God With Revolver: Poems, 1979-82

by Rene Ricard

poetry, the only large-format Hanuman book

Genres: Poetry

101 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1989

About the author

Rene Ricard (July 23, 1946 – February 1, 2014) was an American poet, art critic and painter. In a lengthy, varied and acclaimed career, Ricard was both a commenter on and participant in some of the most seminal artistic moments of New York City's vibrant cultural scene.

By age eighteen, he had moved to New York City, where he became a protégé of Andy Warhol. He appeared in the Warhol films Kitchen (1965), Chelsea Girls (1966), and The Andy Warhol Story (1966).

In the 1980s, he wrote a series of influential essays for Artforum magazine, including "The Radiant Child" (December 1981), which helped launch the career of painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. Ricard has also contributed art essays to numerous gallery and exhibition catalogs.

Ricard was portrayed by Michael Wincott in Julian Schnabel's biographical film, Basquiat (1996).

He lived at the famed Hotel Chelsea in New York City intermittently for 40 years. Ricard died on February 1, 2014 of cancer at Bellevue Hospital in New York City

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I must have done something, it must somehow / all be my fault."

[Ivy Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of this book was enough for me to be intrigued.
Beautifully handmade in India, the cover is stark yet filled with life.
I found this to be the case for Rene's poems as well.

There is a color photo of Ricard in an old leather cap with a particular
look in his eye inviting you in or not. Below it in silver ink on turquoise paper it says-
Rene Ricard -God with Revolver.

The quality of this book feels ephemeral, like a zine or chapbook which made me love it even more.
These poems evoke a strange and slow rising intensity as you turn each page.
When I first began to read them, they came across quiet and unassuming.But the further I read
on, the poems took on a life of their own drawing me into them in the process.
I know this is not easy to do and I commend Rene for his ability to do this.

Queerity, the public, the private, poverty, dogs and mortality are just some of the things Rene
writes about in God with Revolver. Find it if you can.

"Then love takes us to faraway places
Certain theaters, public toilets, jail, and
That long highway I would hitchike alone..." (excerpt of The Dog)

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply the most brilliant poetry book ever created. Life at its rawest and most honest.

[Kailee]

My library’s copy was very nice and old and I almost stole it

[tmll]

ivy's recommendation of this book has given me a ques, to find and devour this book...

[Famous]

remind me to borrow this from ivy when i see her next month.

[Dylan Kiewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

not trying to flex here but it was helpful this here book was in french alongside english. not only did my okay ability to read french come back to me pretty quickly but it forced me to read this pretty slowly, with repetition, focusing on the effect of and different meanings behind certain words. much better than the usual overly quick scan i do with most poetry. anyhow, quel poesie. acidic and vulnerable in spades, evocative of secret affection and private hurt, and of whole periods of time spent spiraling in a void. favorites: "ginger rogers", "...grease", "pledge of allegiance" (i will live in the glaring light of impossible standards)(i burn my little flame that will, i hope, still illuminate the beautiful whereever it may turn up.), "Jan. 1 1982..." fucking devastating, maybe the bleeding heart of the whole collection and i happened to before reading botch the translation of one of its barbed lines (i am the island of childhood / civilized into rubble / the waste of emotion / poisoned under the / toxic by-products of love.), "joan crawford".

[Zach Werbalowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finally read this book. Was it worth the wait?

[Talya Krupnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly lots of life behind the words but the writing itself is sparse and bare, obvious despair but hardly spinning anything from the bleakness

[Cody]

OUCH lmfao

[halilax · Rating 5 out of 5]

juste je me bute pour ce recueil rip bb

[Mills College Library]

P Hanuman