Planet Joe is a posthumously-published collection of diary entries written by Joe Cole, a young man who served as roadie for Black Flag and The Rollins Band, and was also one of Rollins' best friends. Tragically, he was murdered in a botched home robbery attempt in December 1991, in front of Rollins. (Rollins has written about this in several books, and the incident was documented in Sonic Youth's song and video, "100%.")
Cole was an interesting young man, as his diaries attest. The entries are divided into two sections, one detailing his time on the final Black Flag tour, and one detailing his time on the first Rollins Band tour, and while they prove to be captivating reading, these two collections are, at times, radically different. For the first section, Cole's writing is very straightforward; detailing events as they happened as well as random thoughts. It's an interesting perspective; though not as in-depth or as deeply revelatory as Rollins' essential Get in the Van, for those wanting an alternate take on Rollins' story, it's a pretty interesting compendium. Cole was writing from outside of the Black Flag world, and thus, he wasn't quite privy (or willing to comment on) the internal psychological issues going on between Rollins and the rest of the band. While he did occasionally document a conflict here and there, he never really went in-depth into any sort of analysis of the situation. By the end of the tour, he's disillusioned, but his disillusionment seems to be more a case of burnout after spending seven months in a van full of people who are at war with each other.
Still, there are interesting stories told. Many of the stories deal with the typical tour-diary topics, of boredom and day-to-day life on the road, escapades with women, and of the strange people encountered at clubs around the country. That doesn't mean that there's nothing of interest to be found, because several stories are quite shocking and captivating. For instance, towards the end of the tour, Cole drops acid for the first time, and he documents several of these experiences, and as expected, some of these stories are quite surreal. His tale about dropping acid while driving and the experiences of having everything he witnessed during his acid trip happening after they happened is an amazing story; it's disturbing, but Cole's writing is very vivid, and it's hard not to visualize what he is writing about.
Part two, however, is a whole other story. The Rollins influence on his writing is definitely obvious, as his style loses a lot of the narrative found in part one. His style is much more direct, more inwardly focused, more confused, and definitely harder and more insightful about his personal struggles and mental conflicts. He's documenting the first Rollins Band tour, but ultimately, he's documenting his own mid-20s crisis. He is openly questioning his life; he's coming to terms with adulthood, and he hates his surroundings and his transient, seemingly dead-end life. Sadly, he has no other plans for his life, and he knows it--and it's scaring him. He is also rather frank about his own primal needs for sexual gratification. His is not a perversion or an unchecked lust; his honesty about his needs and his desires reveals an almost undeniable innocent soul. He enjoys sex, he likes sex, and he misses sex. In the final entry, his spite and animosity and self-loathing simply spit in the reader's face, and he walks off in disgust, frustration, and, ultimately, release.
Planet Joe is a frustrating contradiction. Cole never fully reveals his soul, even when he's revealing his innermost thoughts and feelings. Instead, one is left with the desire to want to know this young man, whose extreme honesty reveals a surprising innocence about life. Even more frustrating is the knowledge that when you finish the last page, Cole cannot offer anything more. Planet Joe proves that Cole was an excellent writer, even if he never really knew it himself. The writing is vivid, lively, funny, and almost impossible to put down, even when the subject matter is extremely disturbing. It's not hard to understand why Rollins was so quick to offer Cole the opportunity to publish his work; one read shows that while friendship had something to do with the decision, ultimately, Rollins knew that Cole was an amazing writer.
Cole's death in 1991 was a tragedy. The brief glimpse into Cole's psyche that Planet Joe offers you makes his murder even more of a loss. Cole's book was his final act; in the introduction, Rollins says that the final draft was completed within a matter of days of his murder, and Planet Joe is a beautiful requiem to his spirit. Life is short, dying is shorter, but this singular document ensures that Joe Cole's soul shall live forever.
Cole was an interesting young man, as his diaries attest. The entries are divided into two sections, one detailing his time on the final Black Flag tour, and one detailing his time on the first Rollins Band tour, and while they prove to be captivating reading, these two collections are, at times, radically different. For the first section, Cole's writing is very straightforward; detailing events as they happened as well as random thoughts. It's an interesting perspective; though not as in-depth or as deeply revelatory as Rollins' essential Get in the Van, for those wanting an alternate take on Rollins' story, it's a pretty interesting compendium. Cole was writing from outside of the Black Flag world, and thus, he wasn't quite privy (or willing to comment on) the internal psychological issues going on between Rollins and the rest of the band. While he did occasionally document a conflict here and there, he never really went in-depth into any sort of analysis of the situation. By the end of the tour, he's disillusioned, but his disillusionment seems to be more a case of burnout after spending seven months in a van full of people who are at war with each other.
Still, there are interesting stories told. Many of the stories deal with the typical tour-diary topics, of boredom and day-to-day life on the road, escapades with women, and of the strange people encountered at clubs around the country. That doesn't mean that there's nothing of interest to be found, because several stories are quite shocking and captivating. For instance, towards the end of the tour, Cole drops acid for the first time, and he documents several of these experiences, and as expected, some of these stories are quite surreal. His tale about dropping acid while driving and the experiences of having everything he witnessed during his acid trip happening after they happened is an amazing story; it's disturbing, but Cole's writing is very vivid, and it's hard not to visualize what he is writing about.
Part two, however, is a whole other story. The Rollins influence on his writing is definitely obvious, as his style loses a lot of the narrative found in part one. His style is much more direct, more inwardly focused, more confused, and definitely harder and more insightful about his personal struggles and mental conflicts. He's documenting the first Rollins Band tour, but ultimately, he's documenting his own mid-20s crisis. He is openly questioning his life; he's coming to terms with adulthood, and he hates his surroundings and his transient, seemingly dead-end life. Sadly, he has no other plans for his life, and he knows it--and it's scaring him. He is also rather frank about his own primal needs for sexual gratification. His is not a perversion or an unchecked lust; his honesty about his needs and his desires reveals an almost undeniable innocent soul. He enjoys sex, he likes sex, and he misses sex. In the final entry, his spite and animosity and self-loathing simply spit in the reader's face, and he walks off in disgust, frustration, and, ultimately, release.
Planet Joe is a frustrating contradiction. Cole never fully reveals his soul, even when he's revealing his innermost thoughts and feelings. Instead, one is left with the desire to want to know this young man, whose extreme honesty reveals a surprising innocence about life. Even more frustrating is the knowledge that when you finish the last page, Cole cannot offer anything more. Planet Joe proves that Cole was an excellent writer, even if he never really knew it himself. The writing is vivid, lively, funny, and almost impossible to put down, even when the subject matter is extremely disturbing. It's not hard to understand why Rollins was so quick to offer Cole the opportunity to publish his work; one read shows that while friendship had something to do with the decision, ultimately, Rollins knew that Cole was an amazing writer.
Cole's death in 1991 was a tragedy. The brief glimpse into Cole's psyche that Planet Joe offers you makes his murder even more of a loss. Cole's book was his final act; in the introduction, Rollins says that the final draft was completed within a matter of days of his murder, and Planet Joe is a beautiful requiem to his spirit. Life is short, dying is shorter, but this singular document ensures that Joe Cole's soul shall live forever.
Planet Joe is available from 21361 Publishing.
