December 1977 Playboy interview (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter cirerita
- Start date
mjp
Founding member
Why all the German stuff lately? Are you some kind of Nazi?!
Nice to see it even if the only words I can make out are Linda, Star Wars and supermarket. ;) I wonder why U.S. playboy didn't see fit to run it? They certainly published interviews with more marginally known types than Bukowski. I would think he would have been a natural fit in Playboy U.S.
Nice to see it even if the only words I can make out are Linda, Star Wars and supermarket. ;) I wonder why U.S. playboy didn't see fit to run it? They certainly published interviews with more marginally known types than Bukowski. I would think he would have been a natural fit in Playboy U.S.
Johannes
Founding member
Ah, finally ... This must be the story to the famous Fauser-interview if I get it right. I always wondered about that.
The interviewer is Järg Fauser (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6rg_Fauser) and it might be the first german gonzo-journalism in history.
It starts at the track, lots of booze and "hundred-dollar-whores" around. There is a picture somewhere (can't find it on the net now) of this event, showing B., Linda Lee, Järg Fauser and another woman.
The interviews circles around themes like horse-betting, drinking, Bukowskis "writing-career", women (the novel and the "research") ... etc.
Some interesting/confusing things, I've never heard of.
Bukowski says:
1. That John Bryan wanted to make him editor of Open City, offering 35,- Dollar a week, but Bukowski refused because he felt that Open City won't keep going much longer.
2. Speaking about the 100-dollar-a-month-deal with John Martin he claims that his rent is/was 125,- a month. It's not absolutely clear if this is meant for `77, but it seems to me like the reader should get the feeling that this was his rent in 69/70, which would not fit into the story of Bukowski and John Martin sitting together and calculating his monthly needs. Because then the rent alone would have been more then the famous 100,- Frankly, I don't get this part.
3. Bukowski claims that he got 5000,- pension (... umm, what's the word? Maybe roni can help. Rentenabfindung?) after quitting the Post Office. I've never read about that either, up to my knowledge the money from the inherited house of his father was the only bigger amount of money Bukowski had as a saving. Does somebody know more about that?
I just flipped through it quickly, reading is difficult because of the quality. It is possible of course, that I misunderstood certain things.
Hopefully roni or one of the other german-speaking members can prove, disprove or add something to my impressions.
The interviewer is Järg Fauser (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6rg_Fauser) and it might be the first german gonzo-journalism in history.
It starts at the track, lots of booze and "hundred-dollar-whores" around. There is a picture somewhere (can't find it on the net now) of this event, showing B., Linda Lee, Järg Fauser and another woman.
The interviews circles around themes like horse-betting, drinking, Bukowskis "writing-career", women (the novel and the "research") ... etc.
Some interesting/confusing things, I've never heard of.
Bukowski says:
1. That John Bryan wanted to make him editor of Open City, offering 35,- Dollar a week, but Bukowski refused because he felt that Open City won't keep going much longer.
2. Speaking about the 100-dollar-a-month-deal with John Martin he claims that his rent is/was 125,- a month. It's not absolutely clear if this is meant for `77, but it seems to me like the reader should get the feeling that this was his rent in 69/70, which would not fit into the story of Bukowski and John Martin sitting together and calculating his monthly needs. Because then the rent alone would have been more then the famous 100,- Frankly, I don't get this part.
3. Bukowski claims that he got 5000,- pension (... umm, what's the word? Maybe roni can help. Rentenabfindung?) after quitting the Post Office. I've never read about that either, up to my knowledge the money from the inherited house of his father was the only bigger amount of money Bukowski had as a saving. Does somebody know more about that?
I just flipped through it quickly, reading is difficult because of the quality. It is possible of course, that I misunderstood certain things.
Hopefully roni or one of the other german-speaking members can prove, disprove or add something to my impressions.
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Petey
RIP
Well here you can see the pic from the racetrack:
http://www.kino-central.de/filme/brinkmann/fauser/fauser_bukowski.jpg
The "unknown" woman is the german journalist Frances Schoenberger.
I`ve never heard of:
1) his father worked at the L.A. Country Museum and claimed to his boss
he was the guy Charles Bukowksi who wrote "Aftermath of..." in Story magazine to get a more profitable job.
2) asking for his favourite writers he mentioned : Erskine Caldwell
3) the original plot for the novel "Women "should just include one single women as the main character but he knew not enough from that girl to fill a complete novel so he gave up that idea.
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Johannes
Founding member
Wow, great stuff. Thank you very much, cirerita.
The subtitle under the picture is saying: "Charles Bukowski, former brothel-manager, now drunkard and writer, publishing new stories."
Which is a step upwards the job ladder, because at Carl Weissner's Bukowski was just an ad writer for a brothel, now he is the manager.
Personally I always had my problems with both, Weissner and Fauser. But then, on the other side, as roni pointed out somewhere, you always think you would have made/translated everything different then those, but they did it their way (which was the best they wanted/could) and they too had sense and feeling. It's an ambivalent thing for me.
The subtitle under the picture is saying: "Charles Bukowski, former brothel-manager, now drunkard and writer, publishing new stories."
Which is a step upwards the job ladder, because at Carl Weissner's Bukowski was just an ad writer for a brothel, now he is the manager.
Personally I always had my problems with both, Weissner and Fauser. But then, on the other side, as roni pointed out somewhere, you always think you would have made/translated everything different then those, but they did it their way (which was the best they wanted/could) and they too had sense and feeling. It's an ambivalent thing for me.
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Father Luke
Founding member
thanks Johannes and cirerita
Rekrab
Usually wrong.
This I've read various places. The bit about Bukowski being a former Brothel owner is a new one for me.
Father Luke
Founding member
Johannes
Founding member
Yes, it was, to make him interesting for the german readers. Same with the (fake) Henry-Miller-quote and the Sartre + Genet-lines which were never proved.
The second one from Fauser (playboy may 1976) also contains confusing material beside the "brothel-manager". He starts with Bukowskis 1946 publication in Portfolio, but describes the content of this story as two GI's raping a german (female) nurse (another word missing: "Truppenbetreuerin" ?... these women who took care of the troops during world war 2) after invasion and this being "brutal realism".
Yet, Bukowskis 1946 story in Portfolio is "20 Tanks From Kasseldown", isn't it? And while you might consider this being "brutal realism" as well, there are no two GI's in there raping anybody, or did I miss something?
The second one from Fauser (playboy may 1976) also contains confusing material beside the "brothel-manager". He starts with Bukowskis 1946 publication in Portfolio, but describes the content of this story as two GI's raping a german (female) nurse (another word missing: "Truppenbetreuerin" ?... these women who took care of the troops during world war 2) after invasion and this being "brutal realism".
Yet, Bukowskis 1946 story in Portfolio is "20 Tanks From Kasseldown", isn't it? And while you might consider this being "brutal realism" as well, there are no two GI's in there raping anybody, or did I miss something?
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cirerita
Founding member
If you read the 1970 Pleasants piece on Bukowski in the Unpublished/Uncollected forum, you'll see he mentions the famous Genet claim. Apparently, that was the first article ever mentioning the Genet claim. Pleasants says that Bukowski had told him so while drunk. Then he -B- read the article and told Pleasants that he had made it up. Oh, well...
Father Luke
Founding member
sorry for being late on this thread. Haven't read the article in a while and will do somewhen this week. Now to other questions that appeared here:
The pic of Buk + Linda with Fauser on the racetrack was shot by Michael Montfort and also appeared in the great out-of-print-book "Das War's. Letzte Worte mit Charles Bukowski", the text of it being written by Gundolf S. Freyermuth who did the last interview with Buk in August 1993 (short part of it in Sunlight here I am). The book has an English edition titled "That's it", which I don't own, but rumor has it, the many pictures, that made it famous here are missing there.
This "unkown" German journalist Frances Schoenberger is/was THE most important connection for German writers/actors/artists in Hollywood and was Montforts wife then. At one of her parties in the mid 80s, Bukowski started a verbal fight with her guest Arnold Schwarzenegger.
About his meeting with Fauser, Bukowski later said: "That guy was more Bukowski than I am." - because Fauser seemed to try looking tough and like a true loner.
About Weissner's make-ups:
The fake Henry-Miller-quote goes definitely back to him. There is a correspondence about it in the letters.
On the Genet/Sartre claim there exist different stories and rumor has it, that Genet really did say that about Buk (maybe as far back as to the 'Portfolio'-days). Hard to proof this, but I could see him saying this. About Sartre I would doubt that claim to be true a little more. But then who knows...
It is true that Weissner 'made' a lot of Bukowskis image in Germany:
After the 'Notes', which were an o.k.-sell, Weissner tried to find publishers for the poems - and NO ONE of the big houses wanted to touch this stuff. Not possible to sell this in Germany they told him. They said this for years. Then Benno Kaesmayr the founder of a tiny publishing house that only had one novel before (by a certain Joerg Fauser btw!), took the chance and made it - nearly ruining himself:
after over half a year he had sold about 100 copies. Then came a positive review in a music-magazine named 'Sounds' and a praise by the collector and publishing-houses-salesman Armin Abmayer and from then on, the book SOLD! This moment made Bukowski big in Germany. It was 1975.
This first book of poems in Germany 'Gedichte, die einer schrieb bevor er im 8. Stockwerk aus dem Fenster sprang' (= 'poems written before jumping out of an 8th storey window'), included a foreword by Weissner which made A LOT of Bukowskis image and reputation even untill now. It's written very well and shows Buk as this cool L.A.-tough-guy and some quotations from this text have been used over and over again since then in Germany. So, this text is kinda 'classic' in itself now.
But he also mad UP a lot of things, like the whorehouse-claim. (Maybe it is even true and we just haven't heared it elsewhere?) Anyway, this claim is Very common here and was used in the 'About the Author'-section of His books for decades. Still a lot of the first-timers, who never read the bios believe all this is true:
the whorehouse claim, the dead-body-washer-claim, the Miller-quote...
I can imagine the brothel-claim may have to do with Jane doing some 'jobs', which made Bukowski kinda pimp, since he also lived by that money. Depends on how you look at it.
Sure it sounds interesting, reading a guy who had all these strange jobs and now writes about this life. It sure worked in Germany.
p.s.:
the interview also appeared in book-form in 'PlayboyInterviews #2' - http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/fra/28497.shtml
The pic of Buk + Linda with Fauser on the racetrack was shot by Michael Montfort and also appeared in the great out-of-print-book "Das War's. Letzte Worte mit Charles Bukowski", the text of it being written by Gundolf S. Freyermuth who did the last interview with Buk in August 1993 (short part of it in Sunlight here I am). The book has an English edition titled "That's it", which I don't own, but rumor has it, the many pictures, that made it famous here are missing there.
This "unkown" German journalist Frances Schoenberger is/was THE most important connection for German writers/actors/artists in Hollywood and was Montforts wife then. At one of her parties in the mid 80s, Bukowski started a verbal fight with her guest Arnold Schwarzenegger.
About his meeting with Fauser, Bukowski later said: "That guy was more Bukowski than I am." - because Fauser seemed to try looking tough and like a true loner.
About Weissner's make-ups:
The fake Henry-Miller-quote goes definitely back to him. There is a correspondence about it in the letters.
On the Genet/Sartre claim there exist different stories and rumor has it, that Genet really did say that about Buk (maybe as far back as to the 'Portfolio'-days). Hard to proof this, but I could see him saying this. About Sartre I would doubt that claim to be true a little more. But then who knows...
It is true that Weissner 'made' a lot of Bukowskis image in Germany:
After the 'Notes', which were an o.k.-sell, Weissner tried to find publishers for the poems - and NO ONE of the big houses wanted to touch this stuff. Not possible to sell this in Germany they told him. They said this for years. Then Benno Kaesmayr the founder of a tiny publishing house that only had one novel before (by a certain Joerg Fauser btw!), took the chance and made it - nearly ruining himself:
after over half a year he had sold about 100 copies. Then came a positive review in a music-magazine named 'Sounds' and a praise by the collector and publishing-houses-salesman Armin Abmayer and from then on, the book SOLD! This moment made Bukowski big in Germany. It was 1975.
This first book of poems in Germany 'Gedichte, die einer schrieb bevor er im 8. Stockwerk aus dem Fenster sprang' (= 'poems written before jumping out of an 8th storey window'), included a foreword by Weissner which made A LOT of Bukowskis image and reputation even untill now. It's written very well and shows Buk as this cool L.A.-tough-guy and some quotations from this text have been used over and over again since then in Germany. So, this text is kinda 'classic' in itself now.
But he also mad UP a lot of things, like the whorehouse-claim. (Maybe it is even true and we just haven't heared it elsewhere?) Anyway, this claim is Very common here and was used in the 'About the Author'-section of His books for decades. Still a lot of the first-timers, who never read the bios believe all this is true:
the whorehouse claim, the dead-body-washer-claim, the Miller-quote...
I can imagine the brothel-claim may have to do with Jane doing some 'jobs', which made Bukowski kinda pimp, since he also lived by that money. Depends on how you look at it.
Sure it sounds interesting, reading a guy who had all these strange jobs and now writes about this life. It sure worked in Germany.
p.s.:
the interview also appeared in book-form in 'PlayboyInterviews #2' - http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/fra/28497.shtml
Johannes
Founding member
I read about B`s verbal fight with Schwarzenegger but didn't know that it was at Frances Schoenbergers and of course didn't know that she was Montforts wife then. Very interesting. Thank you roni
I fully agree with you concerning the brothel/pimp-claim coming from his (written) involvement with Jane. I always thought that poems like Fire Station ... etc. were the source out of which Weissner/Fauser made that up.
It's a pity that we can't really discuss Carl Weissner and his way of translating/creating the Bukowski-myth here because of the language barrier. It is an interesting subject.
I always recommend people not to say/write one word about Bukowski without having read him in original.
I fully agree with you concerning the brothel/pimp-claim coming from his (written) involvement with Jane. I always thought that poems like Fire Station ... etc. were the source out of which Weissner/Fauser made that up.
It's a pity that we can't really discuss Carl Weissner and his way of translating/creating the Bukowski-myth here because of the language barrier. It is an interesting subject.
I always recommend people not to say/write one word about Bukowski without having read him in original.
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mjp
Founding member
That's correct. I have a copy of That's it that I bought from a "print on demand" web site many years ago. It is text only. I also have Das War's, and since I couldn't read that, That's it came in very handy. ;)
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That's it is still available - just follow the link in this post: https://bukowskiforum.com/showthread.php?p=17987#post17987
