True identities? (1 Viewer)

I remember reading a poem in which Bukowski mentions a writer from "Rolling Stone" magazine. The guy kept pestering Buk to do an interview with him. They would both be paid a tidy sum. Ultimately Buk tells the guy to piss off. The last of the poem has a great line. It's something about reading the guy's stuff and it was as if he was on speed, flogging the reader with pieces of his soul.

That sure sounds as if Buk is referring to Hunter S. Thompson. I just wondered if anyone knew for sure.

Also, does anyone know what the true identity is of the folk singer from "Women", Dinky? He sat on Bukowski's floor and played ten songs for him. And Bukowski actually didn't rip them all to shreds, seemed to rather enjoy them to a certain degree.
 
Also, does anyone know what the true identity is of the folk singer from "Women", Dinky? He sat on Bukowski's floor and played ten songs for him. And Bukowski actually didn't rip them all to shreds, seemed to rather enjoy them to a certain degree.

Here he is circa 1966: And
 
I remember reading a poem in which Bukowski mentions a writer from "Rolling Stone" magazine. The guy kept pestering Buk to do an interview with him. They would both be paid a tidy sum. Ultimately Buk tells the guy to piss off. The last of the poem has a great line. It's something about reading the guy's stuff and it was as if he was on speed, flogging the reader with pieces of his soul.

That sure sounds as if Buk is referring to Hunter S. Thompson. I just wondered if anyone knew for sure.

That's 'the jackals' from The Last Night of the Earth Poems

[...]


here came the poet, glass of
cheap free wine in his hand, he
poked his face into mine
and repeated his same speech all
over again as if he had forgotten
he had given it
to me before.


"remember me? we met at L's.
there's this new mag starting, it's
going to be better than Rolling
Stone ...
what they want me to do is
interview you and you interview me,
we get a thousand a-piece, maybe
more ..."


(said jackal had attacked me in an
article after begging me to go
to the boxing matches with him.
his face was continually
in mine, talking, talking.
"listen," I told him, "let's just
watch the fights ..."


[...]


give it a week, I came in from the
track one evening and here was a
large package: 3 of his latest
books from a local press.
I flipped through the pages:
a breezy, bantering style
playing the open, good
human guy but it was like he
was writing on benzedrine
lashing you with shreds of his
soul,
but it was more boring-
than derring-
do.

[...]


i don't think it was HST. But then, I don't know who it might be.
 
I was off the mark on that one. I thought for sure it was RS magazine but obviously I'm misremembering.

That last passage is one of my favorites though.

You Rock!


Thanks, ponder. I was pretty sure it was no one who I had heard of, this makes it certain.

Elusive Butterfly huh? Top 5 hit you say? Never heard of it, I may have to look it up on itunes when I get home.
 
That's 'the jackals' from The Last Night of the Earth Poems

i don't think it was HST. But then, I don't know who it might be.

Richard Meltzer. In his book, Autumn Rhythms (Da Capo, 2003), Meltzer has an essay called "A Stiff For All Seasons" about Bukowski and his relationship with Bukowski. Even mentions the poem "the jackals" is about him, etc.

At one point I believe the essay was available online but not sure if it still is.
 
Richard Meltzer...

At one point I believe the essay was available online but not sure if it still is.

There's this essay, if it's the same one... (just cancel the login pop ups)


From page 5...

So while I'm working on this piece - life is funny - I find myself in one of his poems. "The Jackals," in The Last Night of the Earth Poems, p. 312 - you could look it up. Nobody leaves him alone - he wrote lots of those - and in this one three people won't leave him alone, and he has me down as one of them. Doesn't name me but it's me. Written somewhere in the late '80s.
 

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