Corso's Dark Romanticism

In the Spring of 1973, I was the associate editor of the Gregory Corso issue of Michael Andre's literary magazine, Unmuzzled Ox. Part of my duties consisted of squiring Gregory around New York City. Our first outing was a reading by George Economou at Dr Generosity's Pub, where Gregory went off the deep end over something in a poem and started screaming at George.

Gregory, in whom I had no interest whatsoever as anything but a colorful literary figure, developed a big crush on me. At that point, he was heavily drug addicted, partially toothless and looked like a street person. He kept trying to get me to go out with him, which I refused in a nice way. He would call me up in various stages of intoxication and withdrawal, sometimes quite late. When he was mellow, he would wax romantic; when he was crazed, he would call me at midnight and say he was going to kidnap and rape me. He said something like that to my roommate, who almost called the police. 

Eventually, he lost interest, or went back home, I don't recall. I saw him at readings after that, and he was nice, acted as though his behavior had never happened.

 

Dr. Iris Brossard, Centracare Health System, St. Cloud, Minnesota.

When I introduced my date, he said, "I'd like ta shove a rose in ya, without the thorns...  Hey, that's pretty poetic, eh?"  Then he laughed maniacally & gave her a bear hug in his overcoat.

Gary Shilling, From May 29, 1992, in front of CBGB, in the Bowery, New York City.