Don't Try - what would/will your epitaph be?

O

Ona Nizm

I have no idea. Just would like to hear some witty, inventive ones. Have you heard or seen any unique ones.

On second thoughts: "I HAD NO IDEA"
 
Bukfan

Bukfan

"The law is wrong; I am right"
What about "Here rots...", instead of "Here rests..." or "This piece of the lawn is fertilized by..." :)
 
O

Ona Nizm

Did you hear the one about Mozart - a few days after his burial, eerie sounds can be heard coming from his grave. People are frightened and the Mayor is summoned. He presses his ear to the newly earthed sod and listens intently. After a while he stands and says to the crowd: "Nothing to worry about folks, it's just Mozart decomposing."

Yeah, I know.
 
chronic

chronic

old and in the way
I think that I would like mine to read "Does this suck or what?" or "I'm going to Disneyland!"
 
Bukfan

Bukfan

"The law is wrong; I am right"
The comedian W.C.Fields came from Philadelphia and he hated the city. He suggested that his epitaph should read: "All in all, I would rather be in Philadelphia." ...

btw, I tried googling "funny epitaphs". I got 185 000 hits!
 
O

Ona Nizm

"And Death Shall Have No Dominion (So What The F*** I'm I Doing Here)

(It's my upbring - I just can't write profanities :)
 
Bukfan

Bukfan

"The law is wrong; I am right"
What about some Buk titles as epitaphs:
"Come on in", "Sunlight Here I Am", "You Get So Alone", "Bone Palace", "South Of No North", "Laughing With The Gods"...:)
 
Bukfan

Bukfan

"The law is wrong; I am right"
adrian said:
I only recently read where Bukowski's "don't try" came from :eek: For ages I wondered why he'd have "dont try" along with a boxer's torso
Click to expand...

I'm still wondering. Please enlighten me!
 
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A

adrian

It apparently was a reference to his entry in 'Who's Who'. Most of the other new nominees gave long rambling speeches about how honoured they were to be included on such a prestigious list. Bukowski's response apparently was "don't try" :D
 
Bukfan

Bukfan

"The law is wrong; I am right"
Indeed it was. I remember that, but had'nt he used that quote many times before it was printed in Who's Who? Maybe I better watch BIT again and see what Linda B. has to say about it. I still have'nt figured out the boxer's torso on the gravestone. Of course, we know that Buk was fond of boxing especially in his younger days where he used to go to the matches...
 
A

adrian

I saw Linda explain the "don't try" thing in the extras on Born Into This

Re the boxing - I don't think he was a great barroom fighter himself (by his own admission he wasn't that good, although I suspect the outcome of the fights were largely irrelevantt. IMO it was a great release for him.....perhaps the Buk should be credited for the fightclub phenomenon we see today?)

His love of boxing is obvious as it appears in a fair few of his writings
 
cirerita

cirerita

Founding member
I don't think too much. The less you think, the more you know. One time, somebody asked me what's the secret to typing, and I told them, "don't try". That's the secret to everything: don't try,
Click to expand...
Hustler interview, 1976.
 
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Bukfan

Bukfan

"The law is wrong; I am right"
Thanks, mjp and cirerita!
So the quote goes back to 1976 - at least.
I wonder what year he was accepted into Who's Who. Perhaps in the eighties. Anyhow, the quote dates back to before his Who's Who acceptance.
But the boxer is still a bit of a puzzle. Did he really like boxing matches so much that he wanted a boxer on his gravestone? Or was it Linda B's idea? Hmmm...
 
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cirerita

cirerita

Founding member
there are a couple of quotes from the late 60's / early 70's re. the "don't try" motto. can't find them now, so here's a little something re. boxing instead.

boxing1.jpg


boxing2.jpg
 
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