When did you discover Bukowski?
- Thread starter mjp
- Start date
In 8th grade I started to get heavily into reading. At the bookstore I always looked the one thing that would attract to my senses at the time. I noticed Bukowski, and picked up Post Office first and I haven't stopped since.
I spent a lot of time at the big library downtown, checking stuff out and reading whatever held my interest. I worked through the Vonnegut section, just grabbing whatever names other authors references or stuff I had heard about, Satre, Huxley, Bellow, Roth, anything. My friend mentioned Bukowski and "Post Office" and his review was vague, along the lines of "It's really fucked up."
I read it but it didn't grab me that much the first time. I guess since it was okay I eventually checked out Women. Wow! That was the one. First the subject matter easily held my attention, also the narrator is behaving insanely and often making very poor decisions -- he acknowledges he is aware of this but doesn't spend a lot of time on it, just goes.
I've read most of his books a few times now and ordered Women as a birthday present for a friend who I knew would love it. It's occured to me to order it for some of my psychotic ex-girlfriends, one in particular, but I don't like the idea of giving her anything, or sharing something I like with her, so that's that.
I read it but it didn't grab me that much the first time. I guess since it was okay I eventually checked out Women. Wow! That was the one. First the subject matter easily held my attention, also the narrator is behaving insanely and often making very poor decisions -- he acknowledges he is aware of this but doesn't spend a lot of time on it, just goes.
I've read most of his books a few times now and ordered Women as a birthday present for a friend who I knew would love it. It's occured to me to order it for some of my psychotic ex-girlfriends, one in particular, but I don't like the idea of giving her anything, or sharing something I like with her, so that's that.
Black Swan
Abord the Yorikke!
Quote:
Some say I love my pain.
yes, I love it so much I'd like to give it to you
wrapped in a red ribbon
you can have it
you can have it all.
I'll never miss it.
I'm working on getting rid of it, believe me.
I might jam it into your mailbox
or throw it on the back seat of your car
Buk
(What matters most is how well you walk trhough the fire)
I first discovered Bukowski through a German skateboarding video titled The Strongest of the Stange that contains Bukowski's reading of Genius of the Crowd from 70 Minutes in Hell. I was intrigued by his writing so I tricked my parents into buying me a copy of Sifting Through the Madness. I read Sifting in a week and then bought Mockingbird Wish Me Luck and The Days Run Away. I have also brought Burning In Water Drowning in Flame on a church bike trip which felt really dirty because I read it to myself alone in a church at 7 am.
I am now planning on buying Run With the Hunted and/or 70 Minutes in Hell in preparation for a Charles Bukowski poetry gathering. :)
I am now planning on buying Run With the Hunted and/or 70 Minutes in Hell in preparation for a Charles Bukowski poetry gathering. :)
The first Bukowski work I ever encountered was the vinyl record, "Bukowski Reads His Poetry" on Takoma, when the radio station I spin for got a promo copy. Live performance, grade-b sound quality as I recall, but my mind was blown nonetheless!
I heard the recording from 70 Minutes of Buk reading Genius of the Crowd in a German skateboarding video called The Strongest of the Strange. I immediately bought Sifting Through the Madness and have worked my way through some of the books from Buk's lifetime since then.
mjp
Founding member
Well, that's the first time I've ever heard that.
The funny part is that the video was mailed to me by someone in Germany who I thought lived in the United States.
Slouching towards nirvana -> Mockingbird wish me luck -> Factotum -> Ham on rye, women & Post office (same day read) and then :sifting, last night of the earth, the captain is out to lunch, the flash of lightning. Hoping to get my hands on: hot water music, ordinary tales and Pulp
post office, then pulp, then mockingbird wish me luck.
currently reading stew.
currently reading stew.
Actually, I was a huge punk and hardcore fan, and while in a bookstore one day, I noticed a book entitled "Hot Water Music," which was one of my favorite bands at the time. (For anyone who knew Hot Water Music, this was before their Epitaph days. This was even before "Finding the Rhythms" came out.) I read the short stories, and thought they were really weird, but really well written and managed to capture my attention, leaving me to want to read more. Now, one of my life's goals is to own every book Bukowski ever put out. I know that this will be difficult, especially finding a copy of his real early shit like "Flower, Fist and Bestial Wail." (by the way, I have close to 30 of his books now.)
4 or 5 years ago i was watching an interview on tv with samantha morton (british acress) she was really raving about this book... ham on rye by charles bukowski
the way she was talking about it really got me going, i went out and bought it, loved it, read all the other books, short stories, poetry, which i love even though i dont like poetry, he showed me it didn't have to be stupid rhyming shit about things that have no interest to me
the way she was talking about it really got me going, i went out and bought it, loved it, read all the other books, short stories, poetry, which i love even though i dont like poetry, he showed me it didn't have to be stupid rhyming shit about things that have no interest to me
Post Office back in 1987. Since then, I've alternatively rapidly and slowly accumulated all of his works that are commonly available (and a few rarities).
Hmmm
There is a song by Modest Mouse called 'Bukowski'
That's where I first heard of him
I then went to a bookstore, bought
Slouching Towards Nirvana
then read it, and started buying
like a maniac.
Ah, ambrosia.
-sean
There is a song by Modest Mouse called 'Bukowski'
That's where I first heard of him
I then went to a bookstore, bought
Slouching Towards Nirvana
then read it, and started buying
like a maniac.
Ah, ambrosia.
-sean
Just about 20 years ago, a friend of mine turned me onto Burning in Water..., Dangling...etc. At first, I got more into Post Office and Women - I laughed out loud at night reading long into the early hours of the morning. Since then, I've picked up all the commonly available stuff, and still have most of the more recent posthumous books of poetry to devour over the next few years.
John William Corrington called him Chaz or Chazz, I forget which.
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Post Office right after high school (the summer after I think). It's pretty much changed the way I look at anything/everything. I have much less confidence in other people and the world that I live in (aside from my parents, ironically).
It's interesting to see some of the 1-6 posters from long ago (especially the youngins). I suppose, though, that I am a youngin to a good portion of the people here (20 in FLA, started reading when I was 18).
It's interesting to see some of the 1-6 posters from long ago (especially the youngins). I suppose, though, that I am a youngin to a good portion of the people here (20 in FLA, started reading when I was 18).
"The most beautiful woman in town & other stories." 1987. I was 19, had just dropped out of the music program at Cal State Long Beach and was living in a filthy rental house with two other guys, trying to figure out what I was going to do with myself. Too proud to ask Dad for money. You know the drill.
Factotum
Well this is my first time writing here, so what the hell...this seems like the perfect place to start.
First: I'm from Finland and might make some typos etc, so please forgive me...
Now, the first time I even heard of the name "Bukowski" was in a TV show called 'Gilmore Girls'. Well, there was this line: "typical for boys - worship Kerouac and Bukowski..." or something. I knew who Keroac was, but who's this "Bukowski"?
Later I went to the local library to find out if they had any books by this "Bukowski". There were few books, so I just chose one. It was 'Notes of a dirty old man'
I read the book and was amused, but that's about it (well maybe little disqusted too).
A year or two went by. I had graduated from school, and had started working in a warehouse, my first real job. I hated it. I began to think that if this is what it's going to be for the rest of my life, no thanks. I was hanging around the library a lot at the time, because I had no place else to go. I was really depressed, so I thought maybe that guy who had all those funny things to say could chear me up. I found a book called 'Post Office'. I was hooked right away. The man seemed to hate working as much as me! It was like a miracle! It really helped me. That book saved my life!
(Yeah I know...you wanted to know how I found out about Buk, not my life story...)
First: I'm from Finland and might make some typos etc, so please forgive me...
Now, the first time I even heard of the name "Bukowski" was in a TV show called 'Gilmore Girls'. Well, there was this line: "typical for boys - worship Kerouac and Bukowski..." or something. I knew who Keroac was, but who's this "Bukowski"?
Later I went to the local library to find out if they had any books by this "Bukowski". There were few books, so I just chose one. It was 'Notes of a dirty old man'
I read the book and was amused, but that's about it (well maybe little disqusted too).
A year or two went by. I had graduated from school, and had started working in a warehouse, my first real job. I hated it. I began to think that if this is what it's going to be for the rest of my life, no thanks. I was hanging around the library a lot at the time, because I had no place else to go. I was really depressed, so I thought maybe that guy who had all those funny things to say could chear me up. I found a book called 'Post Office'. I was hooked right away. The man seemed to hate working as much as me! It was like a miracle! It really helped me. That book saved my life!
(Yeah I know...you wanted to know how I found out about Buk, not my life story...)
Father Luke
Founding member
No matter how many times I reqad what Bukowski wrote about stuff like this, it
always tickles me to read it as it happens.
Nice to have you around, Finland.