Go Now

Rating:
Summary: Not perfect but resplendent
Review: I have read this book twice and I sometimes open it at random just to get the feeling and human excitement the writing brings to me. I grant you it's not perfect. There is some sloppiness and places where he goes too far, but this book is mesmerizing and lovely. I see that some of the reviewers seem to resent a person who is a rock and roll musician publishing a book of fiction. Well it so happens that Patti Smith IS a remarkable writer, and so is Richard Hell. (So is Jim Carroll for that matter -- it's his rock and roll that's doubtful. Same goes for Patti Smith in my opinion.) People also resent writing that deals with drug users. The lead character in this book is a drug addict -- yearning to get free of it -- but the book is about being human, in other words having animal drives that are contrary to one's ideals. It's sexy too. But even more it's about perception. The book's insights are as deep as any novel that's appeared in thirty years. You should read it.

Rating:
Summary: JACK KEROUAC'S LOST NOVEL
Review: Let me just begin by making this observation: there are two types of people in this world -- those who love ON THE ROAD and those who love VISIONS OF CODY. Both novels are by Jack Kerouac; both novels are basically the same tale; both novels expand the standard and mundane concept of "the novel" to new and hitherto untouched heights. And now there is a THIRD novel to add to this literary pantheon: GO NOW by Richard Hell. Hell is channeling Kerouac, while still maintaining a singular, original voice. This is a "road" novel, through and through, but it goes in directions that ol' Jack would never have imagined (or dared utter). Yes, yes, yes...we've heard about the drug use, the hedonism, the self-absorbion. But Hell goes beyond that during the Kentucky phase of the book. Possibly the hottest, most erotic incest scene in the history of literature is contained on the pages of GO NOW. Kerouac never would've had the guts to go there. Hail to the new master of prosody. Now it's time for a new novel, Richard.

Rating:
Summary: Moonlighting?
Review: Richard Hell (not his real name) was a Voidoid, a junkie, and an original NYC punk rocker in the early 1970s. Now he has written a novel, about--guess what?--a has-been musician who is a junkie, who lives in the Lower East Side. (Hell lives near Avenue A). The main character Billy Mud reads stuff like... Baudelaire! Wow! He has a French girlfriend who... does cocaine! Alright! But Billy is also self-effacing and is a writer on a mission. This has nothing to do with the self-reflexive metafiction of Flann O'Brien or Philippe Sollers. So much for the life of the imaginative writer. Everything now is veiled autobiography I guess.

Maybe the terrible people who think Marianne Faithful and Patti Smith are good writers will like this book? Is Henry Rollins reading this? This is a review of a book reviewer who is actually a novelist in disguise. Just checking if you are awake! (...) his Billy goes to California, to drive a car across the United States. This is an original road novel. Oh yeah, I forgot about Kerouac for a minute. Maybe Mr. Hell isn't familiar with William Burroughs or Bret Easton Ellis either? This book starts out as a sketch of a junkie, and then, falls off the track. I wonder how much this book was edited, because in New York publishing sometimes editors are heavy handed. I would like to see another unedited Richard Hell novel that is more ambitious, as I expect to see a rival novel by Tom Verlaine. Generally, I am sick and tired of rockers who think that they can write, let alone spell. It is almost as tiresome as actors now wanting to be in bands. There is hope for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Go Now felt so real, so gutsy¿ yet extremely down to earth
Review: Richard Hell really knows how to write. This book made me feel just like I was on the road (and in the motels) with the characters. I could actually feel the undeniable pain of BillyŠ his craving for junk, his craving for sex. I read the book in one sitting, not realizing at all that I was doing so. It is so brutally honest and skillfully crafted that you simply must believe in its utter realism. One great read to recommend to anyone who might like music, sex, drugs or just plain good writing. Thank you, Mr. Hell