Recent content by PaulFowler

I would have though you would have heard this, and I did wonder before why you didn't like it. I think its pretty good. Not something I stick on all the time or anything, but I always enjoy it when I listen to it.

I think you miiiiiiight be guilty of having quite a reductive view of Bruce Springsteen... His output is actually pretty varied musically and, to a lesser extent, lyrically.

Its the nature of mainstream and avant garde art. Bukowski was part of the avant garde and eventually (and necessarily) became assimilated into mainstream art. His poetry starts out as a comment on the mainstream, but eventually becomes part of the mainstream. For a poet to become the "next...

I think 'Jam', the first poem in Last Night of the Earth Poems, is a good'un, and I would go along with 'Dinosauria, we' and 'the tragedy of the leaves'. 'For Jane' is certainly moving, and '$$$$$$' is good for a bit of analysis. In my dissertation I didn't get to discuss 'Dinosauria, we' or...

I just finished on my dissertation arguing his postmodernist credentials. In my research I did find there'd be a strong case for calling him an existentialist, although of course Bukowski himself wouldn't be quick to align with any such pigeon-holeing. Generally I think that your reading of...

About 70... But don't feel bad, I've only just turned 22.

Does anyone have, or know where to find, the entirity of the poem 'Sunflower', featured in Penguin Modern Poets and Crucifix in a Deathhand? I have only read the small section Jules Smith quotes in Art, Survival and so Forth and I'm curious to read more...

Quite a disturbing read, but then I can't say I'm surprised. At least he has the sense about him to admit he's wrong, even if he doesn't seem particularly clued up on why. I'm glad I'm not touching on the more controversial side of his writing in my dissertation... But good find. Thank you.

The truth of the matter is, I could well have been in that Wetherspoons and you would have seen me and thought I was exactly the same as everyone else there. I appreciate the feeling of alienation amongst a crowd (particuarly a Wetherspoons crowd) but if you were there and you consider yourself...

Hey guys, sorry for my lengthy absence. I'm still reading the forum as much as I can but I'm doing my undergraduate dissertation at the moment (on Bukowski, if you haven't guessed) so I'm pretty busy. There's a poem by Bukowski that I'm sure I remember reading on this site that will help...

Ha, its funny because I tried to edit my post (obviously for some reason I couldn't manage that...) to say 'But that's way off topic, and in any case I'm comparing classical and poetry which is not the same as saying song lyrics and poetry can be similar. All I'm saying is poetry and music can...

Also, just to add fuel to the fire I suppose... What about Leonard Cohen? I always felt his lyrics came pretty close to poetry and the music is minimal enough and his voice is close enough to speaking to become a reading? Maybe, I'm really just seeing what others think.

I think its natural that Bukowski's influence would be felt in music. He was a populist, and music can be an extremely accessible artform. But that's neither here nor there. I'm not trying to shoehorn his poetry into music (if the accusation was levelled at me), on the contrary I think his...

I don't really understand your point I don't think, I just want to clarify that I'm not saying the Mountain Goats are lyrically inspired by Bukowski. I only wanted to say that the lyrics chosen were not the most fitting for someone who was looking to draw a comparison. I myself don't really...

I think there's other Mountain Goats lyrics that would be more appealing to a Bukowski fan. Not to shoot you down or anything, but You or Your Memory or even Broom People are less oblique, which I often find appealing about Bukowski's approach. You or Your Memory I checked into a bargain...