Jim Carroll's writings meant so much to me when I was young. The Basketball Diaries, The Book of Nods, Living at the Movies, Forced Entries and Fear of Dreaming-- I can recite 'em all. How could I not relate? Like Jim, I was a teenage sports prodigy (football), and I peddled my ass to closet queens at 53rd and 3rd to fund a narcotics addiction. Well, technically, I was addicted to Capri Sun (during my darkest hour I was up to five bags a day), and I worked after school bagging groceries in the suburban Midwest. But I once saw an older man that I believed to be gay, and I was pretty good at football. So I can relate.

But while I love Jim Carroll's books, and I loved hearing him read in Seattle six or seven years ago (where he premiered the lovely "8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain"), his music is always disappointing. He has one undeniably great song, the joyous and poignant "People Who Died," and a whole lot of cut-rate new wave that's hard to listen to. I wish I could say that this strange little EP was something different, but it ain't.

Strange EP, indeed. Most peculiar, mama. As anyone that's heard Carroll sing can attest, he never scored a major label record deal due to his lovely singing voice. Why, then, should this release be centered on a cover tune (Del Shannon's immortal "Runaway")? Jim's version here is fair, though it helps that he's obviously not taking himself too seriously. And he hits the "wa wa wa wa wonder" high notes, with some help from his backup musicians. But still. Who's looking for this?

The new song here is called "Hairshirt Fracture" and it's decent. Jim only half-sings the lyrics, which are, as always, interesting. And the backing music is simple and understated, avoiding the overproduction that's marred most of his studio work. Check out his I Write My Name album sometime and you'll see what I mean.

And then there are three live cuts from 1998 to round out the record. "I Want the Angel" and "It's Too Late" are both culled from Catholic Boy, and they happen to be two of Carroll's better non-"People Who Died" songs. "Falling Down Laughing" comes from his 1998 album, Pools of Mercury. Needless to say, it's not of similar caliber.

So, to recap: that's one Del Shannon cover, one okay new song, and three live versions that are spunkier but no more interesting than their studio counterparts. Whoa. This EP is really bumming me out, man. I need some kind of escape. Dude, hand me that pointed straw... and then that bag of Capri Sun. Yeah, that's right, I'm just gonna punch open one. Just one. I swear it.

-Mark Richard-San