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Charles Bukowski

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Kraichgauer
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28 Feb 2011, 3:33 am

Anyone here read Charles Bukowski? If so, what's your favorite book, or story, or poem? Or do you despise him as a violent misogynistic alcoholic, and accused Antisemite?
I personally loved his novel, Post Office.

Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



Fuggles
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28 Feb 2011, 4:08 am

I have read most of Bukowski, his poetry is awesome. Try "burning in water, drowning in flame". Also good is his autobiography "ham on rye". Once you begin reading him you will not stop. I "discovered" him in 1993 and have never looked back.



Kraichgauer
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28 Feb 2011, 4:33 am

Fuggles wrote:
I have read most of Bukowski, his poetry is awesome. Try "burning in water, drowning in flame". Also good is his autobiography "ham on rye". Once you begin reading him you will not stop. I "discovered" him in 1993 and have never looked back.


A friend got me a book of Bukowski's poetry called The Pleasures Of The Damned for my birthday - great stuff. I especially love stuff on Youtube of Bukowski reading his own poetry.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



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28 Feb 2011, 4:35 am

The only book I ever read of him was Play the piano drunk like a percussion instrument until the fingers begin to bleed a bit. I had seen a documentary about him and I was curious about his writing, despite him being a violent drunk who kicked his girlfriend on television...
One of my favorite poems by Bukowski has to be The genius of the crowd:
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-genius-of-the-crowd


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jamieboy
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28 Feb 2011, 5:42 am

Listen baby, he's my favourite writer! Read about 20 books and am currently in the middle of rereading Post Office. Born into this and an earlier bbc documentary are both on youtube if anyone hasn't seen them. I just got through watching them both a couple of weeks ago.



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01 Mar 2011, 11:34 pm

I read "Women". I was not impressed.



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02 Mar 2011, 1:09 am

I like his poetry and his semi-autobiography is on my reading list.


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Moog
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02 Mar 2011, 5:13 am

I really like Bukowski. I only ever dipped into his work though.


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jamieboy
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02 Mar 2011, 6:39 am

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?



Moog
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02 Mar 2011, 10:49 am

jamieboy wrote:
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?


That's beautiful, I've never read it. Thanks for posting it.


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CoalBogey
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02 Mar 2011, 1:46 pm

Moog wrote:
I really like Bukowski. I only ever dipped into his work though.


Same here.

I will check out some of the YouTube recommendations in this thread. 8)



jamieboy
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02 Mar 2011, 1:58 pm

Theres a bit in one of the documentaries where he's talking about how he hates people's noise and being touched. :chin:



Kraichgauer
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02 Mar 2011, 6:36 pm

jamieboy wrote:
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?


That's one poem I would love to hear Bukowski himself read. Mind you, Harry Dean Stanton does a great job on YouTube reading it, but I'd like to hear Buk, himself.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



jamieboy
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03 Mar 2011, 3:36 am

Kraichgauer wrote:
jamieboy wrote:
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?


That's one poem I would love to hear Bukowski himself read. Mind you, Harry Dean Stanton does a great job on YouTube reading it, but I'd like to hear Buk, himself.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


I actually have a couple of cd's of him reading stuff. One is a home recording and one is a live one. If you don't have them and get the chance to get hold of one then do it. The live performance is especially great. You can hear him chugging on beers and abusing crowd members between poems. :D