Big 'Un

Evolution of a Cro-Magnon

Early this Spring I was having dinner by myself at Anjelica Kitchen, a vegetarian restaurant in the East Village. I'd been there many times before but what inspired me to go that night was John Joseph's mention of it and the vegetarian lifestyle in his terrific autobiography. As if on cue, in walked John. So I took the opportunity to tell him how much I'd enjoyed his work, both in the Cro-Mags and in his writing.
Evolution of a Cro-Magnon is John's remarkable, graphic, and highly entertaining story. It begins with his childhood and severe child abuse, in and out of foster care. From there, John goes on to recount in great detail his experiences in the youth penal system, drug use, scams, fights, life on the street, the Navy and his time with the Hare Krsnas and eventually his role as one of NY hardcore's most well known front men in the Cro-Mags.
I really loved John's attention to detail in his descriptions of characters,events and places, especially NYC in the late 70s and early 80s. John's is a story of survival under insane and brutal conditions. But as his famous writing seminar instructor, Robert McKee pointed out, it's not just a hard luck story that makes it good. It's what a person does in response to those events. Evolution of a Cro-Magnon is ultimately about spiritual growth.
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Posted 09.08.08 in READING