"The Last Times" Plymell, "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" from Open City. (1 Viewer)

"The Last Times" Plymell, "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" from "Open City" (1967).

Hello,

My 1st post here, hello all.
I'm hoping someone can help me find out a bit of info.
I'm trying to figure out which issue of "Open City", the L.A. Underground/counter culture newspaper, this Bukowski "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" appeared in. I know it's one of the earlier ones since it's from 1967 and he started in issue #2 in May of 1967. I've tried a search of the forums but "The Last Times" gives up a lot of threads...
Seems Mr. Charles Plymell (the beat poet/author of "Last of the Moccasins") published 2 issues of a Underground/counter culture tabloid newspaper in 1967 (around September). Issue #1 (Fall 1967) had one of Bukowski's "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" "lifted" from an "Open City". Can anyone help on letting me know which issue of "Open City" it's from?

It starts out:
"the other night I found myself at a gathering -..."
and ends:
"...while I roll a bit of Bull Durham. wanta drag?"

Here's some info regarding "The Last Times" vol. 1 #1 (Fall 1967)
by Vortex Printers / Charles Plymell and contains the R. Crumb "Head Comix" Hey Boparee Bop! page "lifted" from Yarrowstalks #2 (this is the first R. Crumb work printed by Charles Plymell, before Zap Comix #1).
Measures approx. 17.5" x 11". This is the original underground/counter culture tabloid newspaper printed by Charles Plymell himself in approx. September of 1967 (about 6 months before he printed the 1st printing of Zap Comix #1 on 25 February 1968 with approx. 3,500 copies printed) with a .25 cent cover price. Plymell stated to me that he printed approx. 200 to 300 copies of each issue (he later also stated about 500 copies, more or less of both issues combined). How many of these copies could have been kept and possibly survived? It contains the "lifted" Head Comix page from Yarrowstalks #2, the first R. Crumb work printed by Plymell (bootlegged), before he met R. Crumb and Don Donahue in San Francisco at the end of 1967. It's so rare that Dez Skinn's book lists the "Head Comix" page coming from Yarrowstalks #1 and Patrick Rosenkranz's book has pictures of Yarrowstalks #3, so they may have never even seen it. It also includes articles/poems by William Burroughs "Day The Records Went Up", Claude Pelieu "Do It Yourself & Dig It", Allen Ginsberg (that's a picture of him on the cover) edited version of "Television Baby Crawling Toward That Death Chamber" and an early "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" editorial essay by Charles Bukowski "lifted" from a Open City issue from that same year (1967) (these essays where collected and release in 1969 to become Charles Bukowski's first big selling book). Plymell told me it also has a picture of beat poet and City Lights bookstore co-founder Lawrence "Sailor" Ferlinghetti as well as some things by J.J. Lebel, Artaud (not sure if these last 2 items are in the 1st or 2nd issue).
 
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Open City #20 [collected as "The Big Pot Game" in Erections...]

You're welcome ;)
 
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Hi,
You have asked Charley and he does not have one? Have you talked to Pam Plymell?

This is a tough one. Maybe Cirerita has run across a copy in a library? Of course, it is possible that the whole run of 200 or 300 were wold on the streets out of a baby carriage.
Bill
 
Those issues have been on eBay for a loooong time. Maybe the seller has several copies... or no one has felt like swinging $125 for them...
 
Open City #20 [collected as "The Big Pot Game" in Erections...]

You're welcome ;)

Thanks, what's the date of it?

I purchased the one on eBay, so yes I have a copy. Charles Plymell pointed me to the seller, he doesn't own a copy of it anymore, he sold it to a Burrough's fan a while ago.
 
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Why do you need to know the date, if you don't mind my asking?

Plymell told me he printed this before R. Crumb arrived in S.F. (which was Jan. 1967 if I recall correctly), he states it was about a year before he printed Zap Comix #1 and also mentioned 1965 even. But to his credit he said he was taking a lot of acid at the time and can't be sure on dates. But since it's dated "Fall 1967" it doesn't fly. So I'm trying to narrow it down a little. If I know that it was "lifted" from a Open City #20 that came out ???, then I know it was printed after that. I believe it was printed in September 1967, but this would help narrow it down.

You have asked Charley and he does not have one? Have you talked to Pam Plymell?

This is a tough one. Maybe Cirerita has run across a copy in a library? Of course, it is possible that the whole run of 200 or 300 were wold on the streets out of a baby carriage.
I don't think they were sold out of the baby carriage as he hadn't even met Dana Crumb yet... He printed this before he met them around October of 1967.
 
OC #20 came out on the September 14-21, 1967 week. I hope this helps to narrow it down, but Sept. 1967 seems highly unlikely.
 
Thanks a lot, so Plymell was way off but it's good to know when this actually came out.

Is this item listed on any checklist for Bukowski published work?
 
OC #20 came out on the September 14-21, 1967 week. I hope this helps to narrow it down, but Sept. 1967 seems highly unlikely.

Why, it actually fits perfectly. Plymell told me he would grab things he liked in the mail and "lift" them for "The Last Times". He gets the "Open City" and likes the Bukowski piece and adds it to the paper that he's printing in his shop. Meets Don Donahue a short time after, who meets R. Crumb and they all decide to print the underground comix Zap Comix #1 in October. Since Crumb had sent his work for the 1st issue (Which became Zap Comix #0) to Philadelphia, but didn't hear back from the guy, he finished drawing Zap Comix #1 in November and they all printed it in end of Feb. 1968.

Yep, it's listed in Fogel's.

That's funny Fogel's is also the name of the Underground Comix price guide.

What does it list for info. and value for "The Last Times"?
 
Anyone here actually own a copy of this? I've talked with Plymell and he doesn't even own a copy of this, he sold one to a Burroughs collector and a friend of his, Glen Todd owns a copy.
 

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