Ringolevio: A Life Played for Keeps
by Emmett Grogan
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Ringolevio is a classic American story of self-invention by one of the more mysterious and alluring figures to emerge in the 1960s. Emmett Grogan grew up on New York City’s mean streets, getting hooked on heroin before he was in his teens, kicking the habit and winning a scholarship to a swanky Manhattan private school, pursuing a highly profitable sideline as a Park Avenue burglar, then skipping town to enjoy the dolce vita in Italy. It’s a hard-boiled, sometimes hard-to-believe, wildly show more entertaining tale that takes a totally unexpected turn when Grogan washes up in sixties San Francisco and becomes a leader of the anarchist group known as the Diggers. The Diggers, devoted to street theater, direct action, and distributing free food, were in the thick of the legendary Summer of Love, and soon Grogan is struggling with the naive narcissism of the hippies, the marketing of revolution as a brand, dogmatic radicals, and false prophets like tripster Timothy Leary. Above all, however, he struggles with himself. Ringolevio is an enigmatic portrait of a man and his times to set beside Hunter S. Thompson’s stories of fear and loathing, Norman Mailer’s The Armies of the Night, or the recent Chronicles of Bob Dylan, who dedicated his 1978 album Street Legal to the memory of Emmett Grogan. show lessTags
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justjim Both are examples of 'the road less travelled' and living a life on the edge of society.
Member Reviews
Is this truth and autobiography or more histrionics than history? I don't mind that Eugene "Emmett" Grogan calls himself Kenny Wisdom for this first act of this memoir any more than I care that Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five is not the real name of Vonnegut's comrade-in-arms Edward R. Crone, Jr. I don't know that anything is not factual here, it may all be psychologically correct. Grogan did not appear to care enough about fact checking as to filling in details like looking up the name of Caresse Crosby to identify the Italian village's benefactor he heard about, etc. So, maybe some things are misremembered, or whatever. Either way, this is an activist who started on the NYC streets as a ruffian and user and died there at 36 from show more an overdose. In between, he traveled, he co-founded The Diggers and found a place in-between Robin Hood and The Salvation Army to put his criminal inclinations and prodigious energy to work making a free frame of reference for hippies, Black Panthers, Methodists, runaways, and more to consider as a lifestyle alternative. Such prodigious energy that there was actually no more one Emmett Grogan than one Dread Pirate Roberts? This author only calls such instances frauds and does more name-calling than name-dropping: Timothy Leary was more drug pusher than prophet, Abbie Hoffman a plagiarist and Eldridge Cleaver crazy and homicidal. This is a unique journey through the 60s. Like most stories of that decade, something coalesced post-Beat that seemed beautiful full of potential while blossoming during The Summer of Love only to descend into murders, lost friendships, and substance abuse before the 70s were underway. show less
As is so often the case, my edition is not the one shown. I have a hardback published by Little, Brown and Company in 1972. For me, this is an extremely important 1st person history of little known aspects of North American underground radical history. Emmett Grogan was a major participant in founding the more recent version of the Diggers - who created free stores & free food programs. "Emmett Grogan", as a name, also eventually became a "collective identity" (aka: "multiple name") that predates Neoism's "Monty Cantsin". Grogan's audacity & dedication are extremely inspiring. Alas, I think he died from a heroin OD. BE WARNED!
Reading this now, it's endearing as hell. Waiting to see how it comes out . . .
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Ringolevio: A Life Played for Keeps
- Original title
- Ringolevio: A Life Played for Keeps
- Alternate titles*
- Ringolevio : spel van leven en dood
- Original publication date
- 1972
- Important places
- Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA; Manhattan, New York, New York, USA; Soho, London, England, UK; Dublin, Ireland; San Francisco, California, USA
- Dedication
- For
Mr George J. Hagan
and
my father - First words
- It's a game.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Then Emmett Grogan sat down to write a book for all the heartbroke lovers he left behind awaiting release. And for Kenny Wisdom and his suntan.
- Blurbers
- Allsop, Kenneth
- Original language*
- Engels
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- Members
- 288
- Popularity
- 111,857
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.81)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, French
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 5
