There will always be a poem
I will climb on top of it and come
In and out of time,
Cocking my head to the side slightly,
As I finish shaking, melting then
Into its body, its soft skin
is not a lie
--Jim Carroll, "Poem"
from Void of Course (1998)

Welcome to CatholicBoy.com!

This site is an in-depth exploration of the work, biography, and legacy of New York poet/diarist/lyricist/performer Jim Carroll. I hope there's something here for everyone interested in learning more about him.   --Cassie Carter, PhD


The Petting Zoo by Jim Carroll

The Petting Zoo due in Fall 2010

When poet, musician, and diarist Jim Carroll passed away in September 2009, he was putting the finishing touches on a potent work of fiction. The Petting Zoo tells the story of Billy Wolfram, a 38-year-old artist who has become a hot star in the late 1980s New York art scene. As the novel opens, Billy, after viewing a show of Velásquez paintings, is so humbled and awed by their spiritual power that he suffers an emotional breakdown and withdraws to his Chelsea loft. In reclusion, Billy searches for the divine spark in his own work and life. Carroll’s novel moves back and forth in time to present emblematic moments from Billy’s life (his Irish Catholic upbringing, his teenage escapades, his evolution as an artist and meteoric rise to fame) and sharply etched portraits of the characters who mattered most to him, including his childhood friend, Denny MacAbee, now a famous rock musician, his mentor, the unforgettable art dealer Max Bernbaum, and one extraordinary black bird. Marked by Carroll’s sharp wit, hallucinatory imagery, and street-smart style, The Petting Zoo is a frank, haunting examination of one artist’s personal and professional struggles.

Rest in Peace, Jim

I am very sad to let you know that Jim Carroll died on September 11, 2009. For details, please go to the In Memoriam page.

P.S.

The site has been under construction since before Jim's death. Some of the articles (especially the performance reviews) are still not back up, but please know they will be available eventually.

Since I am still redoing the site, you're still going to run into a "404 PAGE NOT FOUND" errors. I apologize for that. Please be assured the pages will return. If you're looking for something specific that's not up yet, please contact me.

Please note, also, that . . . obviously I'm going to need to change a lot of things on this site to reflect the new reality. Please bear with me. This is not easy.