My friend and endearingly prurient former colleague Chris of Gun Shy Assassin beat me to this one. He must have seen the same press release I did. In any case, in what I would consider a strenuously unlikely set of circumstances, it turns out that erstwhile burly Cro-Mags vocalist-turned-memoirist-and-dietary-consultant John "Bloodclot" Joseph is about to start giving walking tours of the Lower East Side. As Chris sagely offered, "walking tours [are] what old people do," but this actually sounds like it could be something different.
For those unfamiliar with the oeuvre of John Joseph....
“As a resident of the Lower East Side, Joseph squatted in condemned tenements, lived below a murderer (the Alphabet City butcher Daniel Rakowitz), scuffled with the Guardian of St. Marks Ave. John Spacely and witnessed the Tompkins Square police riot,” says a press release. “While still a teen, Joseph survived life on the streets acting as a heroin mule and pulling cons. He spent close to two years in the worst juvenile prisons in New York state Spafford and Lincolndale.”
As I detailed at some needless length back on this post, I was an avid fan of John's work with the Cro-Mags. Since those days, I actually picked up his sprawling autobiography and even became Facebook friends with the man (for whatever that's worth). Despite his and his fellow Cro-Mags' notorious reputation and, well, all evidence to the contrary, John actually seems like an perfectly nice guy... if possibly a bit intense. A couple of months ago, I was walking over to East 13th and First Avenue to pick up my 7-year-old daughter at a birthday party, and who should I spy rounding the corner was big John Joseph himself, bounding to the southwest with a vigorously purposeful stride that amplified an unmistakable "FUCK YE NOT WITH ME" sentiment, which I duly accommodated. I did once accost secondary Cro-Mags guitarist (and Kraut founder) at the Virgin Megastore during its death throes, but that's a different story (which, should a damn be given, can be read here).
In any case, given my slavish preoccupation with the Lower East Side's rich history regarding all things bohemian, punk, whathaveyou, I'd actually be really curious to hear what John Joseph might have to say and might sign up for one of these walks.
Who's with me? C'mon! It could be fun.
Recent Comments