Richard Hell, by the Book

Brett Sokol checks out Richard Hell's book collection and discusses the punk singer's journey from poet to punk singer, and back again, in an article published yesterday at the New York Times. Upon his arrival to New York City at age seventeen, Hell "found himself gravitating toward the writers of 'The Mimeo Revolution'" Sokol explains. Let's continue from there: 

an early ’60s loose network of poets including San Francisco’s Jack Spicer, Cleveland’s d.a. levy, and most formatively on Mr. Hell, New York’s Ted Berrigan, who all sidestepped the commercial publishing milieu to design their own handmade books on mimeograph machines.

Soon enough, Mr. Hell was hand-cranking his own press, producing a literary magazine, “Genesis : Grasp,” and then books of poetry by Andrew Wylie and Theresa Stern, a pseudonym for his collaboration with his future Television bandmate Tom Verlaine (copies of which now fetch $2,500). Mr. Hell’s 1973 detour into music was borne out of frustration over not finding a mass audience — and deciding to explore an alternate path to one. Though he’d never previously played a note of music, or even sung publicly, he bought a bass guitar and began composing lyrics. “As obnoxious and pretentious as it sounds, I wanted to influence the culture,” he said. “You’re not going to do that with poetry. Allen Ginsberg did it, but it happens once, maybe twice a century.”

These days, Mr. Hell has returned to focusing on writing, both his own and that of the figures he admires — as evidenced by the rare books that sprawl throughout his apartment. Even the artworks that hang on his walls — including a Nan Goldin photograph featured on the cover of his 1996 novel “Go Now” and a screen print by Mr. Wool based on their collaborative artist’s book — speak to this shift. These are edited excerpts from our conversation.

Read their complete conversation at the New York Times.