Lenny Kaye was the best friend a guy could have and a reliable guitar player in a pinch for Carroll. Kaye came to the Jim Carroll Band in 1982, when he co-wrote and performed “Still Life” with Carroll for the band’s second album, Dry Dreams. Kaye became a regular member of the band on the third album, I Write Your Name (1984), for which he also co-wrote the opening track, “Love Crimes”. Following the demise of the Jim Carroll Band, the two continued to collaborate, writing songs for Blue Oyster Cult and Boz Scaggs, as well as collaborating on new songs for the Basketball Diaries film soundtrack . . . unfortunately, the new songs were not used for the soundtrack. Later, the two collaborated on “The Beast Within” on Pools of Mercury, Audio Literature’s The Basketball Diaries, and “Woman” on Kerouac: Joy Kicks Darkness. The two also performed together onstage frequently; check out the Performance Reviews page.
An accomplished guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Lenny Kaye is perhaps best known for his work with Patti Smith for . . . I’m thinking it’s in the 60+ years vicinity as of 2025, much of the time as lead guitarist for The Patti Smith Group. He also had his own band, the Lenny Kaye Connection, and has worked with Suzanne Vega and Kristin Hersh. On top of all that, he’s a terrific writer (check out all of his stuff on Amazon!). He wrote the autobiography of Waylon Jennings and wrote an amazing book on crooners. Oh also, he taught an American Studies course at Rutgers University, and is a talented rock critic.
Lenny Kaye is at the top of my list of favorite Jim Carroll connections.