Authors: Howard Sounes
The screening of Taylor Hackford’s documentary,
Bukowski
, was based on my interviews with Neeli Cherkovski; Taylor Hackford (5 Feb, 1997); Linda King; and Jory Sherman. Taylor Hackford was kind enough to screen the film for me at his home in Hollywood. For additional background, I referred to Jory Sherman’s chapbook,
Friendship Fame and Bestial Myth
; and Steve Richmond’s book,
Spinning Off Bukowski
.
Ruth Wantling described Bukowski’s visit to Normal, Illinois, the death of William Wantling and her trip to Los Angeles (interviews on various dates in 1996 and 1997). I also spoke with her friend, Victoria Harris (4 Dec, 1996), and interviewed the following: Brad Darby (13 Feb, 1997); Tina Darby (7 July, 1997); and Steve Richmond (8 Nov, 1996). Additional information is from Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with William and Ruth Wantling, held at UCSB, and Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with John Bennett, held at Brown University, Philadelphia. I also referred to microfiches of the
LA Free Press
at UCLA; and to A.D. Winans’ book,
The Charles Bukowski/Second Coming Years
.
The poem, ‘cooperation’, is from
Play The Piano Drunk/Like a
Percussion Instrument Until/The Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit
. The poem, ‘trouble with spain’, is from
Burning in Water, Drowning
in Flame
. The poem, ‘the icecream people’, was first published in the
New York Quarterly
(No. 14/Spring, 1973) and has never previously been published in a book. The extract appears here by permission of Black Sparrow Press.
The Santa Cruz reading is based on my correspondence with the late Allen Ginsberg (23 Sept, 1996), and on an article by Ric Reynolds in the 6 Dec, 1974, issue of the
Berkeley Barb
.
The information that Bukowski was invited to the Naropa Institute comes from a 18 Oct, 1978, letter from Ginsberg to Bukowski which is held at UCSB, and Bukowski’s reply declining the invitation. Harold Norse told me about Bukowski’s meeting with William Burroughs (13 Dec, 1996).
Regarding the Sartre/Genet quotation about Bukowski being the best poet in America, John Martin initially referred me to
Esquire
magazine where he believed it first appeared. I also referred to the 17 June, 1976, issue of
Rolling Stone
magazine, where the claim was made. The staff at
Esquire
searched their archives, but found nothing. I then contacted international Sartre and Genet scholars starting with Professor Malcolm Bowie at Oxford University, England, who consulted his colleagues in Britain and the United States, none of whom knew about the quotation. Dr Jean-Pierre Boulé, secretary of the UK Society for Sartrean Studies, took my enquiry to the 1997 Sartre convention in Paris, France, but no one was aware of a connection between Sartre and Bukowski. Edmund White, author of
Genet
, knew nothing about an association with Genet. Albert Dichy, director of the Genet archive in Paris, was firmly of the opinion Genet had said
no such thing (11 June, 1997). In an interview with John Martin in Santa Rosa on 21 July, 1997, he agreed the quotation was no more than apocryphal.
The Bukowski quote, ‘I look around …’, and details about Bukowski’s meeting with Raymond Carver are from Donald McRae’s interview with Bukowski published in the
Guardian
newspaper, London, on 14 Dec, 1991. I also corresponded with Carver’s widow, Tess Gallagher (18 Dec, 1997). Lines from ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is’ come from
Fires: Essays, Poems
,
Stories
by Raymond Carver, first published in Great Britain in 1985 by Collins Harvill, copyright 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 by Tess Gallagher. Reproduced by permission of The Harvill Press.
Bukowski’s Santa Barbara reading was described by John Martin (21 July, 1997) and club owner Claire Rabe (6 & 22 Mar, 1997). I also referred to an article in the
Santa Barbara
News & Review
(24 Oct, 1975).
Bukowski’s comments about the inspiration for
Factotum
are from an interview he gave to Robert Wennersten of
London
magazine, reprinted in
Zoot
magazine (June, 1996). I also quoted from Richard Elman’s review of
Factotum
which appeared in the
New York Times
on 8 Aug, 1976; and referred to the 1989 Penguin edition of George Orwell’s
Down and Out in Paris and London
.
The Bukowski quote, ‘My writing has no meaning …’, is from Bukowski’s interview with
Hustler
magazine (Dec, 1976), as are his comments about
The Fiend
.
Details about Bukowski’s payment by
Hustler
is from a 18 May, 1976, letter from the managing editor of
Hustler
to Bukowski. It is on file at UCSB. All comments from John Martin are from interviews with the author.
Tina and Brad Darby described life at Carlton Way in interviews on various dates between Feb and July, 1997. I also corresponded with Bob Lind (1 June, 1997) and interviewed Bob Lind (8 Oct, 1997).
The section about Bukowski’s friendship with George Di Caprio is from my 28 July, 1997, interview with George Di Caprio.
Linda King described her break-up with Bukowski in interviews and correspondence on various dates in 1996 and 1997. I referred to her previously unpublished 14 June, 1976, letter to John Martin. I also spoke to Tina Darby; referred to
Women
; and Bukowski’s letters in
Living on Luck
.
The primary source for the section about Pamela Miller (aka Cupcakes) are my interviews with Pamela (6 & 25 July, 1997). I also referred to letters published in
Living on Luck
.
The poems, ‘one for the shoeshine man’, ‘how come you’re not unlisted?’, and ‘huge ear rings’ are from
Love Is a Dog
from Hell. The Fiend
is from
The Most Beautiful Woman in
Town
: copyright 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1983 by Charles Bukowski. Reprinted by permission of City Lights Books.
Pamela Miller (aka Cupcakes) described her meeting with Bukowski and their subsequent affair (25 June & 6 July, 1997). The notes Bukowski left at her apartment are taken from
Living on Luck
. I referred to Pamela’s original inscribed copy of
Scarlet; to Women
and
Love Is a Dog From Hell
.
The New York reading was described by Pamela Miller. I also consulted my interview with Gerard Malanga (18 Dec, 1996). Additional background came from reviews of the reading that appeared in
Dodeca
magazine (Aug, 1976) by Tom Jackrell, and
The Drummer
magazine (6 July, 1976) by Louise Simons; and from Bukowski’s own writings in
Love Is a Dog from Hell
and
Women
.
Background about Bukowski’s other affairs and correspondence with women fans are from the following sources: my interview with Amber O’Neil (23 Mar, 1997); interviews and correspondence with Jane Manhattan (7 & 14 Mar, and 14 Aug, 1997); and interviews and correspondence with Jo Jo
Planteen (4–23 Mar, 1997). Amber O’Neil allowed me to quote from her self-published chapbook,
Blowing My Hero
. I also referred to her unpublished correspondence with Bukowski. Jo Jo Planteen allowed me to read her unpublished correspondence with Bukowski. I consulted Bukowski’s general correspondence on file at the University of Arizona; and letters in
Living on Luck
.
Bukowski’s relationship with A.D. Winans’ girlfriend is based on details that appear in Winans’ book,
The Charles Bukowski/Second
Coming Year
s; from my 7 July, 1997, interview with Winans; and from Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with Winans, collected at Brown University, Philadelphia.
All quotes from John Martin, including the story about the two Dutch girls, are from my interviews with Martin.
The exchange between Bukowski and his mail man is from Barbet Schroeder’s
The Charles Bukowski Tapes
.
All quotes from Linda Lee Bukowski (nee Beighle) are from my 25 Oct, 1996, interview with Linda Lee. I also interviewed Joan Smith (26 July, 1997). Background information on Linda Lee’s early relationship with Bukowski is taken from the following sources: Bukowski’s published correspondence in
Living on
Luck
; his correspondence with Amber O’Neil, published in
Blowing
My Hero
; his unpublished correspondence with a confidential source; his unpublished correspondence with Jo Jo Planteen, Linda Lee’s contribution to the documentary
The Ordinary Madness
of Charles Bukowski
; Linda Lee’s 1985 Certificate of Registry of Marriage; pages 253–254 of
Hank
by Neeli Cherkovski; my interviews with Pamela Miller; the unpublished Beighle–Bukowski correspondence at the University of Arizona; and, at Linda Lee’s suggestion, Bukowski’s fictionalized account of their meeting as published in
Women
.
I am grateful to the staff of The Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood, and especially to barman Ruben Rueda whom I interviewed there on 2 Jan, 1997.
Details of Bukowski’s last meeting with Linda King are based on my interviews with Linda King on various dates between 1996 and 1997.
I also consulted Thomas Schmitt’s 1976 documentary,
Charles
Bukowski – East Hollywood
.
The extracts from Bukowski’s letters to Cupcakes and Carl Weissner are from
Living on Luck
.
The poems, ‘i made a mistake’, ‘liberty’, ‘a stethoscope case’ and ‘the retreat’ are published in
Love is a Dog from Hell
. The poem, ‘i am a reasonable man’, appears in
Dangling in the Tournefortia
. The poem, ‘the shower’, appears in
Mockingbird Wish Me Luck
.
Bukowski’s publishing history in Germany was described by Carl Weissner in interviews (5–6 Mar & 10 Aug, 1997).
I interviewed Michael Montfort on 23 July, 1997, and referred to his limited edition book,
Bukowski (Photographs 1977–1987
).
Montfort and Weissner described the Hamburg reading. For additional background, I referred to
Shakespeare Never Did This
, and to audio and video recordings of the Hamburg reading.
I visited Andernach, Germany, in April, 1997, and interviewed Heinrich Fett’s son, Karl Fett, and Heinrich Fett’s daughter-in-law, Josephine Fett, about Bukowski’s return to the town. Matthew Davis translated.
I interviewed Rolf Degen (23–25 Mar, 1997) and am grateful to the library staff at Mainz University in Germany for finding a contemporaneous article Degen wrote about his meeting with Bukowski in Andernach.
Additional information came from
Shakespeare Never Did
This
and interviews with Linda Lee Bukowski (25 Oct, 1996), Michael Montfort and Carl Weissner.
The account of Bukowski’s business affairs, and his relationship with John Martin, is based primarily on Bukowski’s unpublished 1978 correspondence with John Martin. I also referred to my interviews with John Martin; and a 6 June, 1978, letter from Bukowski to Carl Weissner, published in
Living on Luck
.
Details of the purchase of the San Pedro house are taken
from Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with John Martin; and from Bukowski’s books,
Dangling in the Tournefortia
and
Hollywood
.
Background about Barbet Schroeder is from
The Biographical
Dictionary of Film
by David Thomson. I also consulted
Hank
by Neeli Cherkovski; and
Living on Luck
.
Linda Lee Bukowski described her 1978 trip to France with Bukowski and his appearance on the
Apostrophes
television program. I also referred to video film of the show and to
Shakespeare Never Did This
. The quote from Barbet Schroeder is from his contribution to the documentary,
The Ordinary Madness
of Charles Bukowski
.
The poem, ‘Looking for a Job’, appears in
Burning in Water,
Drowning in Flame
.
Reaction to
Women
by Bukowski’s girlfriends, and female acquaintances, is from interviews as previously listed. I also referred to and quoted from
Women
.
Bukowski’s association with John Fante is primarily based on my correspondence and 3 June, 1997, interview with Joyce Fante, and on my interviews with John Martin. Ben Pleasants, who interviewed Bukowski and Fante in the 1970s, told me Bukowski was worried about meeting Fante because he felt he had taken the idea of short chapters from him. For additional background material, I referred to the following sources: an article about John Fante, written by Frank Spotnitz, which appeared in
American Film
magazine in July, 1989; Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with John Martin; an audio tape of a reading Bukowski gave at Redondo Beach, California, in April, 1980, during which he urged the crowd to buy Fante’s books and called him ‘my buddy …’; the Bukowski preface for the 1980
Black Sparrow Press edition of
Ask the Dust
; and Black Sparrow editions of Fante’s novels,
Wait Until Spring, Bandini
(1983) and
Full of Life
(1988). The dialogue between Bukowski and Fante is partly based on an essay by Bukowski about John Fante, which is part of John Martin’s archive in Santa Rosa. I also referred to a 27 Jan, 1990, letter from Bukowski to Kevin Ring, editor of
Beat
Scene
magazine, in which Bukowski relates the dialogue between him and Fante.
Bukowski’s lifestyle at San Pedro, and the purchase of his BMW, is based on my interview with Linda Lee Bukowski; interviews with John Martin; Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with John Martin; and correspondence in
Living On Luck
. I also referred to poems published in
Dangling in the Tournefortia
. Details of the
Barfly
deal are from letters in
Living on Luck
; Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with John Martin; Bukowski’s novel,
Hollywood
; and an interview with Bukowski by Chris Hodenfield published in
Film Comment
(Aug 1987).