Horsemeat Cover - I Never Noticed (1 Viewer)

[Purple Stickpin]

Check it out:

http://www.collectingbukowski.com/books/horsemeat.html

So, on the surface, it says Horsemeat. But what it actually says is:

Eat Horsemeat Ho. :D

The title wraps around the book, so it always seemed a bit innocuous to me. This can't be by accident.

 

[hank solo]

As you say, it wraps around - here's the back.

I don't think it's a subliminal message, but then what does that mean :D

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Well, having coveted this book for years (I think the twenty poems represent my second favorite collection of Buk's after All the Assholes in the World and Mine, I've been familiar with the cover for quite a while. I only just noticed this today. I'm convinced that Buk was having a laugh on this one.

No comment on the back. Must be an accident! ;)

 

[Bukfan]

Nice build-in joke!:D

 

[chronic]

When Horsemeat was issued, I don't think the word(?) "Ho" (as in the Don Imus "nappy headed ho" comment) had been coined yet.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

It struck me that this might be an issue (I really leave no stone unturned, although I may often be too drunk to overturn it).

Think; in gritty LA, given their jazz history, many terms that were common to them in the 1930's were suddenly common parlance to the mainstream in the '70s and '80s.

I'd be willing to bet that LA jazz musicians were using the term "'Ho" in the 1920's or 30's. And even though Buk was never a Beat, the Beats dropped jazz palance more than their dogs dropped poo. Sorry to be so eloquent.:rolleyes:

 

[bospress.net]

The word "Ho" was known to me in the mid 80's and I went to a solid middle class highschool. I would agree that this word, which is the mispronunciation of "whore" has probably been around for some time, although it did not hit mainstream until the last 10 or so years (when hardcore Rap hit the mainstream).

Still, I think that the EatHorsemeatHo is probably an accident. Remember, Barbara Martin designed these, so even if Bukowski knew the term, it is not something that I can see Barbara using on the cover of a book.

Bill

 

[chronic]

Like Bill said, "ho" is a mispronunciation of "whore," but it would still be spelled w h o r e even if it were pronounced ho. Now ho is a slang term spelled h o even though it means whore. When I say it wasn't yet coined I mean that it wasn't yet even a slang term... just bad pronunciation.

Did that make any sense at all?

And of course I could also be completely wrong.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Did that make any sense at all?

And of course I could also be completely wrong.

Hell yeah, it makes sense. I'm just sayin' that I'd be willing to bet that Buk had heard the use of "ho" before 1982. I'd bet back in 1962. Dirty streets of Hollywood and all...

In any case, just look at the cheshire cat grin on the cover of Horsemeat and tell me he doesn't get it.

Of course, he uses terms like "High Yellow," and such, but not "Ho," so maybe I'm the one out of step here.

 

[Father Luke]

Intentional or not,
it's a great observation.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Kinda like the Beatles/Paul is dead thing. Any new spin is better than simple complacence, no? I still stand by my opinions, no matter how absurd.:cool:

 

[strangegirl]

Intentional or not,
it's a great observation.

In my intrigue into the origins of the word "Ho"
This is the first thing I found.

http://thelanguageguy.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-on-ho.html

 

[bospress.net]

What a cunning linguist....