I went through a Bukhead phase and read everything Charles Bukowski published. Everything I could find. I met Al Berlinski in 1992 and bought his Sun Dog Press book 5.0 L Poems (1991) by Steve Richmond because it had a curious back cover blurb by Bukowski: "He remains fascinating, this Santa Monica Artaud." Soon I got a copy of Earth Rose (Earth Books, 1974) with the excellent Foreword by Bukowski, followed by other Richmond books including Gagaku (Planet Detroit Chapbooks, 1985), which features another Buk blurb: "I am sympathetic with Richmond's poetry because here, a good 20 years older, I feel much the same way."
Richmond and I corresponded.
I wrote that I wanted to publish a poetry anthology called STOVEPiPER--would he care to contribute? He promptly submitted a stack of 300 poems, all typewritten originals. I accepted 33. Steve Richmond would have the Wormwood Review-style center section...
I wrote to Bukowski in 1992 and asked for poems. Amazingly, he sent five with S.A.S.E. I accepted them and requested drawings to go with the poems. He sent five. "No need to return these, no matter what happens," he wrote.
STOVEPiPER: Book One came out in late '94 after Bukowski had passed away. I sent copies to Linda. Richmond had signed and numbered the first 73 copies in honor of Bukowski's 73 years. (I'd brought them to Richmond's "cave" for the signings. That was interesting.)
Richmond completed the manuscript for Spinning Off Bukowski (Sun Dog Press, 1996) in '95 and I commissioned him to write a memoir about Jim Morrison. The proposed title was Door of Doors. One could say I was a Doorshead at the time.
Richmond wrote a few dozen chapters, I paid an advance in three installments, and (at my request) he sent photos and relevant poems to print with the prose. Unfortunate Epilogue: The book never happened. I returned all materials, "wrote off" the advance, and we lost touch. I saw Spinning Off Bukowski in the window of Red's Hollywood bookstore and lamented the fact that his Morrison memoir didn't make it. . . .
Fast-forward to earlier this year: I Googled "Steve Richmond Gagaku" and discovered Ben Pleasant's Hollywood Investigator story/interview "Twilight of a Dope Fiend Poet." [A title that Pleasants had not intended, I later learned from the author.] I was shocked. That photo! Was he still alive? This man who signed so many letters to me, "Stay Alive,"?
He was. He is. We have since corresponded.
Before seeing that startling Steve Richmond Update (originally posted January 13, 2007), I had been working on a kind of lyrical tribute to him. The poet. The man. The "part of history" Bukowski himself acknowledged.
Inspired by the "Mr. Mojo Risin'" anagram Jim Morrison made out of his own name, I had made an anagram out of the name "Steve Richmond"--"Mr. Viced Honest"--and wrote some lines about the personage:
The lyrics have progressed since this draft, which was initially published as a free broadside by Valley Contemporary Poets in May 2008.
The plan is to present a live performance piece in honor of the man (and demons) Charles Bukowski saw so much vitality and importance in.
Here's the MySpace profile that will feature future recordings for free listening and download:
http://www.myspace.com/mrvicedhonest
Mike
Richmond and I corresponded.
I wrote that I wanted to publish a poetry anthology called STOVEPiPER--would he care to contribute? He promptly submitted a stack of 300 poems, all typewritten originals. I accepted 33. Steve Richmond would have the Wormwood Review-style center section...
I wrote to Bukowski in 1992 and asked for poems. Amazingly, he sent five with S.A.S.E. I accepted them and requested drawings to go with the poems. He sent five. "No need to return these, no matter what happens," he wrote.
STOVEPiPER: Book One came out in late '94 after Bukowski had passed away. I sent copies to Linda. Richmond had signed and numbered the first 73 copies in honor of Bukowski's 73 years. (I'd brought them to Richmond's "cave" for the signings. That was interesting.)
Richmond completed the manuscript for Spinning Off Bukowski (Sun Dog Press, 1996) in '95 and I commissioned him to write a memoir about Jim Morrison. The proposed title was Door of Doors. One could say I was a Doorshead at the time.
Richmond wrote a few dozen chapters, I paid an advance in three installments, and (at my request) he sent photos and relevant poems to print with the prose. Unfortunate Epilogue: The book never happened. I returned all materials, "wrote off" the advance, and we lost touch. I saw Spinning Off Bukowski in the window of Red's Hollywood bookstore and lamented the fact that his Morrison memoir didn't make it. . . .
Fast-forward to earlier this year: I Googled "Steve Richmond Gagaku" and discovered Ben Pleasant's Hollywood Investigator story/interview "Twilight of a Dope Fiend Poet." [A title that Pleasants had not intended, I later learned from the author.] I was shocked. That photo! Was he still alive? This man who signed so many letters to me, "Stay Alive,"?
He was. He is. We have since corresponded.
Before seeing that startling Steve Richmond Update (originally posted January 13, 2007), I had been working on a kind of lyrical tribute to him. The poet. The man. The "part of history" Bukowski himself acknowledged.
Inspired by the "Mr. Mojo Risin'" anagram Jim Morrison made out of his own name, I had made an anagram out of the name "Steve Richmond"--"Mr. Viced Honest"--and wrote some lines about the personage:
The lyrics have progressed since this draft, which was initially published as a free broadside by Valley Contemporary Poets in May 2008.
The plan is to present a live performance piece in honor of the man (and demons) Charles Bukowski saw so much vitality and importance in.
Here's the MySpace profile that will feature future recordings for free listening and download:
http://www.myspace.com/mrvicedhonest
Mike
