries, used-record stores, movie theaters and an unlimited list of assorted cuisine. A good medical school and sports program bold their fame, and their basketball team is something less to be desired. But still, the \u201cother\u201d school seems to have just a bit of an edge when being fashionably cool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ann Arbor\u2019s Blind Pig played the lucky hosts to beat poet\/rock performer Jim Carroll\u2019s spoken-word performance on Friday night. It was a stuffy, standing room only atmosphere comprised of wall to wall varying ages. Jim Carroll stumbled to the stage with his ritual cigarette in an angelic, yet bumpy grace \u2014 ritually ignoring the crowd\u2019s beaming stares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll notice tonight my really low tolerance for alcohol,\u201d he chuckled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dimmed fuchsia and black lights draped Carroll\u2019s naturally pale complexion as he fussed with his music stand and fumbled for his glasses. Kind of disoriented during the first five minutes, he added, \u201cAh! My little light went out man!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His thick New York accent began the night with an excerpt from his unfinished collection \u201cThe Petting Zoo.\u201d Hand motions presented Carroll\u2019s point to be precise, his want to be exact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sexual desires and connotations painted several poetic pieces sneakily, yet evidently. He frequently referred to busty blondes, once recognizing Jayne Mansfield. Adolescent frustrations were vividly illustrated in an untitled piece referring to a boy masturbating over Barbra Streisand, not knowing the assassination of John F. Kennedy was taking place. Perversion was a societal taboo, marked by a mother who condemned this action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe (God) took his omniscient eye off the president for one minute \u2014 he was so shocked at your perverse action,\u201d Carroll mimicked graphically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carroll cupped his wiry cheek bone-length red hair and stoically swayed, so subtle, then clasped his hands together as he began \u201cEight Fragments For Kurt Cobain.\u201d Carroll explained frustrations caused by the hype of fame and fortune which drove Cobain to the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carroll knows, he\u2019s been there. The catch is that he survived it, unlike Cobain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd instead you were swamp crawling down deeper, until you tasted the Earth\u2019s own blood\u201d captured his heartfelt pain for Cobain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jim Carroll\u2019s ability to let imagery independently arise, was right on Friday night. A newly composed poem \u201cJukebox\u201d was core-cutting \u2014 \u201cI play only 45s, I do not show videos.\u201d A humorous poem about a cat showed Carroll\u2019s compassionate side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was the most obnoxious cat \u2026 He once puked on me when I passed by \u2026 he had no name \u2026 he didn\u2019t need one.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMessage Left on an Answering Machine\u201d closed the show with Carroll assuring the crowd \u201cthat\u2019s what it basically was.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carroll has a quiver. A presence so breathtaking, you have to stop and think again; he is just another guy. He redefined that again and again in Ann Arbor. Too bad East Lansing didn\u2019t have the chance to see that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new spoken-word album with a few songs, featuring members of Screaming Trees and Soundgarden, is being finalized while a new book \u201cVoid of Course\u201d is set for a September\/October release.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All content \u00a9 1998\u00a0The State News<\/em><\/strong>
The original online version of this article was found at\u00a0http:\/\/www.statenews.com\/editionsspring98\/022398\/ms_carol.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mackenzie A. WilsonThe State News, Michigan State University23 February 1998 ANN ARBOR \u2014 The colors of maize and blue remain the heralding empire of nearly everything.  They have the endless streets of art galleries, used-record stores, movie theaters and an unlimited list of assorted cuisine. A good medical school and sports program bold their fame, … Continue reading Breathtaking Performance: New York-Based Spoken Word Artist, Author Dazzles Ann Arbor (1998)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3985,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"folder":[38],"class_list":["post-10333","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P9VlUH-2GF","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10337,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/performance-reviews\/jim-carroll-the-blind-pig-ann-arbor-mi-20-march-1998-and-magic-stick-detroit-mi-21-march-1998-review-by-eric-jackson\/","url_meta":{"origin":10333,"position":0},"title":"Jim Carroll The Blind Pig and Magic Stick (1998)","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"June 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Jim Carroll at The Blind Pig (Ann Arbor, MI), 20 March 1998and Magic Stick (Detroit, MI), 21 March 1998Review by\u00a0Eric Jackson Friday Night, Ann Arbor Well a lot has happened since I first came across Jim Carroll. I was 17 years old and my sister bought me a copy of\u00a0The\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3984,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/jim-carroll-tour-log-1995-2008\/","url_meta":{"origin":10333,"position":1},"title":"Jim Carroll: Tour Log 1995 – 2008","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"2008 St. Mark's Annual New Year's Day Marathon (New York, NY), 1 January 200833rd Annual New Year's Day Marathon Reading 2007 Brooklyn Book Festival (Brooklyn, NY), 16 September 2007\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jim Carroll, Gloria Naylor and Joe Meno Mass MoCA (North Adams, MA), 5 May 2007 St. Mark's Annual New Year's Day Marathon\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4037,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/photos-video-audio\/photo-gallery\/photos-of-jim-carroll\/","url_meta":{"origin":10333,"position":2},"title":"xxPhotos of Jim Carroll","author":"catholicboy.com","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"If you have any good photos of Jim Carroll, please email them to me! 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The newest additions are PDFs. If you have ever seen Jim Carroll perform live, please send me your review and\/or photos! Lucky Dog Music Hall (Worcester, MA) 16 April 2005Photos by Laura Vona University of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10331,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/performance-reviews\/jim-carroll-to-make-michigan-appearances-by-mackenzie-a-wilson-the-state-news-michigan-state-university1998\/","url_meta":{"origin":10333,"position":4},"title":"Jim Carroll to Make Michigan Appearances – by Mackenzie A. Wilson – The State News – Michigan State University(1998)","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"June 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Jim Carroll to make Michigan appearancesBy Mackenzie A. 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