This is the true story of Joseph Gould, who lived on the streets of New York Cityfor forty years,
focusing on the 1940's and 1950's. Gould was a bohemian eccentric who claimed to be writing an opus
called An Oral History of our Times.
Knowing a "homeless" musician struggling to survive here in Santa Barbara, California made this story very real for me. The "Joe Gould Syndrome" that manifests in abhorant obsessive compulsive behavior that ultimately results in self-destruction is as real today as it was when Mitchell wrote Joe Gould`s Secret. No matter how much help is offered to this type of person (brilliant, talented, profound, moving), their ego, delusion of self, whatever the reason, undermines any positive outcome. I thought that the issues were self-explanatory and did not need over explanation. Those who watch the street people see examples of Joe Goulds and u