James was actually 73, born Dec, 14, 1952. His Wikipedia entry is incorrect. I am his first cousin. He was between me (b. 3/19/1952) and my sister, Martha (b. 3/31/1953). in age. I knew him as "Jamie," my childhood playmate in Coffeyville, KS. He was the sweetest boy and man. We kept in touch all our lives and I was heartbroken to hear that he was gone.
Wow. This hits home for me. James Grauerholtz and I lived on the same dorm wing our freshman year at the University of Kansas. We were not close, but were friends in that way people often are who laughed at the same things. It was JRP, (Joseph R Pierson) the "jock" dorm. I was there because I was part of the cross country and track team. Not sure why Jamie was, he was younger, 16 I think, brilliant small town boy Kansas boy who got through high school early. We were all dope smokers and often shared communal joints. I knew he wanted to be a writer, and talked about books we liked, but not much else. I was too focused on track, at least until the spring when we had the demonstrations over the Cambodian Invasion and Kent State. Myself and another guy went out at night once during the curfew, to throw rocks at the ROTC building and run from cops. Jamie was going to come, but decided against it at the last minute. After that we would see each other on campus occasionally and chit-chated . The last time I saw him in Kansas I was working in a grocery store in Lawrence and he came in to get some snacks. Said he was headed for New York, right then, heading out from the store back east. We said we would keep in touch, and he gave me an address on a piece of paper, which I still have. I never wrote him though. The address was an apartment in Brooklyn in care of Allen Ginsburg. I was impressed, and surprised because I knew Ginsburg was gay. But I didn't know Jamie was. I did meet him one more time later at Ken Kesey's poetry "Hoohaw" in the mid 70s. (See below). I saw Jamie and yelled "hey Jamie!" (He was never "James" to me or the others on the wing. ). William Burroughs, who was standing just behind him, then gave me a dirty, angry look that still in implanted in my memory. Bill Murray was there too, before he was famous. He interviewed William S. Burroughs on Ken Kesey’s farm later. https://share.google/oAcl216MiH9RXxsoI
I recently took a trip in early December of 2025 to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library to conduct some research at the Burroughs archive housed there. I knew Mr. Grauerholz was sick and had taken a step back from running the day to day operations of the Burroughs estate, so I knew the possibility of meeting or speaking with him during that trip was out. However, the words he said in your podcast about coming from a family who typically lived late into life, gave me hope that the possibility to meet with him in a year or two might be within the realm of possibility. Learning of his death just at the start of the new year came as quite a surprise to me. My thoughts are with his friends and family and anyone who got to share time with him while he was with us.
The scribes who toil to immortalize the grandmaster do not receive the deserved recognition like the valet to a superstar so valuable are they they are behind the scenes @ red carpet premieres- book launched- international literary tours and meet and greet the intelligentsia and cognoscenti and subjugation is essential- theyoften score their recreational drugs intervene in the liasons dangereaux- and have. The key to their secrets. Frisco Tony
I met James in 1985 at a party in Santa Fe, New Mexico hosted by Doug Schwartz who was the president of the School of American research in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We were seated at the same dinner table with his companion, William Burroughs and Elizabeth Taylor. I was 33 and so was James. I did not know who Burroughs was. I did not know who James was. We stared each other throughout dinner. Curiously, even though Elizabeth Taylor was seated on my left I hardly ever looked at her. When dinner was over, they announced that there would be coffee, fruit, dessert and apéritifs on the patio. Everybody got up to leave ay the same time so it was crowded as we all made our way out, and I thought I'm gonna try to find him on the patio. As I stood in the crowd to get out, someone leaned into my ear and said "I'll be your dessert if you'll be my apéritif". I looked, it was him. We smiled each other and walked out. It was Midsomer in the mountains and warm. We started to talk on the patio and then he said do you really want dessert? I replied no I really want you. He said follow me so I did. He and William were staying in a very nice Casita at the School of American research, two bedrooms, two bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. We didn't waste time, we immediately went to his room and went to it. It went very well. We're both so happy. A few hours later the door to the bedroom flew open as someone turned on the lights and those William Burroughs standing with a pistol in his hand. He said to us, "if you 3 don't keep it down, I'm gonna shoot somebody". With that, he walked out and slammed the door leaving the lights on. I looked at James and I said, "is he serious"? He replied yeah he could be. With that I said we're getting out of here and we got dressed and hopped in my car. I drove to my home where we spent the weekend. Sunday after lunch I took him back, we said goodbye. We exchanged phone numbers we promise to see each other and more. I ask him will you be in trouble about this? He replied maybe a little but don't worry about it and I never did. For the next 40 years we stayed in touch. My family lived in Kansas City and I was there often, and when I was coming, I would call ahead and we'd meet in KC and Lawrence. It was like a dream from beginning to end. Now, at the end, I want to cry, but James would have none of it so I will not. (I never told anybody about this, and I never will again.)
I was leaving Kansas when I learned about James’s passing and was so sorry to hear. I lived in Lawrence from 93-97 and was lucky enough to count James as a friend. I had a little indie label and worked in a local recording studio. We bonded over music and writing, two of his favorite topics. James was always supportive and encouraging. He invited me to a celebration of William’s life in NY, shortly after his passing, which was really special. He also let me know he was going to be visiting LA, not long after I had moved there from Lawrence. That was the last time I saw him. He was a really sweet person and his kindness toward me really meant a lot and gave me the confidence At a young age g age to pursue things I might not have done otherwise. May he rest in peace and always be remembered.
So glad Greta corrected Jamie’s birthdate. We had such fun as children. Jamie introduced me to Shakespeare and to comic books. We would go upstairs and tell stories and lose ourselves in our childhood world. Hot summer days under the eaves with the smell of old books and dust. It was wonderful.
Nothing personal to add here; just wanted to say that I happened to stumble on this just a few days later. For some reason, just a day after Mr. Grauerholz's passing, I decided to pick Burroughs back up and get the editions of his first few novels edited by him and Mr. Harris (Junky/Queer/Naked Lunch). I went today to learn a bit more about their working relationship and just discovered he had passed. Some bit of synchronicity I suppose. Been a long time since my last Burroughs read. RIP JG
This is a wonderful clearheaded remembrance which doesn't shy away from the mixed feelings of dedicating your life and prodigious intelligence to another person, even one as brilliant and fascinating as Burroughs. I had direct connections to Grauerholz when I was writing my book, The Birth of the Beat Generation (Pantheon) making sure that I was not spreading misinformation. He was also very helpful when I was curating an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery which included Burroughs, "Rebels: Poets and Painters of the 1950s", and featured one huge celebratory evening with everyone from Ginsberg and Corso to Creeley and Ferlinghetti. James arranged for Burroughs to be present by giving a greeting by telephone; the people that ran the institution sadly declined the offer. My short interactions with James are etched in my mind--Midwestern courtliness, devotion to get things factually and spiritually correct, and I knew I didn't want let him down. I am currently working on a video oral history series about 222 Bowery, site of Bourroughs's Bunker for www.artifacts.movie and I had hoped to interview James. He lived a valuable and generous life.
Honoured to hear from you, Steven. Your books on the Beat Generation, the Harlem Renaissance and the Warhol Factory have been invaluable to me. Your further information above is fascinating, too. We should chat offline. Simon Warner, Editor, R&BG
I was the editor for three books by Burroughs -- QUEER, THE WESTERN LANDS, and INTERZONE -- at Viking Penguin in the midle-eighties. We also did reissues of JUNKY and EXTERMINATOR. James was absolutely the best thing that ever happened to William in his later years. He brought order to a life that had been all too haphazard and chaotic when William, old and getting older, needed it. If I say that James was a bit full of himself and self-important as William's interface with the wider world, that does not mean that I did not respect him greatly for taking one on the great writers of the past century in hand and caring for him in several respects.
I will never forget the day that William, James, some of Lawrence's most colorful people, and I went out into the country to shoot guns. Everybody was stoned, including me, and I was a bit nervous about that. But I got with the program and outshot William with a pistol, and I still have the signed target to prove it. Yeah, major in English, have adventures, see the world.
This was wonderful, thank you. All I would add is that he had a fantastic, life-altering love for seven years with Michael Emerton. Both William and James loved Michael and his bright life was such a joy to them and his young loss hurt them both.
James saved William and changed literature inestimably for the better.
Great piece! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this fascinating man James Grauerholz. I met him when Barry Miles came to Lawrence to talk about the new William Burroughs biography. Barry gave a lot of credit to James for giving him all of his research.
Charley met James early on. We published his poetry Rusty Jack, a chapbook with a great S. Clay Wilson cover, a year or two before we published Cobblestone Gardens. James didn't like Charley's habit of of answering everyone with one email. He continued emailing me after he stopped with Charley. When Bill thrust the m manuscripts of Tornado Alley at us in 89 James scowled at me and said return them but Bill said when done.
His age hit home as I am 74/ i went on a spending spree and bought 30 books possibly more but i got junkie and queer and a whole loot more/ Kerouac's dream book and 2 collections of Ginsberg + Bob Kaufman, Cities of the Red Night and H P Lovecraft's fungi from yuggoth 53 dollars for a 4 dollar paperback. I was moved by your tribute
RIP....funny, I had forgotten about Hippos Boiled to Death, I was never ever interested in reading it however I recognize the pinpoint of the crucial moment...curiously, I just read Carr's son,'s, book ....the Alienist...Caleb Carr..
The book is set in latter 19th century NYC and reads like a detailed if elongated detective mystery... Very detailed in it's setting... The protagonist is under the spell of a master sleuth... History fiction I guess you'd call it, I don't know
To me Lucien was the crucial beat .. he or Clellon Holmes... I like how Carr seemed to step back from that beat scene
If you'd like to hear James' beautifully curated music anthology, it can be free streamed here: Listen to James Grauerholz - Life's Too Good To Keep, an album by Lotuspool Records on #SoundCloud
James was actually 73, born Dec, 14, 1952. His Wikipedia entry is incorrect. I am his first cousin. He was between me (b. 3/19/1952) and my sister, Martha (b. 3/31/1953). in age. I knew him as "Jamie," my childhood playmate in Coffeyville, KS. He was the sweetest boy and man. We kept in touch all our lives and I was heartbroken to hear that he was gone.
-- Greta Schmidt Perleberg
Dear Greta – Thank you for your contribution and the age now amended with the approval of the author. Ed.
Wow. This hits home for me. James Grauerholtz and I lived on the same dorm wing our freshman year at the University of Kansas. We were not close, but were friends in that way people often are who laughed at the same things. It was JRP, (Joseph R Pierson) the "jock" dorm. I was there because I was part of the cross country and track team. Not sure why Jamie was, he was younger, 16 I think, brilliant small town boy Kansas boy who got through high school early. We were all dope smokers and often shared communal joints. I knew he wanted to be a writer, and talked about books we liked, but not much else. I was too focused on track, at least until the spring when we had the demonstrations over the Cambodian Invasion and Kent State. Myself and another guy went out at night once during the curfew, to throw rocks at the ROTC building and run from cops. Jamie was going to come, but decided against it at the last minute. After that we would see each other on campus occasionally and chit-chated . The last time I saw him in Kansas I was working in a grocery store in Lawrence and he came in to get some snacks. Said he was headed for New York, right then, heading out from the store back east. We said we would keep in touch, and he gave me an address on a piece of paper, which I still have. I never wrote him though. The address was an apartment in Brooklyn in care of Allen Ginsburg. I was impressed, and surprised because I knew Ginsburg was gay. But I didn't know Jamie was. I did meet him one more time later at Ken Kesey's poetry "Hoohaw" in the mid 70s. (See below). I saw Jamie and yelled "hey Jamie!" (He was never "James" to me or the others on the wing. ). William Burroughs, who was standing just behind him, then gave me a dirty, angry look that still in implanted in my memory. Bill Murray was there too, before he was famous. He interviewed William S. Burroughs on Ken Kesey’s farm later. https://share.google/oAcl216MiH9RXxsoI
Some fascinating fragments from the Grauerholz backpages. Thank you for contributing.
Oh no, James gave me one of the most memorable interviews of my life, I’m so grateful for his generosity:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0IX7gjcejjO1Tr9ekRUP7t?si=bIkH76X5SL-GeCY6-dmOpw
Thank you for sharing.
It meant a lot to James, too. He mentioned it several times. Last time, he said, "When I’ve re-listened, my eyes filled with tears."
Had no idea, that is so meaningful to hear, thank you.
I recently took a trip in early December of 2025 to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library to conduct some research at the Burroughs archive housed there. I knew Mr. Grauerholz was sick and had taken a step back from running the day to day operations of the Burroughs estate, so I knew the possibility of meeting or speaking with him during that trip was out. However, the words he said in your podcast about coming from a family who typically lived late into life, gave me hope that the possibility to meet with him in a year or two might be within the realm of possibility. Learning of his death just at the start of the new year came as quite a surprise to me. My thoughts are with his friends and family and anyone who got to share time with him while he was with us.
I love this Podcast episode, I have listened to it at least 5 times if not more.
Thank you Jared, that one is very special to me. Hope you enjoy some of the other episodes as well: Derek McCormack, Dennis cooper, Jason Mohaghegh
The scribes who toil to immortalize the grandmaster do not receive the deserved recognition like the valet to a superstar so valuable are they they are behind the scenes @ red carpet premieres- book launched- international literary tours and meet and greet the intelligentsia and cognoscenti and subjugation is essential- theyoften score their recreational drugs intervene in the liasons dangereaux- and have. The key to their secrets. Frisco Tony
Did you two meet?
I met James in 1985 at a party in Santa Fe, New Mexico hosted by Doug Schwartz who was the president of the School of American research in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We were seated at the same dinner table with his companion, William Burroughs and Elizabeth Taylor. I was 33 and so was James. I did not know who Burroughs was. I did not know who James was. We stared each other throughout dinner. Curiously, even though Elizabeth Taylor was seated on my left I hardly ever looked at her. When dinner was over, they announced that there would be coffee, fruit, dessert and apéritifs on the patio. Everybody got up to leave ay the same time so it was crowded as we all made our way out, and I thought I'm gonna try to find him on the patio. As I stood in the crowd to get out, someone leaned into my ear and said "I'll be your dessert if you'll be my apéritif". I looked, it was him. We smiled each other and walked out. It was Midsomer in the mountains and warm. We started to talk on the patio and then he said do you really want dessert? I replied no I really want you. He said follow me so I did. He and William were staying in a very nice Casita at the School of American research, two bedrooms, two bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. We didn't waste time, we immediately went to his room and went to it. It went very well. We're both so happy. A few hours later the door to the bedroom flew open as someone turned on the lights and those William Burroughs standing with a pistol in his hand. He said to us, "if you 3 don't keep it down, I'm gonna shoot somebody". With that, he walked out and slammed the door leaving the lights on. I looked at James and I said, "is he serious"? He replied yeah he could be. With that I said we're getting out of here and we got dressed and hopped in my car. I drove to my home where we spent the weekend. Sunday after lunch I took him back, we said goodbye. We exchanged phone numbers we promise to see each other and more. I ask him will you be in trouble about this? He replied maybe a little but don't worry about it and I never did. For the next 40 years we stayed in touch. My family lived in Kansas City and I was there often, and when I was coming, I would call ahead and we'd meet in KC and Lawrence. It was like a dream from beginning to end. Now, at the end, I want to cry, but James would have none of it so I will not. (I never told anybody about this, and I never will again.)
This is a heart warming story, thank you for sharing.
That is a wonderfully outrageous story!
I was leaving Kansas when I learned about James’s passing and was so sorry to hear. I lived in Lawrence from 93-97 and was lucky enough to count James as a friend. I had a little indie label and worked in a local recording studio. We bonded over music and writing, two of his favorite topics. James was always supportive and encouraging. He invited me to a celebration of William’s life in NY, shortly after his passing, which was really special. He also let me know he was going to be visiting LA, not long after I had moved there from Lawrence. That was the last time I saw him. He was a really sweet person and his kindness toward me really meant a lot and gave me the confidence At a young age g age to pursue things I might not have done otherwise. May he rest in peace and always be remembered.
A touching memory, Brad. Thank you for sharing it.
So glad Greta corrected Jamie’s birthdate. We had such fun as children. Jamie introduced me to Shakespeare and to comic books. We would go upstairs and tell stories and lose ourselves in our childhood world. Hot summer days under the eaves with the smell of old books and dust. It was wonderful.
Thank you all for being part of his world.
Nothing personal to add here; just wanted to say that I happened to stumble on this just a few days later. For some reason, just a day after Mr. Grauerholz's passing, I decided to pick Burroughs back up and get the editions of his first few novels edited by him and Mr. Harris (Junky/Queer/Naked Lunch). I went today to learn a bit more about their working relationship and just discovered he had passed. Some bit of synchronicity I suppose. Been a long time since my last Burroughs read. RIP JG
This is a wonderful clearheaded remembrance which doesn't shy away from the mixed feelings of dedicating your life and prodigious intelligence to another person, even one as brilliant and fascinating as Burroughs. I had direct connections to Grauerholz when I was writing my book, The Birth of the Beat Generation (Pantheon) making sure that I was not spreading misinformation. He was also very helpful when I was curating an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery which included Burroughs, "Rebels: Poets and Painters of the 1950s", and featured one huge celebratory evening with everyone from Ginsberg and Corso to Creeley and Ferlinghetti. James arranged for Burroughs to be present by giving a greeting by telephone; the people that ran the institution sadly declined the offer. My short interactions with James are etched in my mind--Midwestern courtliness, devotion to get things factually and spiritually correct, and I knew I didn't want let him down. I am currently working on a video oral history series about 222 Bowery, site of Bourroughs's Bunker for www.artifacts.movie and I had hoped to interview James. He lived a valuable and generous life.
We would love to feature you in our digital pages. Do you have a new project you are working on?
Honoured to hear from you, Steven. Your books on the Beat Generation, the Harlem Renaissance and the Warhol Factory have been invaluable to me. Your further information above is fascinating, too. We should chat offline. Simon Warner, Editor, R&BG
Simon, What a great message! (and you know how much authors like to hear that they have been read). Happy to chat offline sometime. Where are you?
UK based. Please connect with me here: simon.warner@substack.com I think my journalistic and academic interests and yours overlap!
I was the editor for three books by Burroughs -- QUEER, THE WESTERN LANDS, and INTERZONE -- at Viking Penguin in the midle-eighties. We also did reissues of JUNKY and EXTERMINATOR. James was absolutely the best thing that ever happened to William in his later years. He brought order to a life that had been all too haphazard and chaotic when William, old and getting older, needed it. If I say that James was a bit full of himself and self-important as William's interface with the wider world, that does not mean that I did not respect him greatly for taking one on the great writers of the past century in hand and caring for him in several respects.
I will never forget the day that William, James, some of Lawrence's most colorful people, and I went out into the country to shoot guns. Everybody was stoned, including me, and I was a bit nervous about that. But I got with the program and outshot William with a pistol, and I still have the signed target to prove it. Yeah, major in English, have adventures, see the world.
Thank you for all your work editing such important works from such an important and my personally favorite author.
This was wonderful, thank you. All I would add is that he had a fantastic, life-altering love for seven years with Michael Emerton. Both William and James loved Michael and his bright life was such a joy to them and his young loss hurt them both.
James saved William and changed literature inestimably for the better.
Thank you for that response to Oliver Harris’ piece.
So sad. I remember when Michael departed this mortal coil and how destroyed they were.
Great piece! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this fascinating man James Grauerholz. I met him when Barry Miles came to Lawrence to talk about the new William Burroughs biography. Barry gave a lot of credit to James for giving him all of his research.
Glad you enjoyed it, Michael.
Charley met James early on. We published his poetry Rusty Jack, a chapbook with a great S. Clay Wilson cover, a year or two before we published Cobblestone Gardens. James didn't like Charley's habit of of answering everyone with one email. He continued emailing me after he stopped with Charley. When Bill thrust the m manuscripts of Tornado Alley at us in 89 James scowled at me and said return them but Bill said when done.
Intriguing extra detail. Thank you, Pam.
His age hit home as I am 74/ i went on a spending spree and bought 30 books possibly more but i got junkie and queer and a whole loot more/ Kerouac's dream book and 2 collections of Ginsberg + Bob Kaufman, Cities of the Red Night and H P Lovecraft's fungi from yuggoth 53 dollars for a 4 dollar paperback. I was moved by your tribute
A book spree for sure! Pleased you enjoyed the piece.
RIP....funny, I had forgotten about Hippos Boiled to Death, I was never ever interested in reading it however I recognize the pinpoint of the crucial moment...curiously, I just read Carr's son,'s, book ....the Alienist...Caleb Carr..
What style does Caleb Carr employ?
The book is set in latter 19th century NYC and reads like a detailed if elongated detective mystery... Very detailed in it's setting... The protagonist is under the spell of a master sleuth... History fiction I guess you'd call it, I don't know
To me Lucien was the crucial beat .. he or Clellon Holmes... I like how Carr seemed to step back from that beat scene
Interesting!
If you'd like to hear James' beautifully curated music anthology, it can be free streamed here: Listen to James Grauerholz - Life's Too Good To Keep, an album by Lotuspool Records on #SoundCloud
https://on.soundcloud.com/Tp9Upn84Vv9x2dV3mZ
Thanks for sharing, checking it out now.