{"id":5901,"date":"2022-01-29T00:06:39","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T08:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/?page_id=5901"},"modified":"2023-03-21T23:25:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T06:25:27","slug":"jim-carroll-pools-of-mercury-consumable","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/music-reviews\/jim-carroll-pools-of-mercury-consumable\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Carroll, Pools of Mercury"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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\"Website<\/p>\n

Jim Carroll, Pools of Mercury<\/cite><\/span>
\nConsumable Online<\/span><\/a><\/i>, Nov.\/Dec. 1998<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Review by Christina Apeles<\/b><\/p>\n

The first time I was introduced to Jim Carroll’s music was in the eighties movie Tuff Turf in which he and his band (with Robert Downey Jr. posing as the drummer) performed that unforgettable punk song, “People Who Died.” Almost a decade later, I became acquainted with his writing and life with the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll in the screen adaptation of The Basketball Diaries<\/cite>. Now with Pools of Mercury<\/cite>, Carroll demonstrates his continuing mastery of songwriting and spoken word in this impressive fifteen track release, without a Hollywood actor in sight — Carroll is the star.<\/p>\n

One thing you could never accuse Carroll of is impassivity. With lines like, ‘It goes with vanquished steam gray desire, the last vapors of your dreams…,’ in “It Goes,” or ‘Your will is one with the force of my flow…’ from “Message Left on a Phone Machine,” his words exude anger, hunger, sorrow, and even complacency. Carroll’s music is secondary to his spoken word pieces in Pools of Mercury<\/cite>; first off, only five of the tracks are songs and secondly, it’s his poetry that seduces here, more than his melodies. This is not to say that a song like “Falling Down Laughing” is not moving. It is a somber tune, opening with slow, mellow guitar and sound effects, that gain momentum as Carroll’s singing turns into wails, with the instruments getting louder to meet him in a chorus of pure rock with heavy distortion, energetic drumming, and dramatic vibrations; while “Hairshirt Fracture” could not be farther from his punk roots, with a more ethereal feel, reminiscent of the Paris, Texas soundtrack. And there is also the noteworthy title track, “Pools of Mercury,” where Carroll throws in a gothic feel, sounding much like Love and Rockets, offering intense guitar riffs, electronic, rhythmic beats, and soft bass to support his dark, processed vocals. However, it is his spoken word pieces that are most poignant, those kept me wanting more.<\/p>\n

I could never know what it’s like listening to Jim Carroll from a man’s point of view, but as a woman, to hear him read his poetry, is to be enraptured. It’s not just his sexy voice that draws me in, because many people have deep, sensual voices — but without anything to say. Carroll, on the other hand, strings words together as an exceptional artist would: ‘like a Germanic cough drop dissolving in John Cage’s tongue’ (“It Goes”), ‘I am not a corpse buried in the snow waiting for spring,’ (“I Am Not Kurt Schwitters”), ‘Saints follow Christ, I followed a woman up 8th Ave. today, it was the color of her hair . . . shaking like dried vanilla beans’ (“Female as Thunder”).<\/p>\n

For the most part, each spoken word piece opens up with quiet atmospheric sounds that could possibly be heard on the city streets, in an industrial factory, or even the outset of an opera, rarely overpowering his voice; the instrumental backdrop serves to heighten his words, aiding the listener to further uncover the messages in his poetry. Though the rhythm of his spoken word isn’t unique — plenty of poets read in the same style — it is what he writes about that is brilliant. “Zeno’s Law of High-Heeled Shoes” is a poem that contemplates ‘every next inch of the heels of your shoes…drops me closer’ which proceeds to break into smaller and smaller increments, down to the ’64th inch of the heels,’ until he is on his knees, musing about the ‘crescent shape of numbers.’ And just when I thought he couldn’t top such verse, Carroll closes Pools of Mercury<\/cite> with “8 Fragments of Kurt Cobain,” a heartfelt reflection on the trappings of fame, the demands of celebrity status, and the struggle with drug addiction. Trying to rationalize both the death of Cobain and his own survival of similar circumstances, Carroll speaks directly to the former Nirvana frontman, ‘Genius is not a generous thing, pills and powders only placate it for a while . . . the greater the money and the fame, the slower the pendulum of fortune swings.’ Carroll even mentions how he had Cobain’s tape in his walkman when he heard the news of his death: ‘But Kurt, didn’t the thought of never writing . . . make you think twice . . . that’s what I don’t understand . . . it’s kept me alive over any wounds.’ Need I say more?<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Consumable Online<\/a><\/center><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jim Carroll, Pools of Mercury Consumable Online, Nov.\/Dec. 1998 Review by Christina Apeles The first time I was introduced to Jim Carroll’s music was in the eighties movie Tuff Turf in which he and his band (with Robert Downey Jr. posing as the drummer) performed that unforgettable punk song, “People Who Died.” Almost a decade later, … Continue reading Jim Carroll, Pools of Mercury<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3987,"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":[36],"class_list":["post-5901","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P9VlUH-1xb","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4056,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/jim-carroll-music-and-spoken-word\/music-jim-carroll-jim-carroll-band\/","url_meta":{"origin":5901,"position":0},"title":"Music by Jim Carroll & The Jim Carroll Band","author":"catholicboy.com","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Runaway EP Released: 2000 By: Jim Carroll Label: Kill Rock Stars Get this recording on Amazon Pools of Mercury Released: 1998 By: Jim Carroll Label: Mercury Get this recording on Amazon A World Without Gravity: The Best of the Jim Carroll Band Released: 1993 By: The Jim Carroll Band Label:\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover Art - Runaway EP (2000) - by Jim Carroll","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/runaway.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4057,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/jim-carroll-music-and-spoken-word\/music-jim-carroll-jim-carroll-band\/pools-of-mercury\/","url_meta":{"origin":5901,"position":1},"title":"Pools of Mercury","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Pools of MercuryBy Jim CarrollMercury Records, October 1998 Get this on Amazon.com LINER NOTES Produced by Anton SankoRecorded and mixed by Denny McNerney Mastered by Denny McNerneyRecorded & mastered at Easter Island Recording, NYC (212-229-2949)Assistant engineering--Jim Naisby The Poems: \"I Am Not Kurt Schwitters,\" \"Things That Fly,\" \"It Goes,\" and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover Art - Pools of Mercury (1998) - by Jim Carroll","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/pom.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4519,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/jim-carroll-music-and-spoken-word\/spoken-word-lecture-recordings-by-jim-carroll\/","url_meta":{"origin":5901,"position":2},"title":"Spoken-Word\/Lecture Recordings by Jim Carroll","author":"catholicboy.com","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"See also: Spoken-Word: Collaborations Pools of MercuryReleased: 1998By: Jim CarrollLabel: MercuryGenre: Music and spoken word Get this album on Amazon Curtis's Charm: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackReleased: 1996By: Music by Mark Korven with songs by My Brilliant BeastLabel: Rabid Dog ProductionsGenre: Film soundtrack Carroll reads \"Curtis's Charm,\" from Fear of Dreaming.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/naropa-university_174.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/naropa-university_174.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/naropa-university_174.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9873,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/music-reviews\/paul-mcdonald-review-of-pools-of-mercury-louisville-eccentric-observer-1998\/","url_meta":{"origin":5901,"position":3},"title":"Paul McDonald – Review of Pools of Mercury – Louisville Eccentric Observer 1998","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"May 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Mercury risingBy Paul McDonaldLouisville Eccentric Observer \"When you hear Jim Carroll's voice,you know you're in for an interesting ride.\" Back in 1994, Jim Carroll was recording some songs with Pearl Jam that would later be included on the soundtrack for the film \"Basketball Diaries.\" Carroll had been thinking of returning\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9869,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/music-reviews\/david-duncan-review-of-pools-of-mercury-memphis-flyer-1998\/","url_meta":{"origin":5901,"position":4},"title":"David Duncan-Review of Pools of Mercury-Memphis Flyer 1998","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"May 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by David D. DuncanMemphis Flyer, 28 December 1998 Listening to Jim Carroll\u2019s music is a lot like reading his poetry \u2013 it\u2019s usually a harrowing journey, but one worth all the ensuing trauma. Pungent, street-smart urban poet Carroll returns to the rock arena after a 14-year absence with Pools\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3987,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/music-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":5901,"position":5},"title":"Audio Reviews","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are some reviews of \"audio recordings.\" So far the reviews are of albums by the Jim Carroll Band and solo albums by Jim Carroll\u00a0. More to come later . . . Runaway EP Matt Ashare, \"Jim Carroll:\u00a0Runaway.\"\u00a0Boston Phoenix, 4-11 Jan. 2001.\"Carroll gives 'Runaway' his best shot, and he gets\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5901"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5903,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5901\/revisions\/5903"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=5901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}