A thousand things (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mjp
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Father Luke
Founding member
I never went to bars to drink. I drank alone. What I mean by that is that maybe being here isn't especially about anything other than hanging around, or lurking and reading, with others who have found bukowski. Kind of like going to a bar and visiting with friends.
There is a place called MySpace. Maybe you've heard of it. On there a guy has a tribute site to Bukowski. Each day he puts up one of the poems or shorter pieces Bukowski wrote and a whole new generation is finding his work.
That makes me have goose bumps because in a land where I grew up thinking that any boy could grow up to be President I'm finding comfort seeing that any boy can grow up to be an acknowledged success as a writer.
And the usenet bukowski group has pretty much dried up to spammers as worthless as a phone solicitation.
Factotum is out abroad. I've seen it on a bootleg copy. There are always things about bukowski to talk about. For instance I saw the collection of Barbet Schroeder recently. Rather dreary, but the opportunity to see Bukowski thrilled me.
I've also recently begun reading the Sun Dog Press interviews and Biographies. Some of that stuff I knew, but other stuff I had no idea about. How his voice or tempermant changed, by Bukowski's own accord after he was released from the hospital. Reading the back story shouldn't matter, but I find it fullfilling
Like this forum.
Anyway, I know what you mean. And thanks.
Okay,
Father Luke
There is a place called MySpace. Maybe you've heard of it. On there a guy has a tribute site to Bukowski. Each day he puts up one of the poems or shorter pieces Bukowski wrote and a whole new generation is finding his work.
That makes me have goose bumps because in a land where I grew up thinking that any boy could grow up to be President I'm finding comfort seeing that any boy can grow up to be an acknowledged success as a writer.
And the usenet bukowski group has pretty much dried up to spammers as worthless as a phone solicitation.
Factotum is out abroad. I've seen it on a bootleg copy. There are always things about bukowski to talk about. For instance I saw the collection of Barbet Schroeder recently. Rather dreary, but the opportunity to see Bukowski thrilled me.
I've also recently begun reading the Sun Dog Press interviews and Biographies. Some of that stuff I knew, but other stuff I had no idea about. How his voice or tempermant changed, by Bukowski's own accord after he was released from the hospital. Reading the back story shouldn't matter, but I find it fullfilling
Like this forum.
Anyway, I know what you mean. And thanks.
Okay,
Father Luke
mjp
Founding member
The back story is everything. Without it there's no perspective.
Barbet Schroeder's Bukowski tapes is hard to get through if you try to take it in big doses. Maybe that's why he broke it up into the short chapters. That's something that would be nice to have on DVD, but the odds are slim that that will ever happen. Though four of the 52 chapters are on the U.S. release of the Barfly DVD; Starving for Art, This Bar in Philadelphia, The New York Agent and For Jane.
I recently snagged the original first generation Lagoon Video version of The Bukowski Tapes, and it's something to see them without the copy to copy to copy degradation. But, yeah, those things can put you to sleep under the right conditions. Something about that funeral music that plays between the chapters...
Sun Dog also put out Steve Richmond's book, Spinning Off Bukowski, which is a good read. Though judging by the Richmond segments of Born Into This he may just be crazy.
Barbet Schroeder's Bukowski tapes is hard to get through if you try to take it in big doses. Maybe that's why he broke it up into the short chapters. That's something that would be nice to have on DVD, but the odds are slim that that will ever happen. Though four of the 52 chapters are on the U.S. release of the Barfly DVD; Starving for Art, This Bar in Philadelphia, The New York Agent and For Jane.
I recently snagged the original first generation Lagoon Video version of The Bukowski Tapes, and it's something to see them without the copy to copy to copy degradation. But, yeah, those things can put you to sleep under the right conditions. Something about that funeral music that plays between the chapters...
Sun Dog also put out Steve Richmond's book, Spinning Off Bukowski, which is a good read. Though judging by the Richmond segments of Born Into This he may just be crazy.
Father Luke said:
Fancy meeting you here, Father. I bought a CD from you 2 weeks ago or so. Hasn't arrived yet, but it sometimes takes time.
I saw Factotum in cinema, here in UK. It's not bad at all, but neither does it achieve anything like the atmosphere of the book(s). Just an interesting, mildly amusing story about a man and "his many jobs". Of course the writing is a bit more than that.
I really enjoy watching Tapes (bad quality bootleg DVD's are all over eBay, as I'm sure you all know). Not on one sitting, of course. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I find it really uplifting and reassuring how full of shit he often is. Just like most of the people who aren't afraid to show themselves sometimes are. But he doesn't seem to care and I really like that. I care but I'm still young and anyway - maybe it's easier with cameras pointing at you.
tucker
Every six months or so I pull out The Bukowski Tapes and watch them straight through.
Each time I watch them they seem immediate and fresh and funny. I don't mind the bullshit, the anger, any of it.
Then I read all his poetry books again.
alright, I'm sounding like a zealot. Enough.
Each time I watch them they seem immediate and fresh and funny. I don't mind the bullshit, the anger, any of it.
Then I read all his poetry books again.
alright, I'm sounding like a zealot. Enough.
mjp
Founding member
Yeah, well...look around. I don't think you're alone.hoochmonkey9 said:
Speaking of Bukowski being full of shit, there is a very funny passage in The Bukowski/Purdy Letters where Purdy critiques the picture of Bukowski hanging on to a boxcar ladder in The days run away..., saying that "as someone who rode the rails" surely Bukowski knew that one doesn't catch the rear ladder (that he is posed on), but the middle ladder, on the other side of the car. Bukowski's response is something like, "On the boxcar thing, sure, it's like you said."
So, okay, it's unlikely that Bukowski ever hopped a freight. But if it helps his image to have a picture like that, what the hell. As I recall the picture was the photographer's idea anyway. Still, for some reason reading that exchange between Purdy and Bukowski made me laugh.
cirerita
Founding member
I got the Bukowski Tapes using the interlibrary loans (what a great invention). The quality wasn't great, they were just watchable, but they were the official Bukowski Tapes, not a bad rip. I suspect the P2P files were ripped from these tapes, so don't expect any quality at all.
I got mine on ebay. Excellent copies. Uh,probably not legal...
Father Luke
Founding member
tucker said:
Yeah. Stanhope's mother went to the Hospital. We make her do the shipping. If it hasn't arrived in a few days let me know. I'll go over and kick Mother's ass. She's on oxygen now. If the cats don't eat through the tubes, I told her to buy some balloons and start making balloon animals for the neighborhood kids.
As to the Bukowski tapes... yeah. Some guy was selling it on eBay for twenty bucks. I know... I know. It's a bootleg. But I barely knew about Bukowski at Bellvue before I heard about the Bukowski tapes and, while Bellvue is available from NetFlix, The "Tapes" are not.
Born into this I saw a subtitled version of.
Factotum was nice to see as a historical document. But, like some authors the imagination produces the desired effects and helps create the story in the reader's imagination, so too did factotum, the film, seemed just like a guy who works a bunch of jobs. Hey? That's what Factotum means! Mat Dillon obviously respects Buk or he wouldn't have even tried. I think he did a commendable job.
Funny, what I noticed was that he had Bukowski's mannerisms, and speech pattern d-o-w-n and he had fun with it. Much better than Mickey in Bar Fly. But, hey.... I wish I could have a chance to play the great one, don't you?
I'd read that about the box car before. I thought it was a hoot. Caught in a lie and he pulls it off with a straight face. Great old gasser, he was.
Bukowski semed fond of Steve Richmond from what I've read in Bukowski's own words. Steve Richmond seemed to degenerate to something wierdly science-fictionish. Drugs, most likely and weird I can liv with. Normal sends me running to the hills.
As has been said, thanks mjp for this space.
Okay,
Father Luke
Domator
Founding member
I agree. Some situations are really crazy, incredible and out of life. For example stories from Hot water music or Pulp (100% of very good lies :) ). But some have mix of true & "lie" like Notes of Dirty Old Man.mjp said:
I think that only Shekespeare never did this is only 100% true book. Right?
cirerita
Founding member
no, I meant that seriously. that is, I think B wasn't bulshitting there and I really think that was a really cool story. Even B said that was the best part of the trip to Germany & France.
when I said he was bulshitting I didn't mean any particular detail, I don't know the book by heart, it's just the same old B saying the same old things in the same old style. who can tell reality from fiction? probably not even B
when I said he was bulshitting I didn't mean any particular detail, I don't know the book by heart, it's just the same old B saying the same old things in the same old style. who can tell reality from fiction? probably not even B
mjp
Founding member
According to Jon Webb's book, his place on Oxford was a disaster. And pictures of the DeLongpre court apartments don't show very elegant digs.
As for his travels in the late 40's/early 50's, I suspect he stayed in his share of fleabag rooms. He certainly resisted buying and moving into a house for as long as he could.
But it is telling to read some of his letters referring to his stays with the Webbs in New Orleans. He seemed shocked at the way they lived, so who knows.
As for his travels in the late 40's/early 50's, I suspect he stayed in his share of fleabag rooms. He certainly resisted buying and moving into a house for as long as he could.
But it is telling to read some of his letters referring to his stays with the Webbs in New Orleans. He seemed shocked at the way they lived, so who knows.
mjp
Founding member
I moved mystery girl's posts into a new thread called "tip-toeing into this new place." Her serialization of her story of coming to Los Angeles to meet Bukowski in the mid 70's shouldn't be buried at the bottom of this thread...
David Janko
Founding member
mjp:
Thank you so much for giving us a forum. I'm certain there are legions of "Buk" fans who will use this site to keep flaming the fans of his genius. I think it's safe to say that the majority of us are obssesed with the man and his work.
After I read "Post Office (15 years ago), I have since devoured all things Bukowski over and over. They get better each time. They give me a strange comfort by letting me know that I was (and am) not the only one who is discouraged by society's shit games.
Thank you so much for giving us a forum. I'm certain there are legions of "Buk" fans who will use this site to keep flaming the fans of his genius. I think it's safe to say that the majority of us are obssesed with the man and his work.
After I read "Post Office (15 years ago), I have since devoured all things Bukowski over and over. They get better each time. They give me a strange comfort by letting me know that I was (and am) not the only one who is discouraged by society's shit games.
mjp
Founding member
I said somewhere else that I set this up for selfish reasons, so don't thank me. ;)
A central resource like this has been needed since usenet became useless many years ago due to spam and idiots. Here we can keep the idiots away. Unless they entertain us, of course.
I believe there are enough of us out there to keep this joint hopping. The registrations in just this first week have been encouraging, and I'm sure as more people find us our little obsessive community will grow.
A central resource like this has been needed since usenet became useless many years ago due to spam and idiots. Here we can keep the idiots away. Unless they entertain us, of course.
I believe there are enough of us out there to keep this joint hopping. The registrations in just this first week have been encouraging, and I'm sure as more people find us our little obsessive community will grow.
David Janko
Founding member
Super! I will be back often and try to add as much as I possibly can.
HenryChinaski
Founding member
The first time I sat down and started The Bukowski Tapes, I made it all the way through the entire first disc. Then I stopped and finished the second the next day. I totally agree about the "funeral music". What is the need for that? If that wasn't there, it would be wayyy more entertaining. I still love the Buk tapes though.mjp said:
I kinda like the "funeral music". Sounds nostalgic and melancholy. Sounds like memory.
Different strokes, tho, of course.
Different strokes, tho, of course.
mjp
Founding member
I think it's the endless repetition of the same thing...if you watch a big chunk of the tapes in one sitting, that same piece of music over and over can be too much.
But again, I don't think it's meant to be watched that way. I read somewhere that they were played on (French?) television right before sign off, a different one each night. But I'm not sure where I read that, so it may be bullshit...
But again, I don't think it's meant to be watched that way. I read somewhere that they were played on (French?) television right before sign off, a different one each night. But I'm not sure where I read that, so it may be bullshit...
