Living at the Movies, First Edition - Books by Jim Carroll - CatholicBoy.com". Catholicboy.com . Retrieved July 10, 2009. At its core, The Basketball Diaries is an important piece of literature that shines a light on the unforgiving world of drug abuse, the realities of life on the streets, and the challenges a struggling teenager faces. It is a cautionary tale, reminding readers of the perils of addiction and the long-lasting consequences it can have on one’s life.

He hung out in Greenwich Village and went to a poetry reading with Carroll, basically living out Goluboff's fantasies. 7. THERE WAS A DRUG CONSULTANT ON SET.

It was within this surreal playground that a fourteen year old basketball phenom decided to record his thoughts as his life slowly unraveled because of heroin. The Basketball Diaries was banned largely due to its frank and explicit depiction of drug addiction, sexual content, and offensive language. Author Jim Carroll, detailing his adolescence in New York City in the 1960s, frankly discusses his experiences with heroin addiction, prostitution, and teenage rebellion. As the movie opens, Jim ( Leonardo DiCaprio) is on the basketball team at St. Vitus High School in New York, where a perverted priest salivates while spanking naughty students with a big paddle and the rest of the class watches. This scene owes more to Victorian pornography than to any actual parochial school in 20th century America, but no matter: The message, I guess, is that the teachers are such hypocrites you might as well go out and destroy yourself. Although these are stark realities, they are perceived by many as inappropriate and controversial, especially for young readers.

Carroll was born to a working-class family of Irish descent, and grew up in New York City's Lower East Side. When he was about 11 (in the sixth grade) his family moved north to Inwood in Upper Manhattan. [2] He was taught by the LaSalle Christian Brothers. In fall 1963, he entered Rice High School in Harlem, but was soon awarded a scholarship to the elite Trinity School. [2] He attended Trinity from 1964 to 1968. [3]

This case ignited a broader debate about the influence of media on violent acts. It raised complex legal, ethical, and sociological questions about the boundary between art, freedom of expression, and societal safety.

Goldman, Marlene (January 8, 1999). "Mercury Rising (1999) – Jim Carroll Interviews". CatholicBoy.com . Retrieved December 18, 2012. I will add as a post-script that "People Who Died" is one of my all-time favorite running songs, and arguably one of the best of ALL songs. I have no idea how The Basketball Diaries holds up, but that song will definitely live on forever! I don't think of "The Basketball Diaries" when I consider those two novels. Because "The Basketball Diaries" isn't fiction. People Who Died" was most recently used in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn, and the end credits of the Season 4 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel episode "Everything Is Bellmore", paying tribute to late cast member Brian Tarantina. Book Genre: Autobiography, Biography, Biography Memoir, Classics, Coming Of Age, Contemporary, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poetry, Sports, Young Adult

Carroll, Jim (1987). Forced Entries: The Downtown Diaries 1971-1973. New York City: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0140085020. As the diary progresses, Carrol begins to flirt more and more with H. Never buying at first, only using when others around him supply the deadly euphoric, Carrol begins a dance that starts off as a waltz but turns into a frenetic assemblage of hands and feet that no choreographer could put any semblance to. As the diary moves from year to year, Carrol’s decline becomes obvious as his basketball status slowly loses its luster. Folks know he has game, but they never know exactly what game is going to show up at any given time. Life for Jim is a downward spiral of pills, cough medicine, booze, jumping off cliffs into the Harlem River, passing out during a game and masturbating under the stars (the movie heroically declines to score this scene with "Up on the Roof"). There are also exciting glimpses into the underworld of users, pushers, hookers and pimps, as Jim drifts loose from his secure moorings, while writing everything down in his diary.

Carroll identified Rainer Maria Rilke, Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, James Schuyler, [6] Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs as influences on his artistic career. [7] Writing [ edit ] Carroll became sober in the 1970s. [3] After moving to California, he met Rosemary Klemfuss; the couple married in 1978. [4] The marriage ended in divorce, but the two remained friends. [3] Death [ edit ] Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi) played Jim's mom; Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) portrayed Bobby, Carroll's friend with leukemia; and Vincent Pastore (Big Pussy) had the honor of getting vomited on while riding the ferry. When asked in 2010 about some of her favorite roles, Bracco cited her work in The Basketball Diaries, saying"it was a really great character." 12. THE BASKETBALL SCENES WERE FILMED AT SCOTT KALVERT'S FORMER HIGH SCHOOL. In 1995, Canadian filmmaker John L'Ecuyer adapted "Curtis's Charm", a short story from Carroll's 1993 book Fear of Dreaming, into the film Curtis's Charm. [13] Music [ edit ] The Basketball Diaries is an autobiographical work by Jim Carroll documenting his 1960s New York City adolescence. The story outlines his journey as a talented young basketball player and student at an elite Manhattan private school.

Our discussion will journey through cultural contexts, societal responses, and the ongoing debate about freedom of expression and safeguarding youth. He had to stay in New York City and meet with a Vatican monsignor who investigates miracles, "like the image of Christ burnt into a tortilla," for research. 14. CARROLL DIDN'T LIKE THE MOVIE. On the other hand, supporters argue that the book presents a realistic depiction of the horrors associated with addiction and the destructive path it potentially leads to, thus serving as a stark deterrent.