The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon
John Joseph's reality is the stuff that Hollywood lives for. But after the cameras are gone and the soundtrack goes platinum, there stands a man who's character is far taller and more Technicolor than any trifling Tinseltown tale. After reading The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon, one understands the multiple harsh environments that created some of the most hardcore music ever. It's Mr. Joseph's sensitivity and his magnificent ability to make light of the heavy, however, that helps us to understand how complicated we all must be to survive the storms. Still, word to the wise: don't tread on he! --Sacha Jenkins - Vibe Magazine, July 2007<br /><br />This book kicked my ass. I have known Bloodclot (aka John Joseph) for many years. We know each other from around the NYC hardcore/punk scene. He was always cool with me but until I read this book, his autobiography, I had no idea about his background, about how he grew up. As I read the first few chapters, tears welled up in my eyes. A lot of people talk about coming from the streets, when Bloodclot says it, sh*t is real. I have tremendous respect for John, all that he's endured, and who he's become, and I would recommend this book to anyone in a heartbeat. So if you want to remember what New York City was like in the 70's and 80's, if you are interested in selling fake acid at Madison Square Garden, or dressing up like Santa Claus in a wheelchair to hustle money for the Hari Krishnas, or for that matter, if you are just interested in some of the best of the 8 billion stories that New York City has to offer, put a read on this. --Adam Yauch (MCA) - Beastie Boys, May 2007<br /><br />We should start with the time John 'Bloodclot' Joseph dressed up as a retarded, wheelchair-bound Santa Claus and scammed horrified Staten Island shopping-mall patrons on behalf of the Hare Krishnas. In his memoir, The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon, Joseph claims to have made $3,000 in just one week this way, mortified mothers flinging $10 bills at him if he'd just go away, while distraught, teary-eyed children demanded to know what was wrong with Santa. Lots of things were wrong with Santa. This colossal, at least mildly appalling act of deception (Joseph is not disabled physically or mentally, and Evolution makes clear that, at least onstage with his beloved New York hardcore band, the Cro-Mags, he was thoroughly intolerant of jolliness) is probably not the moral low point of his life. His riveting autobiography is a profoundly seedy affair: boyhood abuse while in foster care, a drug- and violence-addled adolescence on the streets of apocalyptic '70s New York, 15 years or so AWOL from the Navy, myriad Hare Krishna related improprieties, a brief but vivid stint fronting quite possibly the most physically terrifying band in New York City history, and, just for the hell of it, on page 377, crack addiction. Joseph has survived all this, and is understandably proud. Regarding the retarded-Santa ploy, he is understandably regretful, but not for the reasons you'd expect... Read more at villagevoice.com, search 'bloodclot'. --Rob Harvilla - Village Voice, April 2008John Joseph's reality is the stuff that Hollywood lives for. But after the cameras are gone and the soundtrack goes platinum, there stands a man who's character is far taller and more Technicolor than any trifling Tinseltown tale. After reading The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon, one understands the multiple harsh environments that created some of the most hardcore music ever. It's Mr. Joseph's sensitivity and his magnificent ability to make light of the heavy, however, that helps us to understand how complicated we all must be to survive the storms. Still, word to the wise: don't tread on he! --Sacha Jenkins - Vibe Magazine, July 2007We should start with the time John 'Bloodclot' Joseph dressed up as a retarded, wheelchair-bound Santa Claus and scammed horrified Staten Island shopping-mall patrons on behalf of the Hare Krishnas. In his memoir, The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon, Joseph claims to have made $3,000 in just one week this way, mortified mothers flinging $10 bills at him if he'd just go away, while distraught, teary-eyed children demanded to know what was wrong with Santa. Lots of things were wrong with Santa. This colossal, at least mildly appalling act of deception (Joseph is not disabled physically or mentally, and Evolution makes clear that, at least onstage with his beloved New York hardcore band, the Cro-Mags, he was thoroughly intolerant of jolliness) is probably not the moral low point of his life. His riveting autobiography is a profoundly seedy affair: boyhood abuse while in foster care, a drug- and violence-addled adolescence on the streets of apocalyptic '70s New York, 15 years or so AWOL from the Navy, myriad Hare Krishna related improprieties, a brief but vivid stint fronting quite possibly the most physically terrifying band in New York City history, and, just for the hell of it, on page 377, crack addiction. Joseph has survived all this, and is understandably proud. Regarding the retarded-Santa ploy, he is understandably regretful, but not for the reasons you'd expect... Read more at villagevoice.com, search 'bloodclot'. --Rob Harvilla - Village Voice, April 2008