Hello to those with an interest the extraordinary,

[redviper]

Hello to those with an interest in the extraordinary,

I have been an avid reader all my life, achieved academic and executive status, and would be considered the opposite of Charles Bukowski. I discovered his work about about five years looking through the poetry section in Barnes and Noble. The first book of his that I couldn't put down was "The Last Night of the Earth Poems." Since then I'm working my way through everything he wrote. Some are interesting, some mundane, many insightful, many incredible, and some about me.

I will always be grateful to Bukowski for being who he he was.

 

[bospress.net]

What does it mean to achieve executive status? I used to be the Controller of a multimillion dollar corporation. I was the President of my own failed small Subchapter S Corporation. Does that count? Does it need to be a publicly traded company to count?

I'm being completely serious. I'm not being argumentative or sarcastic. It has always mystified me. It seems like something that is hard to quantify. It seems to me like the term "Business man". Does that term apply to only those that wear suits or anyone that engages in business? If so, is the homeless squeegee man a business man?

Bill

 

[Bukfan]

Welcome aboard, redviper! Yes, Bukowski wrote a lot of great poems, but don't forget to read his novels and short story collections. Some of them are great too...

 

[mjp]

What does it mean to achieve executive status?

It means you have the key to the bathroom.


But I have one of those keys, and trust me, it doesn't take much to achieve such awe-inspiring things. In fact, most "executives" could be replaced by a desk fan, or a box of Lemonheads and no one would know the difference.

 

[hoochmonkey9]

your office has bathrooms?

nice.

 

[mjp]

I know, right? I was surprised too. What do you use at your place?

 

[Purple Stickpin]

It seems to me that all the original poster was trying to point out is that while he's basically the antithesis of Buk, he can relate to him and really dig and relate to his words. That he pointed out he worked as an executive may seem pretentious, but if it's true, it can't be pretentious, as pretense = falsehood.

I don't know; a guy happens by, explains how he likes Buk despite being one of the guys Buk probably would have hated, and you slam him. What the fuck?

Have a drink and go do something worthwhile. Jeez, when it gets to the point where Jordan is one of the polite members here, we've got a problem. ;)

So welcome, redviper!

 

[mjp]

It's called a barrier to entry.

It means you have to demonstrate that you can take some jostling around before you can come and run - or lie down with - the pack, you dig?



Jesus. At least we don't make them kill somebody.

Oh, and saying you have gained status is certainly pretentious.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Got it. But status is a relative term. You have a certain status as a website manager and a separate status as a writer. Bill has a status as a publisher of independent press books. I have a status as a scientist. Even the fucking pope has a certain status as a human being of some kind.

Be it good or bad, it's a status. Picking up the toilet paper caked on the floor or telling someone to buy it. Status.

And if redviper was successful in business, so freaking be it; he acheived a certain status, even if that means he meant he was successful, which is exactly what he meant. Not pretense; reality. You can be annoyed by it, but you cannnot call it pretense if it's true. Of course, I don't know it's true, but you know, benefit of the doubt.

Makes my initial point even more. He was simply trying to indicate the irony of how much he liked Buk relative to what his life has been about. And when he wrote: some of them were about me, he was referring to R.M. Heathercliff, the owner of the dog biscuit factory, the manager of the meat plant with the blunt hook to hang the carcasses on, and the foreman at the light fixture company that wanted all the heavy light fixtures on the top shelf, etc.

And why was I never subjected to this sort of "entry harrasment" to coin a phrase? Hell I would have LOVED it. Chance to blast back, y'know?

 

[bospress.net]

John;
It was not meant as me busting his balls. I was very seriously asking the question. I thought that I explained that well, but apparently not.

Maybe it was because it was off-topic and moved his welcome thread into another direction.

If that was the case, I apologize.

And welcome to REDVIPER!

Best,
Bill

 

[Mather]

I felt redviper sounded pretentious myself, as if we are supposed to admire whatever "status" means, academic AND executive, while at the same time being completely vague and unverifiable...it may not have been intended that way but most pretentious behavior is not, it's just natural, comes from within...I felt it sort of carried an implication too that nobody around here, Buk's real people, could possible achieve "status" in academia or business. Bill's response was absolutely combative. I thought it was funny.

By the way my name is Mather Schneider and I also have received no tough skin rough-em-ups. However, laying down with the pack is not a specific goal of mine.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

Mather, you are going to want to lay down when we are all stewing in our juices.

Welcome Red Viper, I have a picture of a couple of red racers mating. Are you a red racer with executive status? Don't let these chuckle heads run you off now. We all love to laugh, especially at your expense. Hang in there and see where this goes. By the way, I too have had the keys, when I was somebody. You like Bukowski so you will be fine here.

 

[Ponder]

You like Bukowski so you will be fine here.

I like that line.

 

[mjp]

Got it. But status is a relative term. You have a certain status as a website manager and a separate status as a writer. Bill has a status as a publisher of independent press books. I have a status as a scientist. Even the fucking pope has a certain status as a human being of some kind.

Maybe you missed a key word:

"...saying you have gained status is certainly pretentious. "

And it is.

For him/her to say he/she had achieved success would not be pretentious, because you can tangibly measure "success." Status can only be bestowed onto you by others, and to claim it yourself is, at the very least, cheeky, as the kids say.

By the way my name is Mather Schneider and I also have received no tough skin rough-em-ups.

Well, you did, you just don't realize it. All your posts were set to "global ignore." Then you said a couple of things that weren't just idiotic or troll-y so we took the global ignore off. Now I see that our first impression was probably right. You are only here now tenuously.

However, laying down with the pack is not a specific goal of mine.

That's like saying that you refuse to go to a party that you were not invited to. Cute.

 

[Mather]

Mather, you are going to want to lay down when we are all stewing in our juices.

Until then, Gerard.

mjp, I was set on "global ignore"? Talk about "cute"! Well, I assume F. Luke has something to do with that. But I agreed with you on Richmond, so I might not be that bad after all...

I am not someone who will ruin your forum.

 

[mjp]

I was set on "global ignore"? I assume F. Luke has something to do with that.

Yep, it was Luke. He said you were a nogoodnik. I don't think he likes you very much.

 

[Mather]

I'm sure "nogoodnik" wasn't the only word he used. I am here because I like Bukowski, not because of any history I have had with F. Luke.

 

[mjp]

Well, okay. It will be very difficult for me to convince him, but if you say your intentions are good, that's enough for me.

 

[Mather]

Thanks, mjp, you sound like a man of reason.

 

[Ponder]

If you never had a fight with Father Luke you ain't no good :)

 

[Mather]

Don't encourage me...

 

[Black Swan]

hello and welcome redviper.

 

[bospress.net]

... and if I sounded like a dick, I apologize.

Welcome to the forum, redviper.

Bill

 

[Mather]

You see what perspective can do?

 

[mjp]

Thanks, mjp, you sound like a man of reason.

I am indeed. A more reasonable man you will not find anywhere in the Americas, North or South. Maybe in Europe or Asia there is a more reasonable man, but I have yet to meet him.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

Did I miss something? Is Mather the red snakes guy? Is Father Luke his friend?

Well we are all mostly reasonable here and friends and fans of Father Luke. Welcome Redviper.

A Red Racer

 

[Black Swan]

Very nice composition Gerard,
that patch of green in the upper left side corner and the red oblique
running upward across the frame. This is art, or is it?

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Maybe you missed a key word:

"...saying you have gained status is certainly pretentious. "

And it is.

For him/her to say he/she had achieved success would not be pretentious, because you can tangibly measure "success." Status can only be bestowed onto you by others, and to claim it yourself is, at the very least, cheeky, as the kids say.

Well, you're right, but it didn't really take it that way. I suppose as a casual member, I don't dissect every post to the spine, as it were. But my gut tells me that redviper was only trying to make a point. But he made two:

1. He's impressed, in general, by Buk's work, especially in the context of how his work has been in direct opposition of where Buk was; and
2. He's impressed by his own body of work

Still not a major crime here in my mind. People talk about being proud to be this and that, when they had no part in it.

It's no major transgression to me to say you're proud of your body of work, or that your son/daughter got into Yale or Stamford, but how can you be proud to be an American or a Antarctican? Hell, you had nothing to do with that if you were born here. You can be proud of it if you became a citizen, of course. Pride is a stupid concept for the most part.

Sorry; rambling.

Time will tell with redviper. For now, welcome.

 

[Hanna]

The term status can indicate state of being, and that was clearly the context in which he used the term.

Oh, but I am sure everyone giving him shit knows that already.

 

[mjp]

A member of the dictionary guild checking in. Awesome.

But what do you think of Ananda Osel?