Red Stodolsky Memorial (1 Viewer)

[bospress.net]

I just received this annoucnement for this event that takes place next week.

Memorial Plaque for Red Stodolsky, Baroque Bookstore, Hollywood

On May 21st, Red's 95th birthday, we will be honoring Sholom "Red" Stodolsky with a bronze plaque which will be placed to the left of the front entrance at 1643 N. Las Palmas Ave. in Hollywood, now Antebellum Gallery, formerly Baroque Bookstore from 1972-1998.

The day will begin at 1pm. Family and friends on hand to join in the celebration include Rafael FJ Alvarado, Iris Berry, Antebellum proprietor Rick Castro, Linda Lee Bukowski, Neeli Cherkovski, S.A. Griffin, William Langley, Lorraine Perrotta, Arnie Stodolsky & Z. John Dullaghan, director of Bukowski: Born Into This, will be screening unseen footage of Red not used in the documentary.

Red was a dedicated husband and father, mentor and friend. An old school bookman born in Brooklyn, he served during WWII. He kept Baroque Bookstore open until his death in 1998.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Awful lot of sun on those books!

Nice info, Bill. Thanks for posting. It looks like that photo must be from ~1984.

 

[mjp]

Awful lot of sun on those books!

Ha - that's the first thing I thought: all those hardcovers, rotting in the sun...

 

[chronic]

He didn't usually keep hardcovers in his window like that. I think they put them there for the photo. He kept most of the best stuff in a low bookshelf behind his desk and a glass case in the middle of the store. I really miss Baroque Books.

 

[Rekrab]

I wouldn't piss on that plaque, if I was raging drunk full of beer at midnight. I wouldn't do him the honor. "Red's Zeal" was for making a buck. A cranky, rude asshole. Bring on the celebrities and make a day of it.

 

[mjp]

I like historical plaques (sp?). You know, when you're walking around a strange city it's good to learn that Karl Marx got his shoes repaired here or John Lennon ate a burrito there. It gives you a sense of history and place.

What I've been thinking about though is that it is a strange cadre that has formed to represent Bukowski after his death. The Linda/Neeli/Griffin/Dullaghan booster club that will attend the opening of an envelope and explain to everyone who Bukowski was. I've seen this lot speak so many times - and it always leaves me cold.

I know someone has to speak, so what are you going to do? There's no way for the man to represent himself anymore, except through his words. And of course there are those who even sought to take those away from him. What a stinking age indeed. Accolades for the dead. The dead crank booksellers, even. Why does shit like this get under my skin? I don't know.

 

[Rekrab]

I like plaques, too. It just irks me that Red is honored because he was pals with Miller and Buk. Of course, they liked him; he kissed their asses. He was warm and generous toward important people, or people he thought might become important (struggling screen writers, etc.), and collectors with fat wallets. But I was in his shop 5 or 6 times, and every time he was a jerk. Even when I bought books. Guess I didn't spend enough. What a farce: a day long event, with speakers. Linda ought to limit how many of these shows she does. The brand may wear thin from all that use.

 

[Bukfan]

How did Buk become friends with Red Stodolsky in the first place?

 

[nymark]

Red was always rude to me. I used to call and try to buy stuff but he never sold me a thing.

London does this really cool thing whereby they mount a circular blue plaque on famous residences. I passed Captain Bligh's apartment on a walkabout.

 

[Rekrab]

He had no qualms about taking my money but would always make these biting little comments. Why he was so obnoxious is a mystery. Running a bookshop, being your own boss, is not a tough life.

 

[Gary Eisenberg]

I am a little late (like over a year!) in commenting on this thread. But better late than never. Those of you who characterize Red as being rude are oversimplifying things. I knew Red for a couple of decades, starting in the early seventies, when I managed a sheet music store on Hollywood Boulevard, right down the street from his shop. At first, I, too, though he was on the rude side. But because I was running a shop in the same neighborhood, I knew that he was merely putting out a tough exterior. A lot of flotsam-jetsam wandered into his shop (and the one I was running down the street). I witnessed some of the BS he had to put up with. But I am here to say that he was polite to me after the first couple of visits, and remained so - whether I bought anything or not. And I often didn't have a proverbial pot to piss in, spent an hour or two chatting with him and looking longingly at the books - then leaving without spending a dime. I never had a problem. And I used to observe customers coming into his store. Not big-shots, just ordinarly people looking for books. Most of the time, he was gentle and congenial. Sometimes he was on the gruff side, but his regulars knew him and simply factored it into the equation. When I did have a few extra bucks in my pocket and made a purchase, Red almost ALWAYS threw in a freebie or two. And I wound up being very grateful to him, because one early afternoon during the year 2000, he introduced me to Michael Montfort, which led to a wonderful friendship and collaboration on two projects. One more thing I want to say about Red: He didn't just SELL books. He READ them. In addition to knowing Buk's work inside-out, he had a deep knowledge of literature in general, as well as history, theater, visual arts, and music. Red introduced me to many authors, whose work I hadn't had a clue about - for example, Maxwell Bodenheim and Ben Hecht, just to name two. OK, 'nuff said.

 

[jordan]

never met him, but i have met people who are very similar to the way he's been described, and they are a tough lot. they respond to something in certain people very negatively, and they can't hold back their bitterness. peter howard was like this - a lot of people love peter, though my dealings with him were mixed. there's no denying his ability as a bookman and his connection to literature, which is why he is widely respected, but i'm not very sympathetic to the idea that *because* he had these abstract gifts (just like the ones you attribute to red), he was absolved of having to treat people with basic courtesy. i'm sure red treated many people with basic courtesy, but the stories of his crankiness and bad temper are too common (seriously who the fuck doesn't sell to nymark?) to chalk up to it just being that his store drew in a lot of riff raff.

 

[garvo]

I’m very late for this one (was living in the UK since 2010). Thought I might leave a quick note for old Red. I worked at the newsstand next to Reds store, and was there on night shift when the LA riots broke out in 1992. When Red showed up the next morning I told him that no one had touched his store in the mayhem, and he thanked me by giving me a couple of BUKS books. We remained friends until his death in 1998. Here is a link to some video I recorded around 1995 I think.

 

[reds kid]

I'm Judi. That's my dad- Sholom. I came across this by chance tonight doing some research and can't find the words. What a blessing to find. Thank you so much for posting. Can't wait to share it with my nephews- his grandsons. Thank you for this gift

 

[garvo]

Hello Judi, this is Paul the one who posted the video of your father here. I met you many years ago just after your father passing. In fact it was you who called me to break the news. (I suppose Minnie might have given you my number). I stopped in to see your reply today as I was going through old things in storage and found and old green Tshirt your father gave me years ago with Baroque Book Store written on it. Pretty cool! Anyway I hope you are well.

 

[garvo]

Ha - that's the first thing I thought: all those hardcovers, rotting in the sun...

Just for the record, he had a wind up UV screen that protected the books in the window. You can see it in being used in the video I posted below.