It definately was the world he lived in - although my world of youth was not the same as his, it was very similar.
Back in the 80’s & 90’s when I was part of the punk scene - and I would say between 25 and 40% of the people I knew in the scene from 1985 to now have died - so 13 looks like a drop in the bucket.
OD’s, suicide, accidents, murder, Hep C, and many other nasty thing - one of the first when I was 15 someone I had met only days before jumped off a building as I was heading back to the abandoned warehouse where we all we living till now when people I know are sick with Hep C & HIV and may be dying any day now.
I interviewed Jim Carroll over the phone once for my college newspaper. I hadn’t read the book, so I rented the movie and watched it just before I called him.
Errrr…seems like a hijack to get personal, but since you asked…if you count from when I did it the first time to when I did it the last time, almost ten years. Not that was doing it all the time then. What was it like? It was great. It was wonderful. Shooting dope feels fantastic…to quote Trainspotting, of course it’s good…you don’t think we’re stupid do you???
Of course, as the very aptly named Trainspotting implies, it’s great if you want to give up on having any real life…(hmmm…which is of course part of the atraction.)
Quitting sucked. It hurts ya know. Kind of pisses me off that cigarette smokers get gum and all kinds of things to get over withdrawl and all dope fiends can do is go on a methadone program…which is more than I needed, really. Actually, I got of the physical part with some pills from my dentist (in a week…they don’t let you do that on a methadone program…).