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Genius and Heroin: The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession, and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages
What is the price of brilliance?
Why are so many creative geniuses also ruinously self-destructive? From Caravaggio to Jackson Pollack, from Arthur Rimbaud to Jack Kerouac, from Charlie Parker to Janis Joplin, to Kurt Cobain, and on and on, authors and artists throughout history have binged, pill-popped, injected, or poisoned themselves for their art. Fully illustrated and addictively readable, Genius and Heroin is the indispensable reference to the untidy lives of our greatest artists and thinkers, entertainingly chronicling how the notoriously creative lived and died—whether their ultimate downfalls were the result of opiates, alcohol, pot, absinthe, or the slow-motion suicide of obsession.
Why are so many creative geniuses also ruinously self-destructive? From Caravaggio to Jackson Pollack, from Arthur Rimbaud to Jack Kerouac, from Charlie Parker to Janis Joplin, to Kurt Cobain, and on and on, authors and artists throughout history have binged, pill-popped, injected, or poisoned themselves for their art. Fully illustrated and addictively readable, Genius and Heroin is the indispensable reference to the untidy lives of our greatest artists and thinkers, entertainingly chronicling how the notoriously creative lived and died—whether their ultimate downfalls were the result of opiates, alcohol, pot, absinthe, or the slow-motion suicide of obsession.
343 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
About the author
Michael Largo
12 books49 followersMichael Largo is an expert on the anomalous ways of American dying. He is the author of The Portable Obituary (a Bram Stoker Award Finalist), Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die (winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Nonfiction), and three novels. He was the former editor of New York Poetry and the researcher/archivist for the film company Allied Artists. The son of an NYPD narcotics detective, Largo was the owner and founder of the landmark NYC East Village, St Marks Bar & Grill during the early 80s, where he served an eclectic clientele, including Allen Ginsberg, Joni Mitchell, Larry Rivers, and Keith Richards, to name a few, allowing an insider’s look and unusual vantage to observe both genius and heroin--in all its deviations--and its impact on contemporary culture.
Michael Largo has been collecting statistics and information on the American way of dying for over a decade. He is a member of The Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America amd Horror Writers of America, and The American Historical Association.
Michael Largo has been collecting statistics and information on the American way of dying for over a decade. He is a member of The Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America amd Horror Writers of America, and The American Historical Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 15, 2015
This is a crazy book about crazy people. :)
April 12, 2014
Sooo. The book does what it promises. Sorta.
One might assume by just looking at the main title that the book is about specifically heroin addicts. Famous heroin addicts. Genius heroin addicts. But in fact if you read the fine print you'll discover that it's more of a vice thing. Less specific. Any vice/addiction/obsession will do. Obviously the point is to point out a potential connection between artistic genius and peculiaritiesc-whether it be drug addiction, obsession, eccentricities, etc. which in my mind brought up the possibility of the connection being between genius and mental illnesses and disorders. A lot of time addiction and illness go hand in hand. It's a valid, and interesting point and this book is filled with every famous artist/author who deals with these "eccentricities." So, as I said, the book served it's purpose. It was even littered with non person based info about random but relevant information. Stuff like the opium wars, statistics, old fashioned medicine, etc. But my complaint was that it got a bit repetitive. I understand that the author Michael Largo, had to fill an entire book with this stuff, but the book was thicker than it needed to be and therefor there were people in there that didn't need to be, filler people who I didn't care about. Had it been about half as long, I would have liked it a lot more. But overall a fun read. I'd recommend reading it in increments. Supplementing another read with bits from this one every now and then. Each little paragraph is self contained so there's no consistency needed.
I DID learn some interesting facts that I hadn't known before. Stuff liiiiiike...
- Lewis Carroll was a pedophile
- Emily Dickinson was an agoraphobic who would speak to people as she hid partially behind only half way open doors
- Freud was openly an advocate of cocaine, writing several papers in support of it's use
- Ronald Reagan was aerophobic (paranoid about airborne substances and drafts from doors and windows) and never slept with an open windows
- Napoleon Bonaparte was ailurophobic (fear of cats) His anxiety because of the cats that lived near his prison cell that helped scare the rodents away was so intense that it is thought that it contributed to his death.
- Aldous Huxley committed suicide via a lethal dose of LSD, hoping to make even his death a learning experience.
I'd give this a 2.5. It's actually a cut above the brain junk food I thought this would be, I learned some interesting facts about some interesting people and that gives it more value in my eyes!
One might assume by just looking at the main title that the book is about specifically heroin addicts. Famous heroin addicts. Genius heroin addicts. But in fact if you read the fine print you'll discover that it's more of a vice thing. Less specific. Any vice/addiction/obsession will do. Obviously the point is to point out a potential connection between artistic genius and peculiaritiesc-whether it be drug addiction, obsession, eccentricities, etc. which in my mind brought up the possibility of the connection being between genius and mental illnesses and disorders. A lot of time addiction and illness go hand in hand. It's a valid, and interesting point and this book is filled with every famous artist/author who deals with these "eccentricities." So, as I said, the book served it's purpose. It was even littered with non person based info about random but relevant information. Stuff like the opium wars, statistics, old fashioned medicine, etc. But my complaint was that it got a bit repetitive. I understand that the author Michael Largo, had to fill an entire book with this stuff, but the book was thicker than it needed to be and therefor there were people in there that didn't need to be, filler people who I didn't care about. Had it been about half as long, I would have liked it a lot more. But overall a fun read. I'd recommend reading it in increments. Supplementing another read with bits from this one every now and then. Each little paragraph is self contained so there's no consistency needed.
I DID learn some interesting facts that I hadn't known before. Stuff liiiiiike...
- Lewis Carroll was a pedophile
- Emily Dickinson was an agoraphobic who would speak to people as she hid partially behind only half way open doors
- Freud was openly an advocate of cocaine, writing several papers in support of it's use
- Ronald Reagan was aerophobic (paranoid about airborne substances and drafts from doors and windows) and never slept with an open windows
- Napoleon Bonaparte was ailurophobic (fear of cats) His anxiety because of the cats that lived near his prison cell that helped scare the rodents away was so intense that it is thought that it contributed to his death.
- Aldous Huxley committed suicide via a lethal dose of LSD, hoping to make even his death a learning experience.
I'd give this a 2.5. It's actually a cut above the brain junk food I thought this would be, I learned some interesting facts about some interesting people and that gives it more value in my eyes!
July 14, 2009
The whole book is like an encyclopedia of famous people who died, most of them "geniuses." How nice, and it's educational--I learned that D.H. Lawrence is not T.E. Lawrence (both included)--but I guess that's not educational, just my mistake.
Anyway, the book says its about drugs or sexual obsessions that lead to death, but the book quickly expands out to people who were just obsessed with working a lot or obsessed with somebody and eventually died, sometimes because of their obsessions, and sometimes not. This can result in some "why is this in here?" moments.
While those moments are not plentiful, just distracting, I've also encountered a handful of entries in here that just are not the way things went. Largo seems to have reorganized some people's lives (read:lied) in order to fit the book's format. These re-envisionings throw into question other entries, making me wonder what else is made up. I mean, maybe it could have just been fewer pages and ultimately stronger?
Also, some entries seem unfinished, just thrown in perhaps because he forgot the person until right before it was time to turn the book in. The Miles Davis entry is like this--one of the shortest entries in the book, and severely underwritten, since his drug use was heavily tied into his body of work and tied into his life for about 40 years.
Come on, Largo.
Anyway, the book says its about drugs or sexual obsessions that lead to death, but the book quickly expands out to people who were just obsessed with working a lot or obsessed with somebody and eventually died, sometimes because of their obsessions, and sometimes not. This can result in some "why is this in here?" moments.
While those moments are not plentiful, just distracting, I've also encountered a handful of entries in here that just are not the way things went. Largo seems to have reorganized some people's lives (read:lied) in order to fit the book's format. These re-envisionings throw into question other entries, making me wonder what else is made up. I mean, maybe it could have just been fewer pages and ultimately stronger?
Also, some entries seem unfinished, just thrown in perhaps because he forgot the person until right before it was time to turn the book in. The Miles Davis entry is like this--one of the shortest entries in the book, and severely underwritten, since his drug use was heavily tied into his body of work and tied into his life for about 40 years.
Come on, Largo.
August 19, 2018
One of my Coffee Table books. Very very interesting. I enjoy referencing and re-reading this book when I get the need.
Very well researched and I’m kind of extremely interested in the concept behind this book. Way before I ever ran across it in the bookstore.
This book speaks of all the famous artists in history who had an addiction/obsession of some sort. Not just the addiction/obsession they had but how and if it affected them and their lives. Also speaks of their art whatever it may be. Every artists or creator has a summary of why they were chosen to be put in this book. Talks about the large amount of creators that we have or do look up to and the struggles they live or lived with, whether we were aware or not and the anomaly that is Genius and Heroin.
Why are so many self expressive people addicted and in emotional pain or mentally under the weather? After a while one might think the addiction or ailment is the cause itself. What causes the beautiful remarkable artists of the world to create and be so talented? Pain? Addiction? Or is it just a coincidence? Check it and decide for yourself.
Very well researched and I’m kind of extremely interested in the concept behind this book. Way before I ever ran across it in the bookstore.
This book speaks of all the famous artists in history who had an addiction/obsession of some sort. Not just the addiction/obsession they had but how and if it affected them and their lives. Also speaks of their art whatever it may be. Every artists or creator has a summary of why they were chosen to be put in this book. Talks about the large amount of creators that we have or do look up to and the struggles they live or lived with, whether we were aware or not and the anomaly that is Genius and Heroin.
Why are so many self expressive people addicted and in emotional pain or mentally under the weather? After a while one might think the addiction or ailment is the cause itself. What causes the beautiful remarkable artists of the world to create and be so talented? Pain? Addiction? Or is it just a coincidence? Check it and decide for yourself.
December 28, 2008
The problem with reserving books from the library sight unseen is that they're not always what you expect. I was expecting more of a general look at the all-too-often self-destructive nature of genius.
Instead, this was a collection of short blurbs on people of varying degrees of fame, artistic success, and creative bent, with particular focus on how they died. While interesting, it strayed rather far from the implications of the title (not all of the people listed died from any particular actions of their own; the appellation "genius" is used so liberally as to be meaningless).
A good book of trivia for a waiting room or a bathroom, but not the sort of thing I like to sit down with and read straight through.
Instead, this was a collection of short blurbs on people of varying degrees of fame, artistic success, and creative bent, with particular focus on how they died. While interesting, it strayed rather far from the implications of the title (not all of the people listed died from any particular actions of their own; the appellation "genius" is used so liberally as to be meaningless).
A good book of trivia for a waiting room or a bathroom, but not the sort of thing I like to sit down with and read straight through.
September 5, 2012
This is a very well-researched encyclopedia of famous people (actors, authors, artists, musicians, statesmen, etc) who have been addicted to something throughout their lives. The addiction may be drugs, alcohol, notoriety, food, etc.
It seems that genius does seem to evoke an addictive personality. From Art Acord to Stefan Zweig, the sense of yearning for perfection from the individuals written about here is almost tangible.
The book is definitely informative and an interesting read. Unfortunately, I have some curiosity as to the non-inclusion of certain notable people who seemed to have the same proclivities such as Marilyn Monroe, Jim Morrison, John Belushi, etc.
I have definitely found a persuasion to read more of Michael Largo's non-fiction writings.
It seems that genius does seem to evoke an addictive personality. From Art Acord to Stefan Zweig, the sense of yearning for perfection from the individuals written about here is almost tangible.
The book is definitely informative and an interesting read. Unfortunately, I have some curiosity as to the non-inclusion of certain notable people who seemed to have the same proclivities such as Marilyn Monroe, Jim Morrison, John Belushi, etc.
I have definitely found a persuasion to read more of Michael Largo's non-fiction writings.
November 2, 2010
This book is a fact filled mini biography of many famous people and there self destructive habits and deaths. I had never read a book like this one and actually enjoyed it very much. it was fascinating to read all these incredible stories of real life people. It cleared a lot of the untrue stories involving many famous deaths. As a writer this novel showed me that having all the facts is very crucial to an interesting story. I also learned that getting an idea across through a theme can be done even in a nonfiction biographical setting.
April 27, 2010
its a a bathroom book, or train/bus
November 6, 2022
Largo shares with readers his morbid fascination with the circumstances of people's deaths across human history, driven by forms of addiction or obsession, and struggles with genius and creative expression.
This A-Z compendium of names feels a bit loosely thrown together, but that makes it an intriguing coffee table or bathroom type read to dip in and out of, or read a few entries at a time. It's a shame some of the archival images look interesting but have been printed too small to make out in detail, and without captions.
It is very striking and tragic to be reminded of how many people lived intense (often shortened) lives haunted by self-destruction, illness, and suffering. Lives also marked by achievements and recognition, even if only long after their death.
The book mostly deals with American and European figures, although does manage to cover some diversity across the timeframe and background of the mini-biographies presented. Some stories may be very familiar to some readers already, and resemble little more than Wikipedia entries; however, the bibliography of sources at the end also suggests a reliable and commendable level of research for each person/figure.
Even for familiar figures, I learned a bit more than I knew previously about their lives and deaths. And there were also many figures I had never heard of before. I found the eccentric lives of certain Surrealist and Dadaist figures (Alfred Jarry, Julien Torma, Jacques Vaché, Arthur Cravan) interesting, and it made me wonder how much of their lifestyles were a response to the existential angst and hopelessness generated by two World Wars.
Largo seems to say in his Introduction that he is not putting forward a particular thesis. But just the same, the book will tempt you into speculating about myriad possible relations between: genius, talent, self-destruction, addiction, obsession, madness (how much was due to late-stage syphilis!?), loneliness, and the hollow feelings left by fame and failure. Worthy - and yes, I'm going to say it, sobering - speculations that may well leave you feeling humble about the precious and fragile nature of lives burning brightly and often all too briefly.
This A-Z compendium of names feels a bit loosely thrown together, but that makes it an intriguing coffee table or bathroom type read to dip in and out of, or read a few entries at a time. It's a shame some of the archival images look interesting but have been printed too small to make out in detail, and without captions.
It is very striking and tragic to be reminded of how many people lived intense (often shortened) lives haunted by self-destruction, illness, and suffering. Lives also marked by achievements and recognition, even if only long after their death.
The book mostly deals with American and European figures, although does manage to cover some diversity across the timeframe and background of the mini-biographies presented. Some stories may be very familiar to some readers already, and resemble little more than Wikipedia entries; however, the bibliography of sources at the end also suggests a reliable and commendable level of research for each person/figure.
Even for familiar figures, I learned a bit more than I knew previously about their lives and deaths. And there were also many figures I had never heard of before. I found the eccentric lives of certain Surrealist and Dadaist figures (Alfred Jarry, Julien Torma, Jacques Vaché, Arthur Cravan) interesting, and it made me wonder how much of their lifestyles were a response to the existential angst and hopelessness generated by two World Wars.
Largo seems to say in his Introduction that he is not putting forward a particular thesis. But just the same, the book will tempt you into speculating about myriad possible relations between: genius, talent, self-destruction, addiction, obsession, madness (how much was due to late-stage syphilis!?), loneliness, and the hollow feelings left by fame and failure. Worthy - and yes, I'm going to say it, sobering - speculations that may well leave you feeling humble about the precious and fragile nature of lives burning brightly and often all too briefly.
July 14, 2017
Some of these people were pretty well researched, but I could find any of this information on Wikipedia. I had never heard of most of them. The title and cover are misleading as the "geniuses" listed are not all addicted to substances. It was interesting in an odd way. I would not recommend this one.
July 25, 2017
Lots of information in here - and it isn't just about heroin, it includes alcohol, opium, laudanum - as well as suicide (hanging and drowning have been the most popular) and psychological conditions.
June 25, 2019
Not only was this sordid compilation of biographies very good for a book of its sort... it also led me to seek out full-length books about several of the subjects. Fascinating bathroom reading, but works in other rooms too!
August 12, 2020
Depressing as hell (EVERYBODY DIES!) but an extremely fascinating look at genius minds and their struggles. Many of the people featured I had never heard of and there were a few people I was surprised were not here (i.e. John Barrymore), but all of these stories were interesting nonetheless.
August 10, 2020
This book has a great premise but unfortunately each entry has less depth than a Buzzfeed click bait article.
September 14, 2023
False advertising. No heroin.
August 9, 2024
Factual and spelling mistakes are frequent but am overall interesting read.
March 16, 2017
Intriguing and thorough
I've always been somewhat fascinated with the morbid and this book does not disappoint. Author goes into detail of the "afflictions" of genius. I highly recommend. Will be reading more from the author
I've always been somewhat fascinated with the morbid and this book does not disappoint. Author goes into detail of the "afflictions" of genius. I highly recommend. Will be reading more from the author
October 23, 2008
Bound Oct. 23, 2008 - Miami Sun Post
http://miamisunpost.com/archives/2008...
What Befalls a Legend Most?
The Addictions, Afflictions and Predilections of Some of History’s Greats
By John Hood
It’s generally believed that what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. But isn’t there a time when that which does kill us makes us stronger, too? When the bad we do to ourselves makes us better at what we do? I mean, specifically, drink and drugs, and the sometimes fatal amounts of both that certain creatives have imbibed in pursuit of their muse.
Now I’m not saying that everyone should go out and drink and do drugs. But you’ve gotta admit that an inordinate number of history’s greats had trouble with both. Whether the drink or drugs resulted from their inherent greatness or their inherent greatness resulted from the drink or drugs is really a chicken and egg question. No one truly knows which came first, but everybody damn sure gets to see what came after.
That’s the theme, if you will, of Michael Largo’s remarkable Genius and Heroin (Harper, $15.95), a blow-by-blow obituary of many of the world’s most manic creatives; how what they did led them to greatness and glory — and also how it led them into the grave.
Take Kurt Cobain, whose predilection for heroin is well-known. Did the dope help him to do what he did? Undoubtedly. At the very least, heroin “relieve[d] the pain” of the stomach ailment Cobain believed he had. Could Kurt have done what he did without the dope? Hard to say, especially considering that perhaps everything he did was done on drugs. As nice as it is to believe that a genius is a genius whether or not he or she is drunk or high or otherwise, the fact is all we can really be certain about are the wild rides that were their lives.
And Largo’s Genius is loaded with wild. You want dead rock stars? You’ve got ’em, with Janet and Jimi joining Kurt, in all their sordid stories. You’ve also got anti-rock legend GG (nee Jesus) Allin, who shat, shot and shunned his way to an infamy sordid won’t even touch, and Sid Vicious, the punk legend who reportedly overdosed on his own mother’s dope.
There’s a plethora of dead poets here too, among them Artaud, Baudelaire, Berryman, Rossetti and Edna St. Vincent Millay, whose respective upswings and downfalls were laudanum, opium, liquor, chloral and morphine. There are novelists, including Faulkner (drink), Fitzgerald (drink), Balzac (caffeine) and O’Hara (drink); singers such as Garland (pills and alcohol), Callas (Quaaludes) and Piaf (liquor and morphine); and filmmakers from Griffith (drink) to Mishima (hubris).
Largo even throws in some long-dead ancients: Catullus, the X-rated Roman love poet said to have died from “exhaustion” (guess he wasn’t master of his domain); Diogenes, the madman who grew so fond of watching dogs copulate he started crawling around town on all fours; and Seneca, the noble Nero ordered to kill himself, yet after slitting his wrists and downing a cup of poison, finally had to jump into a pool of scalding water to die.
Subtitled The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages, this cornucopia of famous and near-famous crazies who drank, drugged and/or fucked their way into history is a pitch-perfect addendum to Largo’s two previous outings of endings: Final Exits and The Portable Obituary. And if the cat the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls “the Capote of kaput” has used death to make quite a nice life for himself, you’ve gotta give him extra credit for consistency.
Are we morbid to be so fascinated with demise? Perhaps. Then again, since we all face the same fate, it’d be somewhat arrogant to be otherwise. And when we see that no matter how the greats faced their own fate, in the end even they came up dead, well, one can’t help but forgive them their trespasses. After all, with only a finite time on this planet, you’ve gotta make the most of life — even if it kills you.
Michael Largo reads from and discusses Genius and Heroin, Thursday Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Books and Books, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., Second Level, Bal Harbour. For more information call 305-864-4241.
Comments? E-mail: letters@miamisunpost.com
http://miamisunpost.com/archives/2008...
What Befalls a Legend Most?
The Addictions, Afflictions and Predilections of Some of History’s Greats
By John Hood
It’s generally believed that what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. But isn’t there a time when that which does kill us makes us stronger, too? When the bad we do to ourselves makes us better at what we do? I mean, specifically, drink and drugs, and the sometimes fatal amounts of both that certain creatives have imbibed in pursuit of their muse.
Now I’m not saying that everyone should go out and drink and do drugs. But you’ve gotta admit that an inordinate number of history’s greats had trouble with both. Whether the drink or drugs resulted from their inherent greatness or their inherent greatness resulted from the drink or drugs is really a chicken and egg question. No one truly knows which came first, but everybody damn sure gets to see what came after.
That’s the theme, if you will, of Michael Largo’s remarkable Genius and Heroin (Harper, $15.95), a blow-by-blow obituary of many of the world’s most manic creatives; how what they did led them to greatness and glory — and also how it led them into the grave.
Take Kurt Cobain, whose predilection for heroin is well-known. Did the dope help him to do what he did? Undoubtedly. At the very least, heroin “relieve[d] the pain” of the stomach ailment Cobain believed he had. Could Kurt have done what he did without the dope? Hard to say, especially considering that perhaps everything he did was done on drugs. As nice as it is to believe that a genius is a genius whether or not he or she is drunk or high or otherwise, the fact is all we can really be certain about are the wild rides that were their lives.
And Largo’s Genius is loaded with wild. You want dead rock stars? You’ve got ’em, with Janet and Jimi joining Kurt, in all their sordid stories. You’ve also got anti-rock legend GG (nee Jesus) Allin, who shat, shot and shunned his way to an infamy sordid won’t even touch, and Sid Vicious, the punk legend who reportedly overdosed on his own mother’s dope.
There’s a plethora of dead poets here too, among them Artaud, Baudelaire, Berryman, Rossetti and Edna St. Vincent Millay, whose respective upswings and downfalls were laudanum, opium, liquor, chloral and morphine. There are novelists, including Faulkner (drink), Fitzgerald (drink), Balzac (caffeine) and O’Hara (drink); singers such as Garland (pills and alcohol), Callas (Quaaludes) and Piaf (liquor and morphine); and filmmakers from Griffith (drink) to Mishima (hubris).
Largo even throws in some long-dead ancients: Catullus, the X-rated Roman love poet said to have died from “exhaustion” (guess he wasn’t master of his domain); Diogenes, the madman who grew so fond of watching dogs copulate he started crawling around town on all fours; and Seneca, the noble Nero ordered to kill himself, yet after slitting his wrists and downing a cup of poison, finally had to jump into a pool of scalding water to die.
Subtitled The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages, this cornucopia of famous and near-famous crazies who drank, drugged and/or fucked their way into history is a pitch-perfect addendum to Largo’s two previous outings of endings: Final Exits and The Portable Obituary. And if the cat the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls “the Capote of kaput” has used death to make quite a nice life for himself, you’ve gotta give him extra credit for consistency.
Are we morbid to be so fascinated with demise? Perhaps. Then again, since we all face the same fate, it’d be somewhat arrogant to be otherwise. And when we see that no matter how the greats faced their own fate, in the end even they came up dead, well, one can’t help but forgive them their trespasses. After all, with only a finite time on this planet, you’ve gotta make the most of life — even if it kills you.
Michael Largo reads from and discusses Genius and Heroin, Thursday Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Books and Books, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., Second Level, Bal Harbour. For more information call 305-864-4241.
Comments? E-mail: letters@miamisunpost.com
July 11, 2016
The only five star portion of this book is the introduction. I think there is an amazing correlation between creativity and destructive behavior but this book missed the mark. Rather than delve into the psychology that relates these two behaviors the book merely lists out famous (and sometimes not so famous) examples of people who were creative, what they did, and what ultimately snuffed them out. Also, the title is somewhat misleading. Many of the people 'catalogued' fell into the realm of dying through forms of obsession but not necessarily in relation to any form of opiates or even alcohol. However, the author addresses this distinction in the introduction, which as aforementioned, is the best part of the book. At times it even seemed like a desperate stretch to add in more people. One person had a backstory of three sentences. THREE. Why even bother listing that person?! And the author's interpretation of who they considered a creative genius is sometimes dubious at best (unless you're into unknown musicians who get on stage, defecate, and then smear themselves in their own feces). I also began to really doubt the validity of 'facts' that were in this book after reading the following:
[in reference to Kurt Cobain]: "..was found in his Seattle home dead with a shotgun wound to his head-discovered by his young daughter, no less." which we know to be completely wrong. How much information in this book is hyped up for shock value that is totally inaccurate? Later in the book it goes on to state in an unrelated chapter about cross dressing that "Kurt Cobain cross-dressed at home and on stage and died of a heroin overdose at twenty-six in 1994." I'm not a forensics expert but I'm pretty sure the shotgun blast to the head is likely what killed him while he also happened to have a ridiculous amount of heroin in his system. Jesus Christ the lack of fact checking/editing scares me.
However, if you're into random facts and play trivia nights then this still might not be a complete waste of your time. In no particular order of importance here are things I learned (spoilers):
• The author of the Red Badge of Courage advocated for prostitutes rights and married a whorehouse madam
• Napoleon Bonaparte had ail-uriphobia or fear of catsf.
• Henry VIII would sometimes consume up to sixteen courses in one sitting
• H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard were good friends (Man, I wish I were a fly on that wall)
• O. Henry coined the phrase "Banana Republic" while on the lam in Honduras to describe the despotically racked, hastily formed government
[in reference to Kurt Cobain]: "..was found in his Seattle home dead with a shotgun wound to his head-discovered by his young daughter, no less." which we know to be completely wrong. How much information in this book is hyped up for shock value that is totally inaccurate? Later in the book it goes on to state in an unrelated chapter about cross dressing that "Kurt Cobain cross-dressed at home and on stage and died of a heroin overdose at twenty-six in 1994." I'm not a forensics expert but I'm pretty sure the shotgun blast to the head is likely what killed him while he also happened to have a ridiculous amount of heroin in his system. Jesus Christ the lack of fact checking/editing scares me.
However, if you're into random facts and play trivia nights then this still might not be a complete waste of your time. In no particular order of importance here are things I learned (spoilers):
• The author of the Red Badge of Courage advocated for prostitutes rights and married a whorehouse madam
• Napoleon Bonaparte had ail-uriphobia or fear of catsf.
• Henry VIII would sometimes consume up to sixteen courses in one sitting
• H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard were good friends (Man, I wish I were a fly on that wall)
• O. Henry coined the phrase "Banana Republic" while on the lam in Honduras to describe the despotically racked, hastily formed government
July 26, 2016
Genius and Heroin: The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession, and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages by Michael Largo (Harper 2008) (920.02). Michael Largo has previously made his name by writing about famous odd deaths or celebrity deaths. This book has almost the same focus; it is a collection of “How the notoriously creative lived and died.” I thought that I was fairly well schooled on the subject of odd deaths, but I learned just how little I knew after reading this book. For instance, a peripherally famous “Beat” writer named Bill Connastra died at the age of twenty-one in 1950 on the New York subway. He was drunk and high, and he died when he stuck his head out of a moving subway car to wave at friends who remained on the station platform. “What they witnessed instead was his head rolling on the tracks as the train went on down the tunnel, his eyes wide open, staring into space with disbelief.” (p. 52-3). Another famous death that I was not familiar with was that of the famous American poet and writer Hart Crane: “In the spring of 1932 at age thirty-two he boarded a streamliner (sic), the S.S. Orizaba heading back to New York. Within a few days he was beaten by a male sailor whom he'd offended by his sexual advances. Around noon the next day, he climbed the railing, and waved, saying, “Goodbye, everybody,” before he leapt overboard. Life savers...were tossed his way, but the poet vanished under the waves in the Gulf of Mexico, and his body was never retrieved.” (p. 68). This is a noteworthy collection and will be of interest to those who like that sort of thing. My rating: 7.25/10, finished 7/25/16. I purchased a pristine paperback copy from McKay's for $3.00 7/12/16. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
July 18, 2016
I think I misunderstood the small blurb about this book, as I had the impression going into it that it was more about why the nature of genius seems to lead so many who have it to addiction and later death. What the book actually contains is an encyclopedia style list of entries for individuals, some famous, many obscure, who are dead. I am not rating it based on my error. Some entries included are for persons who took drugs briefly or drank for a period of time and it didn't even have anything to do with their death at all. It also seemed almost arbitrary the individuals included or the length of the entry. For example, I certainly would have expected an entry for Kerouac to be longer than half a page, especially when there were so many random entries of obscure individuals. I found some of the morbid details interesting, however there were also sections where the syntax itself was so convoluted I had to reread it hoping to clarify what the author was trying to say in a sea of commas and clauses.
September 25, 2009
I just love this book. I've always been intrigued as to how someone with a raging addiction can still output an impressive body of work/get up in the morning at all. The book writes really interesting little tid-bits and anecdotal stories about an enormous amount of artists, what they contributed and how they fell apart in the end (it wasn't from too much orange juice and bracing jogs across the moors). It doesn't purport to dissect the creative mind but it does set out to entertain - which it does in spades. I'll be reading this on and off for years and throughly enjoying it as well as discovering work and people that I never knew existed - BONUS!
September 1, 2015
This was a mixed bag. There were people in here who didn't have addiction issues, which I found confusing. Also, there were some people who were totally obscure and sort of unimportant culturally who garnered two or three pages of text, and then huge cultural icons who got like a half a paragraph.
Also, I get that it's a catalogue, but....why? It's not an encyclopedia, and it isn't a nonfiction narrative, what does one use it for?? I read it 3 alphabetical letters at a sitting, and it was really dry and kind of boring.
Also, I get that it's a catalogue, but....why? It's not an encyclopedia, and it isn't a nonfiction narrative, what does one use it for?? I read it 3 alphabetical letters at a sitting, and it was really dry and kind of boring.
June 1, 2010
Like Largo's two other "encyclopaedias", this chronicles death of many celebrities both well known and since forgotten. This book focuses on those acclaimed for genius in many different fields and their subsequent addictions, peculiarities, and eventual death, usually bizarre and/or self-inflicted.
This book is great for those interested in the history of people and the macabre, both of which I find truly fascinating.
This book is great for those interested in the history of people and the macabre, both of which I find truly fascinating.
October 30, 2020
A sad but enlightening book about the effects of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as other obsessive behaviours, upon more creative individuals than you might imagine. Contains interesting little tidbits, such as the fact that French author Honoré de Balzac was addicted to coffee, which he chain-drank while writing for up to 48 hours at once; he died of the effects of his caffeinism. A book that can be read, then read again.
June 9, 2013
An encyclopedia of how creative geniuses (or at least very well known people) have died from their self-destructive tendencies and addictions. The question throughout is to what extent addiction and mental illness informed art or whether creating art makes one more likely to be self-destructive. I read cover to cover and really enjoyed.
July 1, 2013
A cultural study on people who's basic instinct of self-preservation became secondary to the desire to produce original works.
"Our current obsession with creativity is the result of our continued striving for immortality in an era when most people no longer believe in an after-life." - Arianna Sstassinopoulous
"Our current obsession with creativity is the result of our continued striving for immortality in an era when most people no longer believe in an after-life." - Arianna Sstassinopoulous
February 28, 2009
This book is a reminder of the price that comes with certain levels of creativity. A lot of the people in this book were very influential people that lost their battle to depression and/or alcoholism/drug addiction. It was an eye opener.
March 2, 2012
Though not my favorite of Michael Largo's (the best is by far "Final Exits") it was interesting.
I did not think that his thought process was completely organize when he started. In my opinion his writing seemed unorganized.
I did not think that his thought process was completely organize when he started. In my opinion his writing seemed unorganized.
March 15, 2016
Fun coverage of various artists through the ages that have been eccentric to the point of self destruction.
Merged review:
Fun coverage of various artists through the ages that have been eccentric to the point of self destruction.
Merged review:
Fun coverage of various artists through the ages that have been eccentric to the point of self destruction.
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